Any large pipe organ—especially the one at Philadelphia's Kimmel Center that was dedicated with this performance—has the capacity for immense, body-shaking sound. This Barber piece leaves much of the thundering to the orchestra's brass section and serves up light, rhythmically deft playing for the organ soloist. But the cadenza near the piece's nine-minute mark finally moves the soloist into the organ's lowest register with a flurry of footwork. Think of organist's Latry feet speeding up and down the pedal board as a journey of a thousand steps, with its final destination a satisfying, low-register blast.

—DA