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Reviews
American Record Guide January / February 2001
Romance For Violin & Organ Rachel & Rupert Gough-Guild 7191-75 minutesI tend to shy away from organ recordings because of the acoustic problems that so often compromise the recorded quality of the organ. I hesitate to listen to recordings of the organ in chamber music, because sometimes with large organs in large churches there is an annoying rhythmic irregularity or time lag that makes ensemble playing difficult. I also tend to have preconceptions about recordings that have the title "Romance". For this recording all my worries were totally unfounded; it is a fantastic recording. The organ and violin are partners of equal sound and weight, the music goes far beyond the restrictions of "Romance", and the ensemble between violin and organ is superb. There are a few familiar pieces-the Rachmaninoff Vocalise and Massenet's 'Meditation' from Thaďs--but most of the music is unfamiliar, and some of it is quite adventurous. Kenneth Leighton's Fantasy on Es ist Genug is particularly interesting. Based en a chorale by JG Ahle that Bach used in his Cantata 60 (and Berg in his violin concerto), it explores the huge range of colors and textures on the Cumming- Willis-Nicholson organ of Christchurch Priory. Carl Rütti's Pavane is another piece that breaks all the preconceptions I had of what music for violin and organ could sound like. After a short and emotional introduction, it opens into a rollicking mass of modal broken chords underscored by a pedal point. The introductory material comes back in counterpoint to the broken chords, and the organ and violin trail off in unison. The playing is spectacular, the music is wonderful, and the recording is superb.