
CD REVIEWS
SPECTACULAR (THE ORGAN OF THE BRIDGEWATER HALL) - JONATHAN SCOTT
- SBDRCD004

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Publication: Choir & Organ
Date: July/August 2010
Reviewer: Ian Coleman
SPECTACULAR ****
Jonathan Scott, Marcussen organ, Bridgewater Hall
The sort of programme
presented here may not be for die-hard purists, but it unquestionably
lives up to its title. Widor, Yon and Lanquetuit (yes, those pieces!)
rub shoulders with Nimrod and Crown Imperial. As well as demonstrating
the varied highs (and perhaps a couple of reedy lows
) of the
Marcussen instrument. Jonathan Scott proves himself an urbane and
virtuosic performer and arranger, and its hard not to enjoy the sheer
exuberance of Lemares Carmen Fantasia.
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Publication: Organists Review
Date: May 2010
Reviewer: Andrew Fletcher
It could be dangerous to name a CD 'Spectacular'. Does the title refer
to the organ? Or the organist? Well, in this instance both, for here
we have consummate artistry, flawless technique and superlative musicianship
creating quite possibly the most beautiful organ sounds I have ever
heard. Everything Jonathan does is in honour of the music. There is
no performer ego here; merely a master musician communicating the
composer's and arranger's intentions. Speeds are dictated by the music,
not technique (which we already know is prodigious) and everything
Jonathan does is disciplined and aptly judged.
Choice of colours cannot be faulted,
nor can the seamless crecendi and diminuendi that he so deftly executes.
He actually makes the instrument sound like an orchestra, even down
to the 'castanet' he elicits from some chiffy flutes in the Carmen
Fantasia, and it is clear he knows the instrument like the back of
his hand.The CD case isn't shabby, either. Beautifully presented in
what has become the Scott Brothers Duo house style, it contains an
informative booklet about performer, programme, and instrument.I could
rave on and on about individual items in the programme, but it is
enough to say that this is arguably the finest ' Town Hall' CD I have
ever experienced. You have to buy it!
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