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Organ in Europe from Renaissance and Baroque Claudio VEGGIO (16th century) dal Manoscritto di Castel'Arquato Recercarda per b quadro del primo tono [5'58] Marc'Antonio CAVAZZONI (c1485-c1569) da 'Recerchari, Motetti, Canzoni' (1523) Plus. de Regres [3'03] Paul HOFHAIMER (1449-1537) Recordare (1520) [4'33] Tanndernack [4'07] John BULL (1562-1628) dal 'Fitzwilliam Virginal Book' (1610-1619) In Nomine (IX) [5'59] William BYRD (1543-1623) dal 'Fitzwilliam Virginal Book' The Queenes Alman [3'14] Jan Pieterszoon SWEELINCK (1562-1621) Onder een linde groen [5'15] Heinrich SCHEIDEMANN (1596-1663) Galliarda ex D [4'12] Girolamo FRESCOBALDI (1583-1643) da 'Il Primo Libro di Capricci' (1624) Capriccio V sopra la Bassa Flamenga [5'25] Francisco CORREA DE ARAUXO (1583/4-1654) dal Libro de Tientos y Discursos (1626) LIII Tiento de medio registro de dos tiples de segundo tono [5'53] Samuel SCHEIDT (1587-1654) dalla 'Tabulatura Nova' (1624) Toccata super 'In te Domine speravi' [8'24] Johann Jakob FROBERGER (1616-1667) Fantasia I sopra Ut, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La (1649) [7'49] Bernardo PASQUINI (1637-1710) Variationi per il Paggio Todesco [4'27] Johann Kaspar KERLL (1627-1693) Canzone I [3'02] Toccata I [5'03] Luca Scandali, organ Rec: Chiesa di S. Caterina, Treviso, Italy, October 1999. DDD TACTUS TC 510002 [77'31]

The first thing to be said about this disc is what a fabulous collection of music it contains. It stretches across five countries and nearly two hundred years; it provides a showcase for an inspiring piece of contemporary organ building. The selection features such wonderful juxtapositions as the sultry and masterful music of Correa - how little we still know about performing this music in Northern Europe - followed by the early Hanseatic grandeur of Samuel Scheidt's In te Domine Toccata. Francesco Zanin constructed his instrument for the church of St Caterina, (actually a museum), in Treviso in 1998. Tuned in 1/4 comma meantone, the organ is a reconstruction of a Renaissance Italian instrument with the typical characteristics: a single keyboard of rather long compass, a ripieno separated into its component parts, just a single, fractional length reed stop - the charming Cornamuse - a hypnotic Flauto in Octava, and a Voce Umana. Unfortunately this supremely beautiful instrument is poorly served here by a rather out-of-focus photo. It is however rather better served by the playing of Luca Scandali. A former Tagliavini student and first prize winner at Innsbruck, Scandali's playing is characterised by excellent control and a beautiful touch. Sometimes I find his playing a little square; listening blind I would struggle to identify him as an Italian organist. The exception would perhaps be the Italian repertoire, and indeed the various sections of the Frescobaldi are compellingly handled. His generally solid approach suits the earliest repertoire well; occasionally I miss a little variety in the characterisation of rhetorical motives in the later music. That said, this is excellent playing, with a natural affinity for the different styles. It takes real imagination to put together such an internationally/stylistically diverse programme on this most Italian of instruments and make it work. Some of the music of course comes from before the real separation of the national organ-building schools, but the later repertoire is also cleverly chosen. It serves also to remind us of some repertoire we should know better; how interesting for example is the music of Pasquini, an almost exact contemporary of Buxtehude! Strongly recommended for imaginative programming and a gorgeous instrument. Chris Bragg     Advertising Rates Visitor stats MusicWeb International has over 40,000 Classical CD reviews on offer Discs received Having a problem Donating? Gerard Hoffnung Concerts & The Bricklayer Story   New Releases New Releases   MusicWeb sells the Polish catalogue CDAccord £10.50 post free W-W MusicWeb sells the Arcodiva catalogue £12.00 post free W-W £11.75 post-free world- wide MusicWeb can now offer you discs from the following catalogues: Prices include postage [Acte Préalable £13.50] [Arcodiva £12.00] [Avie from £6.25] [British Music Society £12.00] [CDACCORD from £13.50 ] [ClassicO £12.50] [Hallé from £11] [Heritage £10] [Hortus £14.99 ] [Lyrita ONLY £11.75 ] [Nimbus Special prices] [Northern Flowers £13.50] [REDCLIFFE £11 ] [Sheva £11] [Tactus £11.50 ] [Talent from £12.00 ] [Toccata Classics £10.50 ] Musicweb Special Offers Monthly Best Buys     Google Ads - for information about privacy matters, click here.  Amazon Musicweb International is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

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