This recording places an interesting
new instrument in the spotlight. The
small Swedish firm of Kallif and Lothmann
completed their organ for the Hallingdal
church in 1996. Conceptually it is unique
in Norway as it is based mainly on French
Classical models. Overall I'm convinced
that this is an instrument of genuine
artistic quality. The reeds for example
are excellent, (with the possible exception
of the pedal Bombarde), so rare in modern
organ building, and so hard to pull
off in this style. A glance at the stop-list
poses some questions: two fournitures
(III and V at 1' and 2' pitch on Postif
and Grand Orgue respectively) but no
cymbales. Is the Fourniture/Cymbale
relationship represented by the relationship
between the mixtures of the separate
manuals? Also I'm not convinced that
in this context borrowing the Grand
Orgue Trompette onto the pedal is the
best solution for the pedal 8' reed
which, when used without the coupler,
seems rather under-powered against the
plein jeux. And surely a more adventurous
temperament could have been chosen?
Moreover though, while I remain a die-hard
advocate of concept-led organ building,
I'm not convinced that a smallish Norwegian
church is necessarily the best place
to build a French Classical style organ.
The room is simply too intimate. The
role of the aural effect of the buildings
the original instruments were played
in their cannot, in my opinion, be under-estimated.
Perhaps the question should be posed
the other way round: presumably there
is little in Norwegian liturgy which
is especially well served by such an
instrument. Or perhaps I'm wrong?
The programme on the
present disc is an interesting combination
of works by Bach and by the French organist-composer
whom Bach admired most, Nicolas de Grigny;
the latter's five Plainsong-based hymns
from the famous Livre d'Orgue of
1699. Terje Winge, a Norwegian former
student of Gaston Litaize plays exceptionally
neatly, every ornament perfectly executed.
In general though I found the playing
a little wooden with very little flexibilty
in the tactus. Curiously his Bach suffers,
for my taste, in rather the same way.
Pièce d'Orgue for instance
is rather quick and run-of-the-mill
- played on the plenum but without pedal
reed! A curiously over-long first pedal
note of the Grave section startled
me also.
A worthwhile release
this in order to hear a genuinely interesting
piece of modern organ building. However
for my money it is let down by some
rather identity-less playing.
Chris Bragg
Terje Winge (organ) 
