Shop Now

Gramophone

Alexander Ffinch has chosen to show off the newly restored organ of Cheltenham College Chapel with three heavyweight works, each of which traces the transformation of a musical idea.

Jongen’s Sonata eroïca takes a haunting little theme and runs it through a series of variations which ebb and flow like the waves of some mighty ocean. The organ impresses with its vast dynamic range, and Ffinch impresses with his easy manipulation of the instrument. Neither are noteworthy for their subtlety, the organ revealing a somewhat uneven inner balance which muddies the water in some of the quieter variations, while Ffinch surfs over the heroic introduction with a wildness that does not stand up to too close scrutiny. But there is no shortage here of big dramatic moments which obscure a slightly superficial feel to the performance.

Jonathan Dove’s The Dancing Pipes was written in 2014 for the organ of Ludlow parish church, not far up the road, as it were, from Cheltenham. The piece is shot through with what Dove himself describes as ‘a little dancing figure’. As it continues to repeat itself, this figure triggers a variety of musical scenarios which concentrate mostly on the more delicate sounds of the organ. Ffinch’s sure-footed rhythmic sense ensures that the inner vitality of the piece shines through, and while its 10-minute length is probably more than sufficient to put the musical material through as many hoops as it can stand, both organ and player maintain a pleasing lightness of touch which gives it all a sprightly lift.

Heaviest of the heavyweights, Liszt’s Fantasia and Fugue on a theme form Meyerbeer’s Le prophète will need no introduction; it is one of the major staples of the repertory. Here both the 2017 Harrison and Harrison rebuild of an original 1896 Norman and Beard instrument and Alexander Ffinch seem to be thoroughly in their element. This is a richly detailed, powerfully driven and suitably extrovert performance which brings the piece dramatically to life and provides a suitably spectacular climax to a very fine recording.