Anthony Newman is without question America's foremost Baroque interpreter. He has maintained a 45-year career as America's leading organist, harpsichordist and Bach specialist conductor. "The High Priest of Bach" - Wynton Marsalis "The High Priest of the Harpsichord" - Time Magazine "His driving rhythms and formidable technical mastery...and his intellectually cool understanding of structures moved his audience to cheers..." - New York Times "Since the 1830s, Bach's organ works have generally been played slowly and with a rigid adherence to the metronome in a misplaced sign of respect for the great master of the Baroque. Newman, however, played the fast movements with fiery speed and all movements with elucidating rhythmic variations and improvised ornamentation – the same way the music was played in the 18th century, as Newman's research has demonstrated. The worst nightmare of the organ, according to Newman, is that it's usually played legato – one note persists until the next note begins leaving no space between notes. Baroque organ music played this way becomes muddled; it's hard to believe that Bach, with his mastery of independent, simultaneous melodies, would play notes through to their written values, thus obscuring the counterpoint. 'Playing notes to their full value is the curse of the organ; it's what drives people out of the room,' says Newman. When Bach is played with clean articulation and exciting tempos giving clarity to the structure of the composition, as Newman does, the music welcomes and rewards the listener." - Classical Net