American Record Guide

Hakim is a Lebanese-French organist, composer and improviser who succeeded Messiaen as organist at Sainte-Trinité in Paris, where he played from 1993 until 2008. His extensive output includes works for organ, orchestra, chamber ensembles, concertos, vocal and choral music, liturgical songs, arrangements, and pedagogical treatises.

This program contains both sacred and secular pieces, including his popular Hommage à Stravinsky. Stravinsky did not hold the organ in high regard (“the monster never breathes”) but Hakim has managed to transfer his style to the organ using bold harmonies, “Stravinskyesque” rhythms, exotic colors, and an endlessly inventive musical imagination, all combined with an original use of Gregorian Chant to create an interesting example of what Stravinsky might have written had he not had such an aversion to the organ. It is in the form of a triptyque: Prelude, Danse, and Final. While there are no direct quotes from the Russian composer, there are hints of Petrouchka, The Firebird, and Le Sacre.

Embrace of Fire won first prize in 1986 in the International Organ Competition in memory of Anton Heiller at Southern Missionary College in Collegedale, Tennessee. Each of the three movements is prefaced by a scripture quotation dealing with life after death, God’s infinite love, and the power of love over death. The Salve Regina and Toccata are prefaced by the singing of the Gregorian Chant melody they are based on.

Capriccio for violin and organ and Diptych for recorder and organ are very effective and original. Leach, who is organist at the Holy Name Church in Manchester, England, is a fine player—more than capable of managing the virtuosic demands of this music. He plays on the church’s 3-manual, 48-stop William Hill and Son organ. Notes on the music, composer, performers, and specification.

—Robert Delcamp