Listen & tracks

2 of 11 tracks have a preview · 5 works

1 Suite Gothique Léon Boëllmann Toccata
2 Symphonie pour orgue No. 3, Op. 28 Louis Vierne Adagio
Duet for OrganSamuel Wesley 3 movements
1. 3 i. Allegro
2. 4 ii. Adagio
3. 5 iii. Fugue
Symphonie pour orgue No. 2, Op. 20Louis Vierne 5 movements
1. 6 i. Allegro
2. 7 ii. Choral
3. 8 iii. Scherzo
4. 9 iv. Cantabile
5. 10 v. Final
11 Symphony No. 94 in G major, 'The Surprise' Joseph Haydn Andante (Transcribed for organ)

The Fincham was among the last instruments built by George Fincham, founder of Australia's organ-building tradition and one of the nineteenth century's most productive builders in the southern hemisphere.

The programme centres on Louis Vierne's seldom-heard second organ symphony, finished in 1903 only three years before the Malvern instrument was completed. Alongside it come Samuel Wesley's Duet for organ, the Toccata from Léon Boëllmann's Suite Gothique, an Adagio from Vierne's third symphony, and a transcription of the Andante from Haydn's Symphony No. 94 ('The Surprise').

Reviews

I was pleased to see the subtitle of this CD: "Volume 1" of Organ of the Antipodes. May there be many more!

— John Worcester, 3MBS FM Libretto

The music is characterised by strong and sure playing

— Walter Burnie, Australian Hi-Fi and home theatre

This is a particularly attractive compilation which features two organists of considerable merit: Rhys Boak who works tirelessly to advance the cause of organ repertoire and the Japanese-born and -trained Ryoko Mori. In the first movement of Vierne's Symphonie No 2, Boak, like some musical Zeus, responds to the score by hurling great blocks of sound through the speakers. A softly bouncing scherzo is a pleasing contrast. There is much to savour here ranging from Mori's account of Leon Boellman's Toccata from the Suite Gothic to delights such as an arrangement for organ of the andante movement from Haydn's Symphony No 94 (The Surprise).

The latter, Haydn at his most droll, is pure delight - and the Boellman Toccata is an immensely dramatic opening track. With its massive waves of sound, it is an irresistible call to attention.

— Neville Cohn, Oz Arts Review

Artists

Rhys Boak

organ

Rhys Boak is a Melbourne organist and accompanist, active as a recitalist on historic instruments and with Australian choirs. He is organist and manager of music at St Michael's Church, Melbourne.

Ryoko Mori

organ

Ryoko Mori was born in Tokyo, Japan. From an early age she studied piano and soon developed an interest in the organ. She studied organ at Ferris University, and the Tokyo University of Fine Arts. She also completed further studies at Baylor University, in Dallas, Texas.

George Fincham

Organbuilder (1828-1910). Born in the UK in 1828 George Fincham moved to Melbourne in the 1850s. He is considered to be the father of the Australian organ building industry. The firm he started was still in operation until the late 1990s.

Léon Boëllmann

composer

Léon Boëllmann’s organ music, above all the Suite gothique and its hard-driving Toccata, sits at the centre of the late Romantic French repertoire. The writing favours clear forms, dramatic minor themes and the full colour of the instrument.

Louis Vierne

composer

Louis Vierne’s organ music balances elegant form with romantically rich harmony: six symphonies, fantasy pieces crowned by the Carillon de Westminster, and liturgical scores written for the great French instruments.

Joseph Haydn

composer

Joseph Haydn's keyboard sonatas, concertos and sacred scores still sound freshly made: Classical forms packed with wit, sudden passion and conversational charm that leap off the page when played with period fire.

Samuel Wesley

composer

Samuel Wesley wrote organ music that still sits naturally on historic instruments: an Air for the Organ, a Fantasy, and a Duet for four hands that holds its place beside Handel and Mozart in recital programmes.