{"product_id":"christmas-at-groton","title":"Christmas at Groton","description":"While seemingly simple, the task of choosing the   repertoire for a Christmas recording of organ music is not.   From the outset, I wanted to show the instrument in it's   best light by choosing compositions it would play well, but   would also be attractive works to the listeners. The pieces   should vary in length and complexity, offer a good balance   between popular vs. Unknown compositions, symphonic   vs. #crystalline textures, loud vs. #soft, etc. Additionally, I   wanted to include works by Black composers and Women   composers, elevating their historically marginalized   voices. Finally, all these parameters were applied to music   that was only chorale- (or carol!) based, for how else would   the pieces be considered 'Christmas?' -Eric Plutz, July 2026  The choice of the Groton School Organ is historic. Much   like architecture, organ building vacillates between   periods of exuberance and restraint. Also like architecture,   some organs so fundamentally alter the tastes of a   generation that they become prototypes, widely imitated.   When any artwork is so seminal in impact, it can be   hard to see it for the revolutionary example it once was.   Sitting down to the Groton Aeolian-Skinner is just such   an experience. Finished in late 1935, Groton instituted   a new style for American organbuilding. In the first third   of the 20th century, American builders were engrossed   in suggesting the symphony, either through imitations   of orchestral tonalities (Tubas, French and English horns)   or in the broader sense of having the organ suggest the   sweep and force of the modern symphony.","brand":"Affetto Records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":52917425701144,"sku":"195269430504","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/4537555-3701326.jpg?v=1792150990","url":"https:\/\/hbdirect.com\/products\/christmas-at-groton","provider":"HBDirect","version":"1.0","type":"link"}