Keith John at the organ of Fulda Cathedral
PRIORY PRCD 774
79'03"
www.prioryrecords.co.uk

The original organ in Fulda Cathedral, in a glorious case, was built in the early 1700s and today consists of 72 speaking stops, some 24 of which come from the Sauer organ of 1876 and has a lovely sound in an excellent acoustic.

Keith John, born in Gloucester, was a chorister in the Cathedral Choir, studied at the Royal College of Music and won many awards. This CD demonstrates his incredible ability in playing a wide variety of organ works including the Sonata in D minor of Topfer, the Eighteen Variations of Guillou, Schumann's Toccata No.7, in Keith John's own transcription, Mozart's Adagio and Fugue in D minor transcribed by Guillou and the Variations on an Original Theme by Flor Peeters.

Some players might have been worn out by this time, but Keith John continues with Wiedermann's Notturno, ending with the Variations on "Victimae Paschali Laudes" of Jiri Ropek in an utterly magnificent 80-minute recital. If you are looking for perfection and value for money, this Priory CD is a prime candidate and if I had to single out just one work it would be Schumann's seventh Toccata, which I thought was wonderful.
DRC