KEN COWAN
Press Notices
LOS ANGELES, CA “Cowan’s performance was stunning. [His] playing displayed understanding of the
composer’s intentions and allowed one to hear the beauty of the various
families of color on this glorious instrument. There was passion and fire in this virtuosic
performance [Max Reger’s fantasia on Wie
schön leucht’ uns der Morgenstern]. Cowan’s careful and wonderfully sensitive
musical interpretation of all the variations, and in particular, the powerful
texts of the concluding verses, moved this writer to tears.”
(The 2004 National Convention of the AGO in Los Angeles) The American Organist
DALLAS, TX “KEN COWAN SHOWS OFF
THE ORCHESTRAL SOUNDS OF NEW ORGAN AT HIGHLAND PARK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH” “Cowan was at his most dazzling in
transcriptions of Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream Overture and Liszt's
Mephisto Waltz No. 1. Sounds shifted, swelled and diminished in apparently
limitless variety, all while Cowan dispatched dizzying arrays of notes.”
Scott Cantrell, The Dallas Morning News
CHICAGO, IL “… one of the most outstanding young organist
on the scene today. His unassuming
manner and his sure and relaxed technique hide a fiery yet totally musical
approach to organ playing.”
The
Diapason
PHILADELPHIA, PA “His playing was nothing short of superb.”
The Diapason
CLEVELAND,
OH “All in all, this
evening was one of the most memorable organ performances we’ve heard in years …” (2009 National Convention of the Organ
Historical Society)
ClevelandClassical.com
BUFFALO “His
unassuming demeanor complements the dual nature of his playing – a combination
of technical virtuosity and great musical understanding and sensitivity.”
(2004 Organ Historical Society Convention in
Buffalo) The Diapason
PORTLAND, ME (Regional convention of
the American Guild of Organists) “Mr.
Cowan’s technical mastery, expressivity, musicality, and sheer brilliance
thrilled the convention audience.”
The American Organist
JAMESTOWN, NY “ORGANIST GIVES WORLD-CLASS PERFORMANCE”
The Post-Journal
HAMILTON, ON “… an absolutely stunning recital by Ken
Cowan.”
Organ Canada
“… let me assure you
that we who heard this recital came away convinced of a glorious future for
organ playing.”
The American Organist
KALAMAZOO, MI “COWAN GIVES MAJESTIC LIFE TO PIPE ORGAN”
Kalamazoo Gazette
“[There is] no doubt as to the player’s
extraordinary muscle and aptitude.”
The American Organist
RECORDING
REVIEWS
Ken Cowan plays Romantic Masterworks (Raven OAR 903)
“… a virtuosic performance on the IV/110 Schoenstein organ in
the First Plymouth Congregational Church in Lincoln Nebraska.”
“The program opens
with a delightful arrangement by Cowan himself of the Liszt Mephisto Waltz No. 1, a favorite of
pianists that achieves real freshness with the greater colors of the symphonic
organ, and the technical display is just as exciting as on a piano.”
Journal of the Association of
Anglican Musicians, May-June, 2009
The Art of the Symphonic Organist Vol. 4 (JAV 166)
Ken Cowan plays the
Quimby Pipe Organ at First Baptist Jackson, MS
“Ken Cowan is one
of the most brilliant young organists on the scene today. His program and performances here are
certainly heroic, tailor made for this instrument, exploiting its seemingly
limitless tonal resources. His
“orchestrations” of Wagner’s Overture from Die Meistersinger rival the
original; the final pages are spellbinding in Cowan’s brilliance of
execution. … This is an organ of which
the earlier legends of transcription such as Best and Lemare would be proud. Ken Cowan is as apt a candidate as any to
inherit their mantle.”
The American Organist (June 2008)
“The Quimby organ
is a vast beast, but Ken Cowan is able to tame it in a programme that combines
virtuosity and drive … Cowan’s articulation is particularly evident, as is
[his] ability to use the many tone colors of the instrument to best effect … this
is difficult stuff, but Cowan makes it sound easy, and very enjoyable …”
The Organ, November 2007
“[The] Saint-Saëns,
Moszkowski and Poulenc selections are arrangements by Cowan and they are
splendid … Cowan’s Poulenc piece flies along with the ease and speed of concert
pianists … an outstanding performance by the young artist.”
American
Record Guide
The Art of the Symphonic Organist Vol. 1 (JAV 141)
Ken Cowan plays the
EM Skinner at the Parish Church of St. Luke in Evanston, IL
“Altogether this is
one of the finest compact discs I have heard in some time, and I thoroughly recommend
it.”
The Diapason
“This is a “must-have” for those who
seek excellence in performance and recording.”
The American Organist
“Ken Cowan’s performances show a good grasp
of the musical architecture of the pieces and his perfect command of the
registration changes means that colours and textures are seamlessly interwoven.”
Organists’ Review
Ken Cowan plays
organ works by Dupré, Roger-Ducasse, Bach, Lemare and Manari (JAV 129)
1930 Skinner organ, Saint Peter’s Episcopal
Church, Morristown, New Jersey
“When the artist is Ken
Cowan, it is a given that the performance will be flawless and satisfying, that
the registrations will show off the instrument to its best advantage, and that
there will be a wide range of composers represented … this recording surpasses
expectations. Highly recommended.”
The American Organist
Great
Organbuilders of America: A
Retrospective-Volume 9 (JAV
118)
“I have
never heard this performed with more virtuosity, nor with a more apt use of
colour … There is much to return to in this disc …”
Organists’
Review
“Cowan has that innate
skill to turn the organ into an orchestra. Highly recommended.”
The Organ
A Midsummer
Night’s Dream (The Curtis
Organ Restoration Society CD141602)
“… awe-inspiring
technique … the phrasing and registrations are superbly evocative.”
Organ Alternatives
“Mr. Cowan’s
performance has all the bravura and drama of the best orchestral recordings.”
Organ Alternatives