Just thought it would be interesting to hear everyone's opinion on the instrument. Does anyone have any favorite organists?

Mine is Kevin Bowyer, and he does an amazing job of Alkan's Treize Prieres:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_CA4coRf1E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RQ9XXVuj3A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlhGs7KsW5w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yux-m70lPqE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qnb0kDv8OSY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2EMYL10AvI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyWsXflOq-Y

Sure, nobody beats Bowyer in way-out repertoire like Alkan and Sorabji (although he does his more than fair share with mainstream composers). Being a Back-and-baroque-oriented Dutchman. my favourite has to be Ton Koopman, even though he is over-fussy at times.

I'm still learning who's good at what, but somebody I've been watching on youtube is Virgil Fox (even though he's dead). No doubt he's somebody to aspire after. As far as actual live performance goes, the one I see in concert most often is my organ teacher Lynnette McGee because she does lots of performances for the general public to promote the organ in the Orange County/Los Angeles region.

And by all means, do watch Cameron Carpenter doing Chopin's Revolution Etude on the pedals

Now that's what I call pedaling! You'd have to be so relaxed to do that it's not even funny! ::sigh:: maybe one day...

What makes either of them "way out"? I just don't comprehend it. To me, a composer is a composer. Everyone's point is just as valid as long as something was actually put into it. I'd even venture to say that Scriabin was just as good a composer as Bach. Personally, I just can't buy into the elitist hierarchy of music.

But I don't mean to put words in your mouth. I just don't see what's "way out" about either of them.

I love Ton Koopman too

If you read properly, I did not say the composers are way out, I said the repertoire is. I mean specifically the organ works. Among pianists, Alkan and Sorabji are all but household names these days, but I wonder how many organists would play (or even have heard about) their organ music ?
Maybe more than I know of, but still, Bowyer is a true pioneer here, boldly going where few have gone before.

Thank you for clarifying. Bowyer is indeed going where few have gone before. Alkan has a pretty epic organ repertoire, so it's great to see enthusiasm from people about recording it all.

As for Sorabji, I'm all giddy because soon there will be a full recording of his Opus Archmagicum for sale under Altarus Records.

Tellef Johnson's, I assume ? It's supposed to be longer and harder than OC ... you wonder what's kept him so long

BTW - I've not been able to find any recordings of Sorabji's organ music. Do you have some ?

I'll have to look that up for you.

For the time being, here's an excerpt of the Archmagicum for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2x5JTXiH0Q

I'd been there already ... heard pretty much all Sorabji on YouTube.

I do have a favorite organist, though I'd be curious to see if anybody here has ever heard of him before?

Thierry Escaich. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ulp9Tli2AZs (A clip near the end of an improvisation he performed).

He's not only a brilliant organist, but a magnificent composer as well. Only problem is that I find it quite difficult to find many recordings of his works, and the sheet music to accompany them. However, I do have a few mp3s sitting around on my iPod of some of his compositions and some of his improvisations. The improvisations always blow me away, personally. The idea that someone could create something so structured and beautiful out of thin-air simply astounds me.

Can't say I've heard of this dude (possibly due the aforementioned lack of recordings/sheet music). Was that video an improvisation or a composition? I've always respected improv simply because it utilizes what one knows about music theory and directly links it to what comes out of the fingers (a skill I find myself sorely lacking in).

I saw this guy in concert recently, Peter Fennema. One of the pieces he played was one of Demessieux's organ etudes, the "Octave Etude". Anybody who can play ridiculous stuff like that and make it sound good gets high marks in my book. Possibly going further: anybody who can play ridiculous stuff like that and get people interested in learning more about the piece and where it came from, the circumstances surrounding its writing, maybe playing it someday, etc., gets high marks in my book. Sometimes you just have to ask "why?!" after hearing something played well.