Page 44 - Church Music Quarterly June 2018

ORGAN CDs
★★
THE KING OF INSTRUMENTS: A VOICE REBORN
Stephen Cleobury plays the organ of King’s College Chapel, Ca bridge● King’sCollege,
Ca bridgeKGS0020
Formosto 2016theorganin King’swasremoved orsignifcant restoration, the last having taken place in the 1960s. Over 4000 pipes were cleaned or repaired, as were the instrument’s mechanical innards. Some parts were replaced by a newer structure including new slider soundboards using man-made materials. The action, wind and electrical systems were also signifcantly restored. On this CD, Stephen Cleobury, Director o Music atKing’s,celebratesthe ruito this renovation with works by Simon Preston, J.S. Bach, Mendelssohn, Franck, Harvey Grace and George Baker. The CD opens with Simon Preston’s exuberant Alleluyas. J.S. Bach is represented by six contrasting preludes romtheClavierübungIII. ChristunserHerrzumJor ankamis awonderuldepictiono thatriver in a gentle rippling fow – and that is how it stays on this recording:
a raging torrent it is not! Kyrie Gott, heiligerGeist,thelargesto Bach’s
MIDNIGHT
AT ST ETIENNE OU MONT
losoph Nol11n
organ
complete, with the Toccata
ollowing the Prélude and Sicilienne
rather than played as what Nolan regrets can be ‘an empty showpiece’ by itsel . The Briggs ‘tombeau’ does not re erence Durufé directly but is based on plainchant themes so central to Durufé, one or each o the eleven moments that are a sort o pilgrimage ollowing the li e o Christ (and many o which would work well, played alone at di erent times o the church’s year). The playing is authoritative, and on
the organ where Durufé was titulaire or nearly 60 years.
★
GRANDE SYMPHONIE
David Leigh plays the organ
of St Fin Barre’s Cathedral,
Cork ● Priory PRCD 1190
Here is a recording to fll gaps
in your CD library in repertoire and indeed the instrument itsel . Lemare’s Symphony No.2 is the biggest work and concludes the disc with 32 minutes o tightly argued, chromatic counterpoint interspersed with lyrical and sometimes lighter moments. There are compositions by local musicians Jonathan Horne
and Eoghan Desmond, and, unexpectedly, a pastiche-French Toccata by Fernando Germani. The well-known piece at the centre o the programme is Franck’s Gran PièceSymphonique orwhichDavid Leigh makes an impressive case, musically and technically. It is
★★
ORGAN PARTY VOL. 3
Kevin Bowyer plays the organ ofGlasgowUniversityMe orial Chapel ● Priory PRCD 1171
I you have musical riends to whom the organ and its repertoire do not appeal, buy this CD or them. There is an astonishing mixture o music, some by recognizable composers o lighter music including Ernest Tomlinson, Ronald Arnatt and Ernest Bucalossi (with his Grasshoppers’ Dance), some by established organ composers in the UK and USA (among them Ronald Arnatt, Paul Fisher, Charles Proctor). Marco Lo Muscio’s In MemoriamofMessiaenisoneo a numbero short‘serious’pieces. Two o Peter Warlock’s Co Pieces are preceded by I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts. All 22 tracks
are played with a delicious sense o stylebyKevinBowyerwho transports the Memorial Chapel organ into ballroom or cinema as required.
Ju ithMarkwith
BOOKS
HYMNS FOR ALL SEASONS: the complete works of James Quinn SJ edited by Paul Inwood
OCP: 924pp. P/B (spiral bound) 30134838 £26.99
OCP: 924pp. H/B 30132863 £30.99
James Quinn (1919–2010) was particularly devoted to the cause
o ecumenism,anditisgood thatseveralo thehymnso
this Scottish Roman Catholic
have become standard in the worship o di erent Christian denominations in most English- speakingcountries.Heburst
upon the scene in 1969 with his frst collection, New Hymns for
All Seasons, that included ‘Forth
in the peace o Christ we go’
(to Song 34 or Duke Street), ‘This
day God gives me’ (to Bunessan), ‘Sing, all creation’ (to Iste Confessor or Christe Sanctorum) and 85 others. The tunes to those three are typical o the author’s choice o olk tunes or well-known, old English or French hymn tunes. This collection o Quinn’s 230 hymn texts is presented with ull music and copious notes about each.
INSPIRING MUSIC IN WORSHIP: a short course of guided conversations for churches Helen Bent
RSCM: 79pp. P/B 978-0-85402-271-7 £5.99 (affliates £4.49)
Members o Praxis and RSCM
a fliates should already have received a copy o this coursebook that has the potential to be so use ul
or musicians and non-musicians – whether in situations with substantial musical input or with almost no musical resources at
all. It simply tries to acilitate conversation, no easy task given the di fculty o talking about music, with a ramework that encourages open discussion without the worry that only certain answers are allowed. Headings are ‘What does it mean to be a worshipping person’, ‘Discovering skills and releasing gi ts’, ‘Music and mission’, ‘Starting rom where we are’ and ‘Setting a new vision
or music and worship’. I cannot imagine any worshipping community that would not beneft rom talking and listening, ollowing the guidance in this inspiring book.
THE NOVELLO GUIDE TO SIGHT-SINGING: An interactive course for all choral singers
Ralph Allwood and Ti othy Teague Novello: 169pp. NOV166067 £19.99
great Kyrie preludes, is given a ull treatment. The contrasting movementso Mendelssohn’sF
airly
minor Sonata a ord an opportunity to show o the restored organ – especially in the glittering fnal movement.The ullpowero the instrument is unleashed in Harvey Grace’s Resurgam and George Baker’s ProcessionRoyale.Theextento the restoration work is explained
and illustrated in the CD notes.
Stuart Robinson
★★
MIDNIGHT AT ST ETIENNE
DU MONT
Joseph Nolan plays the organ
of St-Etienne-du-Mont, Paris ● Signu Classics SIGCD470
This CD is all about Maurice Durufé (1902–86), with his own Suite Op.5 and then David Briggs’s Tombeau e Durufé. The ground is prepared by Durufé’s transcription o Tournemire’sImprovisationsur
le Te Deum and three pieces by Vierne(includingtheScherzo rom SymphonyNo.6andFinal romNo.5). It is good to have Durufé’s Suite
well worth buying this CD that per ormance alone.
or
You will fnd reviews of recent printed music publications
in this issue of Sunday by Sunday (no. 85). All the latest reviews are available online at > www.rscm.com/reviews
Printed music and books (not CDs) reviewed by the RSCM, with the occasional exception of private publications, can be obtained from RSCM Music Direct. Tel: +44 (0)845 021 7726; fax: +44 (0)845 021 8826; email: musicdirect@rscm.com
Items for review should be sent to the Reviews Editor, Ashleigh House, Cirencester Road, Minchinhampton, Stroud, Glos GL6 9EL. Tel: +44 (0)7879 406048; email: cmqreviews@rscm.com
44 CMQ
MORE BOOKS REVIEWED AT: www.rscm.com/reviews