Buriedtreasure

Organist Roger Sayer introduces three recordings from his record collection

Rheinberger Organ Sonatas

Roger Sayer (organ) Priory PRCD1165 Rheinberger’s 20 organ sonatas were all in vogue once upon a time, but have now gone off the radar. I absolutely couldn’t stand his music when I was younger; it seemed so academic and stuck in its way, but it’s not true. Although it’s heavily Germanic and Romantic, it’s actually like Brahms; there’s a lot of classicism and it’s full of melody and great craftsmanship. People feel they have to mess around with it, but it’s truly honest music.

Karg-elert Jesu, meine Freude

Stefan Engels (organ)

Priory PRCD1074

Karg-elert pushed the organ in a direction no one else did. He’s in the same time zone as Reger, but he’s much more adventurous and throws the textbook out the window. Jesu, meine Freude sort of captures this giant approach to organ playing; when I say giant, I mean approaching the organ as a symphonic instrument with a vast tapestry of dynamic range – going from pianissimo into feroce in about two bars. It catches your breath and you don’t quite know where it’s going next.

Reubke Sonata in C minor

Roger Fisher (organ)

Amphion PHI CD 198

Reubke was a pupil of Liszt, who I can imagine being completely bowled over when his pupil brought this organ sonata to him. It’s extraordinary; he used the text of Psalm 94 for the piece and he follows it very closely. It’s all about questioning God’s purpose for humankind; it’s very turbulent and very pianistic. Although it has been widely recorded, the one that inspired me the most was a recording by Roger Fisher, who was the organist at Chester Cathedral at the time. It just set my whole imagination going and I’ve loved the piece ever since.