Due for worldwide release on 21st November 2025 on PENTATONE.
Organisms by Calefax transforms centuries of organ music into a living, breathing experience, reimagining its spiritual depth and theatrical power through the voices of a reed quintet. Featuring works from Sweelinck to Florence Price, this 40th-anniversary album reveals the organ not as a machine, but as a vital force of human imagination.
“This album is the fulfilment of a dream we’ve cherished for years. Now, we are thrilled to unveil the extraordinary beauty and depth of organ music that captured our hearts.”
Jelte Althuis
bass & contrabass clarinet
“We will miss not only Jelte’s musicality but also his exceptional level of commitment and warm personality. I am so happy that we will still have the pleasure of working together for the coming months. Let us celebrate not only our anniversary, but also 32 years of making music and working together with Jelte!”
Alban Wesly
bassoon
From Sweelinck’s Fantasia Chromatica and Bruhns’ richly imaginative Prelude in E Minor, through the intimate final chorales of Brahms and Franck, to Florence Price’s Suite No. 1, which blends African-American musical traditions with Romantic expressiveness, this album redefines the organ not as a sacred machine, but as a vital force of musical imagination.
In 2025, Calefax proudly marks its 40th anniversary. They have been praised for their “witty, well-crafted arrangements” (De Volkskrant) and “beautiful playing” (Het Parool), and hailed by The Times as “five extremely gifted Dutch gents who almost made the reed quintet seem the best musical format on the planet.” This milestone season will also mark the farewell of Jelte Althuis, who will perform with the ensemble through the first half of the season, including the inaugural Calefax Reed Festival—a celebration created for this special anniversary.
DIGITAL RELEASE DATE: 21st November 2025
PHYSICAL RELEASE DATE: November 2025
