Kevin Bowyer - Sounds Of Celebration: Kevin Bowyer Plays The Organ Works Of Paul Fisher At Blackburn Cathedral
STYLE: Classical RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 12989- LABEL: Lammas LAMM182D FORMAT: CD Album ITEMS: 1 RRP: £13.99
Reviewed by Steven Whitehead
I was about to file this CD away under "not suitable" when I noticed "Three Fancies For Pedal And Left Hand", the first of which is "Your Feet's Too Big". The thought of Fats Waller on a cathedral organ tickled me so I gave it a go and was delighted to have done so. True, there is not much obvious Christian content but it is there for those with ears to hear. The composer of all the titles on this collection is Paul Fisher, a retired minister in the Church of England and snatches of hymns pop up in unlikely places. "The Shadow Of The Sun", for example, is "a Fantasia on a Highland song also known as Amazing Grace". This features Claudia Lashmore on flute and is a delight. The organist, Kevin Bowyer, gives an accomplished performance throughout and, when we look at his CV, this should be no surprise as he has won prizes in five international organ competitions and has built a reputation for tackling challenging pieces. Too often "challenging" is reviewers' shorthand for tuneless but this is not the case for Paul Fisher's compositions. I am glad I took a chance and listened to this.
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