Organ Duo - Music for Four Hands
John Philip SOUSA (1854-1932)
The Stars and Stripes Forever (arr. Elizabeth and Raymond Chenault)
(1897) [3:52]
Paul Lindsley THOMAS (b. 1929)
Prelude Op. 29 No. 2 ‘Puer nobis nascitur’ [1:44]
Prelude Op. 29 No. 1 ‘Cradle Song’ [2:38]
Samuel WESLEY (1766-1837)
Duet for Organ ‘Allegro’ (1812) [5:59]
Johann Christoph KELLNER (1736-1803)
Fugue in D minor (1795) [4:30]
Quartetto (1789) [4:17]
Adolph Friedrich HESSE (1809-1863)
Fantasy in C minor Op. 35 (1832) [4:48]
Antonín DVOŘÁK (1841-1904)
Slavonic Dance in E minor Op. 72 No. 2 (1886-1887) [4:50]
Gustav MERKEL (1827-1885)
Sonata in D minor Op. 30 (1858) [15:07]
Johann Heinrich LÖFFLER (1833-1903)
Gebet (Prayer) (1871)[2:29]
Richard WAGNER (1813-1883)
The Ride of the Valkyries (arr. Clarence Dickinson and Charlotte Matthewson
Lockwood) (1856) [3:59]
Jaana Jokimies and Irina Lampén (organ - four hands)
rec. 3-4 October 2008, Kotka Church, Finland
FUGA 9287 [56:07]
The Finnish label Fuga is synonymous with exemplary organ recordings - notably
those engineered by Mika Koivusalo - and they tend to feature fine local instruments
and players. Indeed, these recordings underline the extraordinary range of
organs in Finland, their interiors lovingly photographed and displayed in
the liner-notes. The organ in the neo-Gothic Kotka Church is no exception;
built by Martti Porthan Organ Builders in 1998 for the 100th anniversary of
the church, it’s modelled on the Gottfried Silbermann in Freiburg Cathedral.
And anyone who has read George Eliot’s Middlemarch will remember
the profound effect the latter’s ‘mighty tones’ had on our
sensitive heroine, Dorothea Brooke.
The Baroque-style organ featured here certainly has plenty of heft - it boasts
three manuals, pedals, 44 stops and around 3,000 pipes - so it has the potential
to be somewhat overwhelming in music for four hands. As it happens, organists
Jaana Jokimies and Irina Lampén have come up with a varied and interesting
programme; at just 56 minutes of music it may seem short measure, but in deference
to your playback equipment - and your neighbours -it’s quite enough
to absorb in one sitting. And where better than to start with Sousa’s
rousing Stars and Stripes Forever, in an arrangement by organ
duo Elizabeth and Raymond Chenault. It’s rhythmically alert and remarkably
transparent, helped in no small measure by a well-managed and entirely natural
recording.
Make no mistake, this is no mere hi-fi spectacular but an object lesson in
how best to record this instrument. I have a review disc on my desk right
now that must be one of the worst organ recordings I’ve encountered;
it’s bloated, diffuse and dynamically compromised, a dreadful recording
in every way. So, savour these Fuga offerings, for they are as good as it
gets. Initially I was slightly less enthusiastic about Paul Lindsley Thomas’s
two preludes, dedicated to the Chenaults, but seconds into ‘Puer nobis
nascitur’ I was swept away by the sheer panoply of sound created here.
As expected the music never loses its composure, a world away from the fatiguing
‘wall of sound’ one often hears on rival discs. The rocking pedal
that underpins the ‘Cradle Song’ is superbly rendered, providing
just enough ballast for Thomas’s luminous melodies. As for the recording,
Koivusalo preserves enough of the church’s acoustic to ensure the sound
is never blurred or buffeted by distracting oomph or echoes. A delightful
foil to the flamboyant Sousa, and winningly played to boot.
Samuel Wesley, whose tunes are heard and sung in churches and cathedrals around
the world, is represented here by the first movement of his Duet for organ.
Despite the fact it was written in 1812 the piece has a strong Baroque flavour.
It’s very light on its feet - pedals are not included - and it all sounds
so fresh and spontaneous. As always with this duo, registrations are well
chosen, which enhances the clarity and charm of this delectable excerpt. But
there’s nothing small-scale about Johann Christoph Kellner’s Fugue
in D minor, with its imposing melodies and thundering bass. The latter
has a dark, throaty character that is beautifully caught here. As for the
Quartetto, it has a bounce, a joie de vivre, that is just irresistible.
Determined to vary the menu as much as possible, Jokimies and Lampén
follow that lighter course with Adolph Friedrich Hesse’s rather more
filling Fantasy in C minor. Their playing is animated as ever, although
the music is a little short on variety and colour. Such caveats hardly apply
to Dvořák’s Slavonic Dance No 2 in E minor, from
the Op. 72 set. This Starodávny has a simple gravitas and thrilling
pedals, those rising melodies nicely shaped and projected. Very different
from the massive Sonata in D minor by Gustav Merkel, which has
all the rigour and scale of an organ showpiece by Liszt. Yes, textures may
seem a little clotted at times, but then the mixture is leavened somewhat
by the light Adagio. As for the final Allegro, it has a marvellous sense of
scale and momentum.
After all that unbridled power the cool repose of Löffler’s Gebet
comes as a welcome relief. The translucence of the organ’s upper reaches
is beautifully captured here, as are the gentle pedals. What a pity, then,
that the arrangement of Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries is so
underwhelming. Still, full marks to Jokimies and Lampén for battling
to keep these amazons airborne.
Not one of Fuga’s very best, perhaps, but the music-making and sonics
are as impressive as ever. The glossy booklet has decent notes - written by
the organists themselves - and it’s lavishly illustrated. Another must
for organ buffs and audiophiles.
Dan Morgan
Another Fuga must for organ buffs and audiophiles.