Mons Leidvin Takle: Yes!
Iain Farrington: Amazing Grace
Théodore Dubois: Fiat lux
Christian Praestholm: Se, nu stiger solen af havets skød
- I østen stiger solen op
- Du, som gir os liv og gør os glade
Percy Fletcher: Fountain reverie
- Festival toccata
Anders Börjesson: Toccata 'Herren, vår Gud, är en konung'
Hans-André Stamm: Toccata giocosa
Eugène Gigout: Toccata in B minor
Johannes Brahms: Prelude and Fugue in G minor
Pietro Yon: Second concert study 'Flying feet'
Sverre Eftestøl: Bryllaupsmarsj 'Wedding march'

All of you pipe organ cognoscenti out there that always enjoy listening, either 'live' or through recordings, to the instrument and not only for the music written for it but also because of its highly distinctive sonic qualities, will really find many delights in this new recording by organist Christopher Herrick. And there's even something here for those of you who consider the pipe organ to be too much of a "liturgical" instrument. One go-through of this recording may convince you to reconsider that opinion.

For example, I myself have been a lifelong 'church' organist, so I must have played Amazing Grace a few hundred times at least. To the point of disinterest in it. Iain Farrington's jazzy take on it rips it right out of the hymnal and elevates it to a whole new level. And Christopher Herrick's judicious registration and discriminating choice of stops well reveals its "blue" notes and brings out all of its charms. Its final minute or so is goosebump inducing and is well worth the price of this CD. In the same vein is the beautiful Fountain reverie by Percy Fletcher. The type of organ piece that demonstrates that even the largest and most powerful pipe organs divulge their best attributes through their soft, fundamental flute stops. At the other end of the spectrum are pieces that highlight an organ's brilliance, like Eugène Gigout's finger-breaking Toccata in B minor. It "employs every trick of the trade generally found in the French organ toccata" {Booklet Notes}. Or how about the flabbergasting Second concert study 'Flying feet' by Pietro Yon. Organists who perform this one on a regular basis probably never need to jog in the morning. Oh, and better check all your windows for cracks after that one. Another joy to hear is the exuberant Du, som gir os liv og gør os glade (Lord, you give us life and happiness) by Danish composer Christian Praestholm. And the list goes on ....

The impressive instrument used in this recording is the 1930 Steinmeyer Organ of Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim, Norway, restored by Orgelbau Kuhn AG in 2014. It boasts more than 9,725 pipes ranging from a 1' Nachthorn to a 32' Contra Bombarde, which benefits from just the right level of reverberation this building provides. If you've clicked on the link to Christopher Herrick's website included above, I'm sure you've noticed that he's made many fine recordings for the Hyperion label over the years, including everything from the complete organ music of Dieterich Buxtehude to a 14 volume series titled Organ Fireworks, each one just as impressive as the next. Highly recommended to any and all pipe organ music enthusiasts!