This CD is the first commercial recording of the Mascioni organ (2016) in the basilica of the pilgrimage site of Fatima, Portugal. Wayne Marshall is a fantastic organist. Some time ago, on the album
Organ Improvisations, he showed that he mixes popular and classical styles with great ease. But does such an enthusiastic approach also work in the 'serious' repertoire? Actually, we hear him at his best
… in the first track, Transports de Joie by Messiaen (from L'Ascension). This extravagant showpiece comes into its own brilliantly, thanks to Marshall's virtuoso playing. In Dupré's Symphonie-Passion, that playing pleasure does come at the expense of a bit of the dignity that this music has, after all. In fact, the same is true of the famous Toccata by Dupré's teacher Widor. The two Evocations (2017) by Texas physician and organist George C. Baker make a nice contemporary counterpart to Dupré's symphony. Beautiful, too, is Marshall's own Berceuse, which has something of a nod to Hollywood's "Golden Age." (HJ)more
