No
doubt who the star of the show is here. Fisk’s op. 98, a large
two manual instrument, dates from 1991 and cunningly re-uses
four stops from an organ by Marshall Bros (1874), and, perhaps
more remarkably, five stops from a 1925 organ by Casavant. Local
sources tell me that it is one of the company’s best organs
of the post-Charles Brereton Fisk era. Here it proves itself
genuinely versatile, sounding as it does highly convincing and
musically engaging in music varying from Bach, through French
Classical, to Brahms, Franck and beyond. The ability of the
instrument to apply itself to such a wide range of repertoire
is all the more startling when one considers the synoptic specification:
GT
16 (Prestant) 8, 8, 8, 4, 4, 2 2/3, 2, 1 3/5, IV-VIII 16, 8
SW
16, 8, 8, 8, 4, 2 2/3, 2, II (with tierce), IV, 8 8
PED
16, 16 (GT), 16, 8, 4, 16, 8
The
room is dry, but one hardly notices. The 8s have a warmth which
makes them ideal for Brahms and Franck, the plenum is brilliant
and characterful enough to hold one’s attention in Bach, and
the reeds fiery enough to provided a committed éclat to the
French music in general.
Among
the well-known repertoire one curiosity stands out. William
Albright was, until his untimely death, Professor of Composition
at the University of Michigan
and a revered composer in the US. He composed for nearly every medium, including
a substantial corpus of organ works. Here, the story of his
ancestors’ emigration to the US from Southwestern Germany
is presented as a “program sonata”, narrated by the (English)
organist of the church, Robert Nicholls. Albright’s music is
characterised by almost surreal contrast – from atonality to
folk-fiddle music, (last movement), to quotes from Bach and
Mussorgsky. This stylistic smorgasbord is frankly, for me, a
little too much and I am left with no clear impression of Albright
the composer. It must be said though that Douglas Reed is at
his best here, handling the material with commitment, virtuosity
and imagination. Shortly I will review a double-CD set of him
playing other compositions by Albright.
Elsewhere
Reed’s playing is a little wooden for me, though technically
excellent. The Bach lacks drama and monumentality, while the
Guilain is too straightforward. He fares better in the 19th
century literature, especially the Brahms. The Franck is also
beautiful, but, again, I longed for more flexibility in the
line, and a more fluid tempo. Reed is the University organist
of Evansville and studied at Eastman with Russell Saunders.
Despite
Reed’s slightly safe playing, this is warmly recommended for
the superb organ, and the curiosity which is the Albright.
Chris Bragg
AVAILABILITY
University
of Evansville Department of Music
