Bach goes to Westminster

Twelve years ago Margaret Phillips recorded a delightful disc of eighteenth century English voluntaries on the 1989 Mander organ (2m+p 15 ranks) at St Matthew’s Church, Westminster, visited by the Club on several occasions. Now, at long last, a second CD has joined it. The current organist, former Club member, Andrew Sampson plays an all Bach album, issued on the Cardinal label with number CSCD105. (The programme is listed in full)

The two large free-style works frame a carefully chosen group of seven Chorale Preludes and two of the curious group of four Duetti, taken from the Clavierübung Part 3. The choice displays this remarkable small instrument to superb effect and is so ordered as to progress through the church year from Trinity to Corpus Christi.

The disc commences with the 'St Anne' Prelude, played with wonderful drive and rhythm emphasising its French Overture character to strong effect while using the full, and very bright, chorus work. The famous five voiced, three-part, fugue explains the work’s placing at the start of the disc with the Trinitarian number symbolism being fully explained in the accompanying booklet. The performance here, as on the whole disc, is full with subtle touches of rubato and general sensitivity, showing off the contrapuntal master’s art - quite rightly there isn’t a metrical straight jacket in ear-shot, a fault of many in this repertoire.

This is followed by two of the so-called 'Schübler' preludes (named after their original engraver) of which all, almost certainly, are transcriptions of cantata movements, either existing or now lost. 'Wachet Auf' is played slightly more briskly than usual but after all this is meant to represent a wake up call and the instruments useful choir trumpet certainly fulfills that purpose. The Advent theme continues with the 'Kommst du nun' setting taken from Cantata No. 137 'Lobe den Herren' (quite why the title was changed is unknown) with a lovely string figuration accompanying the theme in the alto register.

Next are the larger settings of the Kyrie-Christe-Kyrie from the Clavierübung the first of which uses the singing silvery Open Diapason for the tune, and the Dom Bedos style tremulant to the entire organ. The gentle waver is quite magical and continues the entrancing display of this organ’s beguiling strength in this repertoire. The final line of the second Kyrie (BWV 671) includes complex chromatic harmonies finally resolving and ending on a startlingly appropriate pedal sub-octave imitation - not for the only time on this disc!

After the single paged version of 'Herzlich thut mich verlangen' which states the melody clearly and simply we come to two of Bach’s great chorale organ settings. Of the many 'Allein Gott' preludes the trio version (the second of three in the Clavierübung) is perhaps the best known and here uses two flutes at 8 foot pitch, the flowing line of semi-quavers is beautifully relaxed with the interchanging voices given equal prominence. The famous so-called group of 'Eighteen Leipzig Chorales' contains a setting of 'Schmücke dich' in a saraband rhythm here given a sublimely devotional rendition.

The two Duetti, more suited to the harpsichord than an organ, are very much in the 'Two-Part Invention' mould with the E minor using 8 and 2 foot flutes and the G major the 4 foot Chimney Flute alone. The CD ends with a forceful performance of Bach’s only known Passacaglia including much changing of stops, to prevent the listeners ear palling of the sound of this small instrument’s tutti.

The microphones were seemingly placed close to the organ and the resulting high dynamic level has some of the church’s acoustic in evidence. However, the resulting effect is a reasonably true reflection of how the instrument sounds in the empty building. A little extraneous noise, mainly caused by the playing, is audible but not enough to diminish this listener’s huge enjoyment of the recording. The booklet is a superlative example of the form, with a scholarly essay on the music by Sampson along with many photographs covering details of the building and its organ, both inside and out. Rarely have I enjoyed a disc of organ music so much.

Nicholas Wraight

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