Church Sonata in E-flat major, K.67/41h
Church Sonata in B-flat major, K.68/41i
Church Sonata in D major, K.69/41k
Church Sonata in D major, K.144/124a
Church Sonata in F major, K.145/124b
Church Sonata in B-flat major, K.212
Church Sonata in G major, K.241
Church Sonata in F major, K.224/241a
Church Sonata in A major, K.225/241b
Church Sonata in F major, K.244
Church Sonata in D major, K.245
Church Sonata in G major, K.274/271d
Church Sonata in C major, K.328/317c
Church Sonata in C major, K.336/336d
Adagio and Allegro in F minor, K.594I. Adagio
Adagio and Allegro in F minor, K.594II. Allegro
Adagio and Allegro in F minor, K.594III. Adagio
Fantasia in F minor, K.608I. Allegro
Fantasia in F minor, K.608II. Andante - tempo primo
Andante in F major, K.616

Mozart did not devote much time and effort to writing music for the pipe organ. "From all accounts Mozart was a virtuoso organist, so it is regrettable that he wrote so little for the instrument" {Booklet Notes}. Could it be that since the organ was primarily a liturgical or "religious" instrument, and that he was a staunch Freemason, didn't accord with each other? Nonetheless the few pieces he left behind are highly distinctive.

Take the Church (Epistle) Sonatas for example. Most were composed at the request of the Archbishop to act as short musical interludes between readings during Mass. Some of them are as short as 1:40 with the longest at a mere 4:25, and yet they are full of invention and wit. Written for two violins, bassoon and organ, they project a different soundscape than your usual Chamber Ensemble work. Besides the final C major, K.336 Sonata during which the organ plays some solo parts including its very own cadenza, the organ is generally part and parcel of the musical fabric, and simply lends a different sonic character to the overall sound. The instruments used for this recording are the 2005 5-stop Ryde & Berg chamber organ for the first 13 Sonatas, the 2009 12-stop Carsten Lund organ, Drammen, for the final Sonata, and the more substantial 2016 26-stop Tomaz Mocnik organ in Oslo for the final solo organ pieces, all played with distinction by Anders Eidsten Dahl, Associate Professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music.

What with its bold harmonic twists and masterful counterpoint, the Fantasia in F minor has always been considered to be Mozart's top contribution to the pipe organ canon, and again Anders Eidsten Dahl avoids the usual heavy-handed approach, and delivers its true Mozartian persona. The musicians who form the chamber ensemble on this recording are Arvid Engegård (violin), Atle Sponberg (violin) and Embrik Snerte (bassoon). They all invigorate the music with verve and spirit. So much so that they may easily have sounded out of place during an 18th century church service. Very few extant and/or recent recordings of the Church Sonatas are available and to my ears, this one sounds as authentic as can be.