Virtuose Orgel

Album review

Wolfram Gehring, known among other things for having inaugurated Allen organs in many churches all over Germany, has been somewhat forgotten. Although he had been off the radar for several years, the Cologne-based organist nevertheless distinguished himself as an excellent ambassador of the modern organ - his 1973 recording of Marcel Dupré's Chemin de la Croix has left a lasting impression. The reissue, almost forty years on, of "Virtuoso Orgel" is an opportunity to savour this musical madeleine, a pleasant if sadly rather small musical morsel.

This old LP, published on the Laudate label and reproduced here in its entirety, was cut down to include only Charles-Marie Widor's Symphony for Organ No. 5 and the last movement, Final-Allegro, of Louis Vierne's Symphony No. 1 in D minor. It has a slight air of déjà vu about it: in the years since its initial release, these two pieces have become real hits. This is an able recording, made using the instrument in the St. Lucia Kirche in Stolberg. Wolfram Gehring will appeal to music lovers who cherish clarity in recordings, although this record lacks the lush panache and airy phrasing of the works of Daniel Chorzempa (Philips). This is a clean, masterful, virtuoso performance, and Gehring demonstrates the range and variety of his instrument. © Pierre Lamy/Qobuz