Andrew Millington at Exeter Cathedral
HERALD HAVPCD 281
75'49"
www.heraldav.co.uk

A journey through the Christian year at Exeter, from Advent to Trinity along with feast of SS Peter & Paul. Perhaps predictably, the works are all well-known pieces: only two excerpts from Dupr's Le Tombeau de Titelouze are going to be unfamiliar to non-organ specialists.

Starting with Bach & Brahms for Advent, Andrew Millington celebrates Christmas with Langlais' La Nativit and Messiaen's Dieu parmi nous, this last piece working very well on the very English organ in Exeter. Originally by Willis (1891), it has most recently been overhauled by Harrisons (2003) who amongst other minor tonal changes, have added an eight stop "Minstrel's" section to lead singing in the nave. It is now 69 stops on 4 manuals.

Moving on through the year, for Lent we hear from Brahms again (Herzlich tut mich verlangen op122#10) then Howells' joyous Sarabande for the Morning of Easter. More Messiaen - of course - for the Ascension (Transports de Joie) and for Trinity Sunday, Bach's "St Anne" Fugue. Along with the Dupr, Mulet's Tu es Petra rounds off this interesting CD - as one would expect from Mr Millington, all the pieces receive well-honed performances, well recorded although there is not much of any real resonance in the building - which I confess I have yet to visit. All in all, well above the level of a CD produced for tourists. DW