Organ Music at Clifton
Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
Toccata & Fugue in D minor, BWV565 [8:44]
Chorale Prelude; Christ, unser Herr, zum Jordan kam, BWV684 [4:39]
Fugue in G minor, BWV578 [4:04]
Georg MUFFAT (1653-1704)
Toccata Septima in C [9:18]
Georg BOHM (1661-1733)
Vater unser im Himmelreich [4:40]
Dietrich BUXTEHUDE (1637-1707)
Passacaglia in D minor, BuxWV161 [5:54]
Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Chorale Prelude; O Gott, du frommer Gott, Op.122 No.7 [3:42]
Hendrik ANDRIESSEN (1892-1981)
Thema mit Variaties [6:53]
Derek BOURGEOIS (1941-2017)
Serenade, Op 22 [2:31]
Felix MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847)
Prelude and Fugue in C minor, Op.37 No.1 [7:07]
Stephen Bryant (organ)
rec. 2009, Clifton Cathedral, Bristol, UK.
HOXA HS091028 [57:32]
Here we have a mixed bag of pieces presented in clean, crisp and unfussy performances by Stephen Bryant on the Rieger organ of Clifton Cathedral. Once described as one of the finest neo-classical organs in the UK, and dating from 1973 when the craze was still for the spartan physical and tonal design pioneered by the Organ Reform Movement and championed by Ralph Downes, this organ has certainly mellowed over the years, and has much to endear itself to the listener. This bright, no-nonsense recording along with Stephen Bryant’s neat and unmannered playing comes like a breath of fresh air, rather than a ghostly remembrance of the angular and desiccated excesses of the Organ Reform Movement.
In keeping with the relatively sparse and unrelentingly Germanic specification of the organ, which is not detailed in an otherwise highly informative booklet, Bryant’s interpretation of the ubiquitous Toccata and Fugue in D minor is largely shorn of echo effects or manual changes. While this could lead to an uncomfortable exposure of the work’s manifest weaknesses (which have led most Bach authorities to question the provenance of the piece), Bryant’s perky speeds and the organ’s bright tone, result in a refreshingly invigorating performance.
Bach – genuine or not – is served well here, and after the Toccata and Fugue Bryant gives a nicely shaped account of one of the chorale preludes from the Clavierübung and a most enchanting performance of the short Fugue in G minor. Music from three of Bach’s north German predecessors also works well on this instrument, although Bryant is less persuasive here, and one might wish that the Buxtehude Passacaglia was given a little more variety. For my money, however, the Brahms chorale prelude just does not work on an organ where dark, romantic colours (albeit with a nod in the general direction of Bach) have all the subtlety of fairground neon.
Back in the 1970s and 80s the Thema mit Variaties by the Dutch composer and organist, Hendrik Andriessen (father of the rather more famous and musically adventurous Louis) had its brief moment in the limelight. It was on an exam syllabus which all organists of a certain vintage seemed to take, and there were few recital programmes around then which did not have it there. It was a clever choice, because it had a certain chameleon-like quality which meant that it sounded as convincing on a tubular-pneumatic Victorian monstrosity as it did on a mechanical neo-Baroque miniature. Bryant brings back memories with a performance which is neatly played, well-tailored to the organ, and intelligently articulated. And he lets his hair down with a burst of Dereck Bourgeois in fun mode – the Serenade is another piece which had its day in the limelight when it was transcribed for brass band - and the hints of steel pans (much emphasised by the typical “chiff” from the accompanying flues) and ersatz-Jamaican dance never seemed quite so patronising as they do in today’s ultra-sensitive society.
The big surprise here, however, is the Mendelssohn Prelude and Fugue in C minor, which turns out to be the real climax of this programme. Here we hear the music delivered with a freshness and vitality that usually escapes organists when they see the name Mendelssohn on the score, and while the homage to Bach is clear, Bryant shows an intelligent understanding of Mendelssohn’s own unique musical idiom.
Marc Rochester
