NZOrgan CD, DVD and book Reviews

Mystical Vision – Festive and meditative organ music by Richard Francis

Played by Paul Derrett on the 1967 Walker organ of the Metropolitan Cathedral, Liverpool and the 1911/1959 Forster & Andrews/Compton on Hull City Hall . 80634CD .

Available from Allegro Music,
Unit 43, The Hop Pocket Craft Centre,
New House Farm, Bishops Frome,
Worcester WR6 5BT UK
www.allegro.co.uk
email: sales@allegro.co.uk

Reviewed by Philip Bailey

CD1: Fantasia on an Easter hymn, Arietta, Meditation on a theme by Thomas Ravenscroft, Mr Snetzler’s March, Mystical Vision, Two movements from “Skovgaard Frescoes”, Variations on a Silesian melody. (56’ 40”)
CD2: O lux beata trinitas, An elf in my Bonnet, L’organo magnifico di pantalone. (43’ 08”)
Total time 99’ 48”.

It helps the music hugely that most of it is played on one of my all-time favourite organs and which, although I have never heard it live, I regard as one of England’s best and most versatile concert organs. The acoustics of the two buildings couldn’t be more different, but the music played on each has been chosen carefully from Mr Francis’ large output.

To comment on playing so precise and accurately phrased and paced for each building seems almost an impertinence. The concert piece, L’organo, was recorded during a public recital in Hull, and an edit has been made between tracks 6 and 7, presumably to remove either “noises off” or a pause to set up registration. There are certainly a lot of notes, all of which sound right (it’s difficult reviewing something which is unfamiliar and without the score) and colourful registrations that exploit the City Hall organ well. Mr Derrett might have been caught unawares by a note on the two big solo reeds (which are drawn together for the Fanfara) where you get “Tuba Celeste”, something I thought was limited to Allen organs of the 1960s. The percussions give a shock to the system when they appear, and registration throughout this piece is nicely considered and appropriate.
The rest of the music is played on the mixture-heavy, crystal-clear Walker. Playing in a very resonant building needs care in the playing and even more in the positioning of the microphones. These hurdles are both successfully overcome, and on headphones and through speakers Mr Derrett’s playing allows Mr Francis’ music to come through at its best. Not a note out of place, nor a fluff or hesitation. Ten out of ten.

Now to the music. Mr Francis’ works on these two disks date from 1966 to 2007, and are not presented chronologically, but as a recital should be.
The only criticism I have is that the Lux beata and the Elf in my Bonnet could have been a lot shorter. The latter seems to have repeats in it and, although clever and amusing, rather restates its material too many times. (I found Mozart’s 40th, the Gigout Scherzo and For He's a Jolly Good Fellow as well as the tunes noted in the booklet.) At over 10 and a half minutes, this is a hell of an encore piece. The Lux (which my English Hymnal has as “O trinity of (not “most”) blessed light”) is a monster of a work at a shade under 25 minutes, a time in which one could play Julius Reubke’s Sonata and make a quick cup of coffee. I’m not saying that the music is too diffuse, just that it took me three hearings to discover where the sections were. Had the work been split into three tracks, this would have been easier; as it is, the opening ‘Summons’ lasts about 10’ 10”, the variations another 8’ 30” and the rest is “an extended version of the ‘Summons’”, with the ‘prayer’ theme closing the whole peacefully. The registration notes at the bottom of the booklet notes on this piece make no sense to me at all; I managed to hang on to the coat-tails of this piece third time through waiting for the Variation registrations to appear, and that saw me right.

More easily followed are the rest of the pieces, which are shorter. Even the Theme and 12 variations on the Silesian Melody lasts only 17 minutes. The tune will be known to RSCM choirs under the title “Fairest Lord Jesus” in the beautiful, simple arrangement by Martin Howe. Mr Francis’ key changes between variations somehow don’t obtrude or distract as much as one might expect, given that, from variation 2 when this hit me, it goes: F:A:Ab:C:b:E:couldn’t-work-it-out:G:a:E and D. Looking at that, you might be forgiven for thinking that this is a number of pieces on the same theme thrown together to make a set. But no, it hangs together as well as a Cochereau improvisation. In lesser hands and on a smaller organ, this would not work so well. The earliest (1966) piece played here is Arietta, the first that Mr Francis wrote for organ. I rather liked this placid, well-behaved melody, and at 4’ 10” it is a good length for pre-service enjoyment or as a relaxer for a concert audience.

Mr Snetzler’s March demonstrated admirably the astonishing presence of the Orchestral Trumpet, and the excellent positioning of the microphones. The stereo image is stunning. If the music is on the long side, you need seriously good speakers/headphones to get the bottom D uncoupled 32’ Spitzflute. My headphones drew me a picture of the entire “wigwam”, shaking gently. I could feel the note walking round the building.

I think Richard Francis would be the last to say that this music is changing the world of composition for ever, and there are clear influences from William Mathias, under whom Mr Francis studied composition at the University College of North Wales (Coleg pryfisgol y golgledd Gymru) (but why not? Study with someone who inspires you!). Let Paul Derrett’s words in the introductory notes close this: “modern organ music comes in all kinds: the well-crafted but completely unmemorable, the stridently modern … and (much the rarest) the sort of piece which is entirely of our time but has something vivid and new to say. I believe that Richard’s writing come firmly into the last category.”