“Forster revelled in the virtuoso pedal work and idiomatic deployment of the organ’s
soundscape.... Stuart Forster can be pronounced, without hesitation, a lofty
star in the organ fraternity.” The
Canberra Times [Australia]
“...an astonishing performance, carefully and lovingly prepared, and brilliantly executed. Breathtaking is the word.” Piporg-l
[Internet]
“Forster’s arranging certainly works.... This young artist knows his instrument and
his music.” The Richmond Times-Dispatch
[U.S.A.]
“Stuart Forster is one of Australia’s most accomplished younger organists.... Stuart Forster’s performance ... is truly virtuosic and of compelling interest
throughout.” OHTA News
[The Organ Historical Trust of Australia]
“...Stuart’s playing excels with countless smooth crescendi and diminuendi and meticulous
registration changes that take the dynamic level from one notch up or down with ease.”
The Sydney Organ Journal [Australia]
“I wouldn’t have missed this experience for the world!
The transcription is masterly, its performance quite splendid.... This is orchestral playing of the highest calibre.” The Organist’s Review [England]
“To say that music, player and instrument fit
together well is akin to saying that Gustav Mahler wrote some nice pieces for orchestra! ... musicality shines through, this
is virtuosity used in the service of the music not vice-versa.” The Organ Club Journal [England]
“It is not possible to convey on paper the aural excitement that this performance generates” Organo Pleno [Australia]
“I couldn’t help but be impressed by the quality of
Stuart’s playing....So “easy” did it sound when just listening to the recording that I didn’t
realise how difficult it really was.” The Sydney Organ Journal [Australia]
“...a thrilling presentation of the romantic/orchestral organ at its finest.... every aspect
receives our Highest Recommendation.” Theatre Organ [U.S.A.]
Other Internet reviews:
I have aired his CD on “Orgelwerke”
and it is excellent!! The artist, musical selections, instrument and the superb
acoustics of Holy Rosary Cathedral in Toledo -- all add up to place this recording in the “must have” category
in one’s library.
I remember thinking, when Stuart
first played the last movement there: “This is not possible. No one could possibly catch everything played by a huge
orchestra with just ten fingers and a couple of feet.” It was, there and here, a great astonishment, but, with all that,
a performance of great beauty, and I have to add, sensitivity, a requirement of the fact that this movement is quite sectional,
and there are many changes of mood. The whole thing was breathtaking, and we all made our approval loudly clear, as Stuart
left the stage for intermission.
Tonight’s was a wonderful performance, deft, precise, and full of fun.
