The chamber orchestra has previously been heard in novel fusions of Baroque music with the likes of gospel and Chinese music, so it may have been a bit surprising to see them take on an album of transcriptions. After all, himself was an inveterate transcriber of works by himself and others, and he even transcribed concertos for the organ (the title refers to the organ's traditional status as the Queen of Instruments). Here, 's and go the other direction, making mostly organ works into orchestral ones. The beginning of the program is straightforward, with concerto grosso-like versions of a pair of organ sonatas. As things proceed, though, one becomes aware that things are not as straightforward as they seem. Although the organ sonatas make perfectly natural orchestral pieces, that is less true of the organ chorale , where more interpretation enters into the transcription. Toward the end of the program, this occurs more often; the pieces aren't ones that would have thought of transcribing. Sample the , which, without violating the boundaries of Baroque orchestration, has a modern kind of expressivity. The album as a whole has a unique kind of development that sets it apart from other Baroque recordings, just as surely as do 's more experimental offerings, and the overall effect is compelling. It is no surprise that this release ended up on classical best-seller charts in early 2023. ~ James Manheim