Charles H H Parry: Fantasia and Fugue in G, Op 188
William Wolstenholme: The Question/The Answer
Gustav Holst: Jupiter from The Planets, Op 32 (arr. Thomas Trotter)
Kevin Volans: Walking Song
Felix Mendelssohn: Overture to St Paul, Op 36 (arr. W T Best)
Madeleine Dring: Caribbean Dance (arr. Thomas Trotter)
Eric Coates: Knightsbridge March (arr. Thomas Trotter)
Healey Willan: Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue
Sigfrid Karg-Elert: Valse mignonne, Op 142
Rachel Laurin: Étude héroïque, Op 38

Exactly like organist Thomas Trotter's own pertinent transcription and captivating interpretation of The Sorcerer's Apprentice from the recording titled Symphony Hall Sorcery blew my socks off, so does his own pertinent transcription and brilliant interpretation of Jupiter, from Gustav Holst's The Planets. Not only does he capture and project the panoply of dazzling orchestral sounds from the original score (the only thing missing are the powerful cymbal crashes), but conveys as well the inherent jocund bounce of the music itself. And how he confidently handles the polyrhythmic parts starting around the 1:50 and again at the 7:10 mark is beyond me. The orchestral musicians each play their own individual parts but here the organist confronts the brain-twisting challenge of playing them all simultaneously. The majesty and scope of the planet itself are all there at his fingertips.

The rest of the program is as varied as it is befitting a pipe organ of this magnitude. It's nice to see someone avoiding the usual and hackneyed showstoppers typically found on collections like this. From the delicately 'minimalist' Walking Song by Irish composer Kevin Volans, to the regal pomp of Mendelssohn's Overture to St Paul. From the quirky Caribbean Dance by Madeleine Dring to the technically demanding and powerfully rousing Étude héroïque by Canadian organist and composer Rachel Laurin, it's all here and performed with great panache by Thomas Trotter who is celebrating 40 years as Birmingham City Organist.

Now if I could only find my socks ....