Rütti, Concerto for Organ, Strings & Percussion; Tongues of Fire: Arensky, Variations on a theme of Tchaikovsky: Poulenc, Concerto for Organ, Timpani and Strings
Martin Heini, organ; Mario Schubiger, percussion; State Philharmonic Orchestra of Novosibirsk; Rainer Held
GUILD GMCD 7386 74.08
This is an exciting recording but it is not quite clear who the target audience are supposed to be. The two concerti are organ based and in marked contrast to the reflective work by Arensky which is for chamber orchestra alone.
While I thoroughly endorse the desire to broaden the audience for organ music across a wider range of listeners, I rather doubt the string enthusiast would be immediately drawn to the balance of works here. This would be a pity for they all have much to offer.
If the Poulenc is familiar it is also given a remarkably spiky reading, with a real intensity of approach from Martin Heini. He is playing the Goll organ of 1996 in the Pfarrkirche St Katharina at Horw, Switzerland which looks and sounds metallically north-german in style. This certainly suits Poulenc’s quasi medieval writing and the sparsity of romantic overtones.
The Arensky, arranged from a string quartet, makes a pleasing interlude before the Poulenc and after the most interesting sections of the recording – the works by Carl Rütti.
The Concerto for Organ Strings and Percussion is immediately persuasive, with its heady harmonies and jazz orientated rhythms. Surely this is a work which would win over organ sceptics? And as such needs to be far more familiar.
Tongues of Fire is based on the Latin hymn Veni sancte spiritus and includes bird song in a rather more familiar fashion than is often the case in works by Messiaen.
Well worth buying – soon. BH