David Briggs - Sounds Artistic: David Briggs Plays The Organ Of Blackburn Cathedral

Tuesday 1st July 2003
David Briggs - Sounds Artistic: David Briggs Plays The Organ Of Blackburn Cathedral
David Briggs - Sounds Artistic: David Briggs Plays The Organ Of Blackburn Cathedral

STYLE: Classical
RATING 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 7422-
LABEL: Lammas 153D
FORMAT: CD Album

Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

This is a spectacular recital demonstrating the full range of the recently restored organ at Blackburn Cathedral. David Briggs is a virtuoso organist and here he has selected a testing repertoire that allows the instrument to show its paces. The featured piece (hence the title) is Mussorgsky’s “Pictures At An Exhibition” following Keith John's transcription. Although written for piano and famously orchestrated by Ravel (and also turned into a prog-rock extravaganza by Keith Emerson along with Messer’s Lake and Palmer) this could be the definitive version. True, this is not exactly Songs Of Praise. Although the rest of the 75 minutes of this recording include pieces from Notre Dame written by Louis Vierne and Pierre Cochereau, this collection stands or falls with the “Pictures”. As an example of just how good a cathedral organ can sound this is recommended. If you want to hear hymns ancient or modern you will have to look elsewhere. Your loss; this is very good indeed.

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