Bach on Mander

The organ of St Matthew's Westminster was built by Mander in 1989, following a fire in 1977 that seriously damaged the whole church. It is a fairly modest two-manual instrument consisting of Great and Choir departments and a single stop (a 16' Bourdon) on the Pedal (see specification below). The handsome appearance of the casework and the beauty of the church in which it is found are amply demonstrated by the many fine colour photographs that grace the sleeve notes. Andrew Sampson has been organist of St Matthew's since 1995 and the booklet gives a heart-warming impression that he loves not only the organ, but also the church itself, its people and its clergy.

Mr Sampson's all-Bach programme is well suited to the organ and the interpretations found on this disc contain an expressive freedom that speaks directly to the listener. I am puzzled, however, with one aspect of rhythmic interpretation. In the Prelude and Fugue in E flat BWV 552, Mr Sampson chooses to turn the quavers at the end of bars 1 and 3 inrto semiqauvers. Although there are arguments against this modification of the notated rhythm, there is a very good case for it - indeed, it happens to be my own usual interpretation. Having established the precedent at the start of the piece, one would expect this to be maintained throughout. Yet, although he adds an inverted mordent to the F in the left hand in bar 17, thus intelligently linking the material back to bar 1 with its characteristic ornament in the upper voice, Mr Sampson plays the quavers at the end of bar 19 as 'straight' quavers, rather than as semiquavers. At the end of bars 51 and 53, he has decided on semiquavers again; but in the closing section of the piece (an altered recapitulation in which the final quaver of 174 corresponds with the quaver at the end of bar 1, although the harmonies are different) the anomalous and very deliberately executed non-mutated quavers appear again in bars 190 and 192. I suppose Mr Sampson is at least consistent in his inconsistency! On the whole, though, this is an enjoyable disc nonetheless, and gives a good account of one of London's newer organs.

Christopher Maxim

Back Previous