Who
is Kalevi Kiviniemi? I hadn’t heard of him either
until I came across a YouTube clip of him improvising on
Waltzing
Matilda at the organ of Melbourne Town Hall. Even allowing
for the limitations of my PC sound card this had me searching
the web for more. It appears this Finnish-born organist has just
recorded his 100
th disc for a small, home-grown label
called Fuga, who only sell via their
online shop.
Make no mistake, though, there’s nothing amateurish about
the hybrid discs in this OrganEra series, which have already
been praised elsewhere. As for the instruments chosen, they are
among the finest in the world.
The Cavaillé-Coll organ in the Abbey Church of Saint-Ouen
is no exception; indeed, when Kiviniemi lets rip one can very
easily feel intimidated by the sheer weight of sound produced.
He kicks off with three improvisations, the first of which is
dedicated to the organ-builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll.
Not surprisingly Kiviniemi exploits every facet of this instrument,
whose roaring bass and pedals won’t so much rattle the
rafters as crack the foundations. Contrast that with the gentle,
almost ethereal start to the second piece, a
hommage to
the wife of organist-composer Marcel Dupré, and you soon
begin to appreciate the breadth of Kiviniemi’s talent.
He draws the most diaphanous sounds from this unruly beast, which
then reverts to type in the lumbering Carillon, dedicated to
Dupré himself.
Recording in vast Gothic spaces such as this presents all sorts
of technical challenges, and judging by these opening flourishes
Kiviniemi’s sound engineer Mika Koivusalo has done a splendid
job. My review is confined to the stereo SACD layer, which is
staggering in its depth and detail, and I can only guess at the
overwhelming impression this music must make in its multi-channel
form. That said, I found it useful to cut back on the volume
a little, in order to hear the music’s inner voices. Hifi
nuts will probably take the opposite view, in which case be prepared
to give your sound system a hammering.
The two Méditations by Dupré are another matter
entirely. Kiviniemi articulates these gravely beautiful pieces
with great care and sensitivity, matching the organ’s pellucid
upper registers with firm, but judicious, use of bass and pedals.
Such is the three-dimensionality of this recording that it really
is like
being there. The brief Magnificat (Gloria) rolls and thunders
around the church to thrilling effect, the more subdued Vitrail
(rose window) radiantly beautiful. Not since Volume I of Audité’s
Franck series, played on the Goll organ at Memmingen (see
review)
have I encountered playing that moves so easily between flamboyance
and finesse.
The first Toccata, Kiviniemi’s
hommage to Albert
Dupre, Marcel’s father and one-time organist at Saint-Ouen,
is broadly conceived, the second, by Henri Nibelle, much more
focused on intricate details. Kiviniemi voices the latter very
well indeed, the rising figures underpinned at the end by those
glorious pedals. And then there’s Franck’s Pastorale,
rhythmically alert and shimmering with iridescent colours. A
gem, made even more desirable when it’s made to sparkle
like this. Without doubt, this is musicianship of the highest
order, and a tantalising glimpse of what we can expect from Kiviniemi’s
Franck disc - Fuga 9281 - which I shall review soon.
The Sonata by Marcel Dupre’s teacher, Felix Alexandre Guilmant,
begins with a rather opaque Prelude - not the most endearing
of openers - before modulating into a serene Adagio, shot through
with delicate colours. Again, the remarkable recording picks
out the tiniest threads in this huge musical tapestry. The closing
Fugue is less colourful but no less well played. Curiously, it’s
the ubiquitous Toccata from Widor’s
Symphonie No. 5 that
fails to thrill. It’s overexposed - probably overrated,
too - and while it sounds magnificent on this recording there
are more urgent performances available from the likes of Simon
Preston. The Andante sostenuto and Finale may be less well known
but they are more satisfying, the bell-like figures of the former
hanging as if suspended in the gloom. Kiviniemi lets the beast
out of its cage in the Finale, which certainly makes for a fitting
end to a fine recital.
Good organ records aren’t hard to find but exceptional
ones are very rare; this is one of the latter, a joy from start
to finish. The programme is well chosen and that, combined with
jaw-dropping sonics, makes this a must for organ buffs. What’s
more, the disc sounds just as thrilling on CD as it does on SACD,
so there’s no need to feel short-changed if you don’t
have high-res equipment.
Dan Morgan
Kalevi Kiviniemi (organ)
[77:00] 
