Periferic Records: Református Énekek II. — Hymns of the Reformed Church, János Pálúr Improvisations 8 (Audio CD)

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Product Details:

• Product Type: Audio CD
• Brand / Label: Periferic Records
• Catalog Number: BGCD 124
• Album: Református Énekek II. (Hymns of the Reformed Church II)
• Series: János Pálúr — Improvisations 8
• Organ: János Pálúr
• Conductors: János Arany; Sándor Berkesi; Zsófia Cseri
• Genre: Sacred / Choral
• Style: Hungarian Reformed hymns, organ improvisation
• Language: Hungarian
• UPC: not visible in supplied photos — send a barcode image to add

Product Features

• Format: CD
• Discs: 1
• Total runtime: 77:58
• Recording: Live concert at the Great Hall of the Liszt Academy of Music (Zeneakadémia), Budapest
• Condition: Factory sealed (brand new)

Overview

A live concert document of Hungarian Reformed church song, captured in the Great Hall of the Liszt Academy in Budapest. The program alternates congregational hymns — sung by massed choirs — with organ improvisations by János Pálúr built on those same melodies, so each hymn flows into a free response at the console.

The eighteen hymns are drawn straight from the Hungarian Reformed hymnal (the small numbers after each title are the hymnal references). They run from sixteenth-century Genevan psalter tunes by Loys Bourgeois and Claude Goudimel through Luther's "Erős vár a mi Istenünk" (A Mighty Fortress) to nineteenth- and twentieth-century material, ending with a Gárdonyi setting. Between them, Pálúr's improvisations carry titles like Adagio, Canzona, Lamento, Induló and Scherzando — a survey of organ form as much as a worship record.

The performing forces are substantial: soprano Boglárka Kárpátiné Berkesi and tenor István Basky as soloists, with the Baár-Madas Mixed Choir, the Debrecen Kántus, the choir of the Young Reformed Federation (Felvidék, Slovakia), the "Julianna" Reformed Primary School Children's Choir, the Pasarét Imre Palló Choir and the Psalterium Hungaricum Choir. At nearly 78 minutes, it fills the disc.

Interesting Facts

• János Pálúr is one of Hungary's leading concert organists and the organist of the Fasor Reformed Church in Budapest; the "Improvisations" series documents his work in the free-improvisation tradition.
• The hymn melodies span four centuries, from the 1551–1562 Genevan Psalter (Bourgeois, Goudimel) to a setting credited to Zoltán Gárdonyi (1906–1986).
• "Erős vár a mi Istenünk" is the Hungarian form of Martin Luther's 1529 Wittenberg chorale "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott."
• One chorale prelude pairs the famous Hassler melody of 1601 (the "Passion Chorale") with its later treatment by J. S. Bach (1685–1750).
• The recording gathers choirs from both Hungary and the Hungarian community of Slovakia (Felvidék), reflecting the cross-border reach of Hungarian Reformed church music.
• It was published by Gergely Böszörményi on Periferic Records, a Budapest label better known for progressive rock — making this sacred-choral title a notable entry in its catalog.

Track Listing

Part One — conductor: János Arany

1. Jöjjetek Krisztust dicsérni (328) — with organ: F major concerto, on the 14th-c. "Quem Pastores"
2. Kegyes Jézus, itt vagyunk (164) — with organ: Chorale prelude, on J. R. Ahle, 1664
3. Ó seregeknek Istene (84) — Claude Goudimel, 1520–1572
4. Mint a szép híves patakra (42) — with organ: Introduction on the mixtures, on L. Bourgeois, 1551
5. Jézus hív, bár zúg morajlik (299) — with organ: Adagio, after J. Stainer
6. Isten élő Lelke, jöjj (463) — with organ: Fanfare on the reed registers, on Daniel Iverson, 1930
7. Az Isten Bárányára (459) — with organ: Canzona, on Krisztina Roy

Part Two — conductors: Sándor Berkesi, Zsófia Cseri

1. Perelj, Uram, perlőimmel (35) — L. Bourgeois, 1551 Geneva
2. Áldjátok az Úr nevét (135) — with organ: Andante, on 1562 Geneva
3. Erős vár a mi Istenünk (390) — with organ: March, on M. Luther, 1529 Wittenberg
4. Dicsőség, mennyben az Istennek (326) — with organ: Lamento, on 1855
5. Ó Krisztusfő, te zúzott (341) — with organ: Chorale prelude, on H. L. Hassler, 1601 — J. S. Bach, 1685–1750

Part Three — conductor: Sándor Berkesi

1. Aki értem megnyíltál (458) — with organ: Lied, on I. Hastings, 1830
2. Tudom, az én Megváltóm él (421) — with organ: Introduction, after C. G. Stebbins
3. Semmit ne bánkódjál, Krisztus szent serege (380) — Balázs Székely, 1546 — János Máté, 1934–1998
4. Ki Istenének átad mindent (274) — György Neumark, 1657, with organ interlude
5. Vezess, Jézusunk (434) — A. Drese, 1698 Darmstadt
6. Mondjatok dicséretet (196) — with organ: Scherzando, on 1774 Debrecen — Zoltán Gárdonyi, 1906–1986

Total time: 77:58

Track timings are printed on the back in dual columns (hymn / improvisation) that don't map cleanly to single tracks; if you'd like exact per-track times added, send a sharper photo of the timing columns and I'll transcribe them.

Publishers

Published by Gergely Böszörményi on Periferic Records, Budapest (catalog BGCD 124), distributed by Stereo Kft. Recorded live at the Great Hall of the Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest.

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