Delos Diary

Not all the news we bring you is happy. We just recently learned that esteemed organist Catharine Crozier passed away last September 19th at the age of 89. She had hoped to celebrate her 90th birthday this coming January 18th, but one of her final statements was, "I just can't wait."
Lovers of great organ playing will have to wait a long time to hear her equal in the organ literature she loved best — 19th century romantic and 20th century contemporary.
Most recently Catharine Crozier was organist-in-residence at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland, Oregon, site of the Opus 11 Rosales Organ we spoke of in a diary entry just the other day.
The New York Times said of her "…an honored veteran among organ players [who] can still run rings around much of her younger competition, not only in interpretive style but in sheer technique as well."
Catharine Crozier's artistry is well represented on five Delos recordings. Most recent is her recording Great Organ Works of Cesar Franck (DE 3272). I was completely seduced by her playing of the Prelude, Fugue and Variations, Op. 18 … a spiritual epitaph for her if there ever was one. Other available CDs include Things Visible and Invisible … Messaien, Langlais, Alain (DE 3147); Catharine Crozier at Grace Cathedral - Mendelssohn, Schumann, Liszt and Reubke (DE 3090); Catharine Crozier plays Organ Music of Leo Sowerby (DE 3075); and Organ Works by Ned Rorem (DE 3076).