Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

It is a close call as to who, what, or where is the star of this show. The "who" is Thomas Trotter, one of the country's leading organists, the "what" is the historic Sneztler organ in the Church of St Laurence, and the "where" is the beautiful town of Ludlow. The music selected for the programme that marks the 250th anniversary of the organ is intended to show off the instrument and in one of the DVD bonus features Trotter gives us an illustrated talk explaining his choices. Handel's "Concerto In B Flat Major" would have been one of the more popular contemporary pieces when the organ was first installed; "Three Dances", all anonymous and all from Tudor times, remind us of Ludlow's significance for that dynasty; Elgar's monumental "Sonata In G" adds some local flavour as Worcestershire's most famous son must surely have crossed the county boundary into Shropshire once or twice; S S Wesley's evocative "Holsworthy Church Bells" allows Trotter to play on the church carillon before elaborating the tune on the organ; Michael Nyman's "Fourths, Mostly" shows us Trotter's nimble footwork on the pedals; and Walton's famous "Crown Imperial" is an aptly grand finale. The DVD features a performance video of the entire programme with a nice mix of footage showing us the organ, Trotter's playing of it, a tour of Ludlow and surrounding countryside that will bring joy to the local tourist board, and all is accompanied by quotations from the works of A E Housman, whose ashes are buried at St Laurence's. Another bonus feature on the DVD is a short tour of the organ by Shaun Ward, Director of Music at St Laurence's. My only slight reservation is that there is little that is explicitly Christian in the programme but this is a mere quibble when there is so much to enjoy both visually and musically.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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