The first thing to be said about this disc is what a fabulous collection of music it contains. It stretches across five countries and nearly two hundred years; it provides a showcase for an inspiring piece of contemporary organ building. The selection features such wonderful juxtapositions as the sultry and masterful music of Correa - how little we still know about performing this music in Northern Europe - followed by the early Hanseatic grandeur of Samuel Scheidt's In te Domine Toccata. Francesco Zanin constructed his instrument for the church of St Caterina, (actually a museum), in Treviso in 1998. Tuned in 1/4 comma meantone, the organ is a reconstruction of a Renaissance Italian instrument with the typical characteristics: a single keyboard of rather long compass, a ripieno separated into its component parts, just a single, fractional length reed stop - the charming Cornamuse - a hypnotic Flauto in Octava, and a Voce Umana. Unfortunately this supremely beautiful instrument is poorly served here by a rather out-of-focus photo.

It is however rather better served by the playing of Luca Scandali. A former Tagliavini student and first prize winner at Innsbruck, Scandali's playing is characterised by excellent control and a beautiful touch. Sometimes I find his playing a little square; listening blind I would struggle to identify him as an Italian organist. The exception would perhaps be the Italian repertoire, and indeed the various sections of the Frescobaldi are compellingly handled. His generally solid approach suits the earliest repertoire well; occasionally I miss a little variety in the characterisation of rhetorical motives in the later music. That said, this is excellent playing, with a natural affinity for the different styles. It takes real imagination to put together such an internationally/stylistically diverse programme on this most Italian of instruments and make it work. Some of the music of course comes from before the real separation of the national organ-building schools, but the later repertoire is also cleverly chosen. It serves also to remind us of some repertoire we should know better; how interesting for example is the music of Pasquini, an almost exact contemporary of Buxtehude!

Strongly recommended for imaginative programming and a gorgeous instrument.

Chris Bragg

 

 

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