MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Pomp & Circumstance

When the mighty Sydney Town Hall Organ, one of the wonders of the musical world, emerged from 12 solid years of repairs and refurbishment in the mid 1980s, the organist chosen to capture its magnificence on disc for the first time was the Australian virtuoso David Drury.

Drury's flawless technique is coupled with an extraordinary sensitivity to the vast range of tonal colours available on its 8,756 pipes, which range in size from barely 10cm no bigger than a ball-point pen to a record-breaking 64 foot (19½ metre) Contra-Trombone stop. There is music of whisper-light delicacy and music of earth-shaking grandeur, and every possible shade and timbre in between.

This collection also features thrilling improvisations by Drury himself - the only Australian ever to win the prestigious Tournemire Prize for improvisation.