There are times when
one has to rethink one’s biases: I am
not normally taken with organ works.
I tend to think of them as overly pompous
and uninspiring on the whole, with the
organ tending to reside in my mind as
a musical dinosaur, blaring loudly through
music bound both by the conservative
nature of the church audience that so
often spawned the instrument itself
and the weighty tradition of church
music. That being said, I do try and
listen to each work presented to me
with as little bias as I can muster
and giving this recording an open mind
has proven rewarding. I was treated
to a collection that was by turns engaging
and brooding, with high amounts of energy
in places and emotive journeys through
somber or restive locales in others.
Jane Parker-Smith did a masterful job
choosing a collection of mostly serious
and lesser known organ works that allow
her to show off her obvious talent and
musicality. The recording itself is
a bit muddy and dark, definitely removing
the listener from the cathedral experience.
That being said, the music is brilliant
and interesting.
The disc subtitles
itself "Romantic and Virtuoso Works
for Organ, Vol. 1." "Romantic"
must be a reference to the period of
musical romanticism, as none of these
works evoke the mood of a gentle candle-lit
dinner for two with a nice bottle of
wine. However, "virtuoso"
is understated, as Parker-Smith goes
from one flawless performance to another.
Even so, I seldom felt that I was simply
hearing a very good player go through
the motions of producing something for
mass consumption. This was an obvious
work of love created by someone who
wants to show off both her own talents
and those of the composers themselves.
As far as the selection
is concerned, each of these eight pieces
is obviously a technical masterwork
by its composer, and chosen for the
combination of its difficulty and stand-out
musicality. The organ is used in the
common way: creating walls of sound
that would make Phil Spector proud;
yet each work is interesting and musically
valuable. The composers all have the
dubious distinction of being hardly
known outside the world of the organ.
Yet the pieces were engaging and obviously
incredibly suited to the instrument
of choice. They too had an obvious knowledge
and love for the organ as an instrument,
and the result is wonderful. I find
myself realizing that criticizing these
composers for what I had previously
considered their over-specialization
is akin to me stating that Duke Ellington
was a decent composer, but didn’t know
how to write a symphony. Their special
knowledge, when conjoined to the virtuosic
talent of Ms. Parker-Smith, produces
one delightful gem after another.
While Jane Parker-Smith
has certainly not made it any more likely
that I will soon go out and buy the
complete works of Bach for organ, this
is an album that will certainly stay
in my collection. The music was obviously
carefully chosen and incredibly well
executed. The instrument is a joy to
listen to. The recording quality, while
not perfectly crystalline, does not
distract. When Vol. 2 comes out, I will
gladly add it to my collection. I recommend
this disc as an addition to any music
collection.
Patrick Gary
Jane Parker-Smith (organ)