Simon Nieminski - Alfred Hollins And Friends

Published Sunday 10th January 2016
Simon Nieminski - Alfred Hollins And Friends
Simon Nieminski - Alfred Hollins And Friends

STYLE: Classical
RATING 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 159805-
LABEL: Regent REGCD473
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 1

Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

This enjoyable CD was released in 2015 to coincide with the 150th anniversary of Alfred Hollins's birth. The disc showcases the 1930 Kilgen / 1947 Möller organ at Third Baptist Church in Saint Louis, Missouri, rebuilt and enlarged in 2012 by the Reuter organ company and now containing 72 stops across seven divisions. It is ideal for the music of Hollins and his contemporaries containing as it does a wealth of pipe work from the 1930s and organ spotters will be thrilled by the technical information and pictures spread across four pages of the CD booklet. In addition to favourite works by Hollins, the programme pairs his works with lesser-known pieces by some of the dedicatees of Hollins's music in a pleasant introduction to the colourful lighter organ music of the early decades of the 20th century. So in addition to Hollins we meet Frank Heddon Bond (1875-1948), Bernard Johnson (1868-1935), William Wolstenholme (1865-1931) and Ernest MacMillan (1893-1973). Our organist, Simon Nieminski, has been favorably reviewed elsewhere on this website. He was born in London and studied in London at the Royal College of Music, at Cambridge University and as Organ Scholar of York Minster. He is Organist of St Mary's Metropolitan Cathedral and Director of Music at The Robin Chapel in Edinburgh, having previously been Organist and Master of the Music at St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral, where he directed the choir in daily choral services, concerts, recordings and broadcasts. As ever, he plays very well indeed and the sound quality is what we have come to expect and appreciate from producer Gary Cole. The music is tuneful and the instrument is magnificent but it has to be said that although it is a church organ there is nothing in the programme that is explicitly Christian. As an entertaining trip down memory lane it is recommended, as an audio snapshot of a top organist playing a great instrument.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.

Be the first to comment on this article

We welcome your opinions but libellous and abusive comments are not allowed.












We are committed to protecting your privacy. By clicking 'Send comment' you consent to Cross Rhythms storing and processing your personal data. For more information about how we care for your data please see our privacy policy.