Organ works (Rec 1985)

Hybrid/SACD recorded in 5.0 Surround sound.
Playable on all compact disc players

Technically this recording caused déjà vu. It took me back to the bad old days of the sixties and seventies when old mono recordings were re-processed, often badly, into stereo. This is very probably a stereo recording which has been remixed for 5.1 surround. No significant surround results. There is a weak middle channel and as far as I could tell no 'point one' channel either which is silly for an organ recording. I got the best results by playing the CD layer of this hybrid disk and switching the bass to my sub-woofer. The result was much better organ sound than the so-called high resolution layer. No marks to Capriccio for that.

Having got that off my chest, this is a splendid organ with a good range of colours for this attractive music. The Elevation ou Communion is a rather beautiful slow piece. The prettiness of the Benediction was slightly spoilt by a very noisy organ blower in the quiet passages. The second of the two Fantaisies is a much more large-scale piece in several sections and with a touching quiet close. The last two tracks are confusingly called Improvisation, the first is contemplative with some lovely deep pedal work (but see above) and the second is lively and showy and draws this enjoyable recital to a conclusion.

The notes are simply a biographical summary with an appreciation of Saint-Saëns and just a few lines on the organ music with no details and no dates - the dates above are taken from Grove. Despite my technical reservations Saint-Saëns enthusiasts should not hesitate to add this attractive disc to their collections."
(MusicWeb Aug 2005)