Organ Dreams, Vol. 4 - St Nikolai, Halmstad, Sweden
Christopher Herrick (organ)
CDA67436
The fourth volume in our ‘Organ Dreams’ series finds Christopher Herrick at the helm of the Pels & van Leeuwen organ of St Nikolai, Halmstad, in Sweden, and this instrument – built in 2003 – turns out to be a perfect vehicle for the repertoire.
Starting with Charles-Marie Widor’s ‘Wachet auf!’ arrangement, the programme embraces a further four Parisian organists – César Franck, Maurice Duruflé, Charles-Valentin Alkan and Alexandre Guilmant – and three masters from the English Cathedral tradition – Samuel Sebastian Wesley, Harvey Grace and Herbert Sumsion. The triumphant conclusion to the recital is Franz Liszt’s epic ‘Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen’ variations, neatly returning us to our starting-point and the sanctity of Bach’s dominance in the world of organ composition.