Diane Meredith Belcher opens her program on the Glatter-Gotz/Rosales with a new work by American composer Timothy Tikker entitled Tiento de Batalla sobre le Balletto del Granduca. The work was commissioned by the builders of the organ to demonstrate the reed stops of the instrument; it does so to great effect. Written in the style of the early Iberian school, it creatively builds on the motifs and rhythms inherent in the "Balletto del Granduca" style to form an exciting twentieth-century version full of festivity and energy. Bach's trio on Allein Gott in der Hoh sei Ehr, S. 664, is aptly registered, stylistically played and well articulated. The music of Rheinberger is featured next with one of the best known movements from his sonatas, the Passacaglia from Sonata No. 8, op. 132. Everything about the performance reveals artistry of a high level: pacing, shaping of each motif, registration, and the overall sense of architecture. Next, in Marcel Dupre's Prelude and Fugue in F minor, op. 7, no. 2, Belcher captures the stillness and mystery of the prelude and allows the music to float on the sixteenth-notes rather than treating them as a kind of scherzo-like motif. The pathos of the fugue subject which is very vocal in nature, the rise in tension and forward movement during the development, and the gradually disappearing, atmospheric coda are all projected with conviction. While there is no shortage of panache in Ms. Belcher's playing, I wish she had applied more of it in her rendition of Litanies by Alain. I empathize totally with her concept of the work, which she plays excellently, but felt that the imploring of the soul implied in Alain's note on the score needed more reinforcement. In the Balbastre Noel Ou s'en vont les gais bergers we hear the organ's ability to handle music of different stylistic periods. All of the classical French registrations sound very authentic and the piece is delightfully interpreted. In Bach's Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV 543, the instrument provides a beautifully balanced and clear plenum for the contrapuntal textures. As with the other Bach works on this disc, the A minor is given a straightforward, clean, crisp and stylistic account. Belcher's performance of Franck's Piece Heroique shows her sense of architecture, shaping and expressivity. Lee Hoiby's Narrative, op. 50, was commissioned by the late Leonard Raver and first performed by him in 1989. The work is free form and multi-sectional, held together by a recurring theme heard near the beginning. The listener is taken on a musical journey through many moods and registrational changes, while hearing hints of Hindemith and Sowerby in the harmonic language. Like all good storytellers, the author leaves us slightly in the air, bringing the tale to a mysterious conclusion. Belcher has found her way into the author's psyche and is a skilled navigator throughout. The Final from Vierne's Symphonie III, op. 28, rounds out this varied recital. From the outset, Belcher creates an aura of authority and drive, giving the performance much excitement and impetus. This, combined with the feisty reed colors of the organ, makes for a high-octane experience. The Glatter-Gotz/Rosales instrument is equal to every demand made upon it on this recording. Very often one hears comments that an eclectic organ is "a jack of all trades and master of none." This accusation certainly cannot be leveled at the Claremont organ--its rich foundation stops, clear flutes and mutations, crisp mixtures and fiery reeds work individually and in ensembles with total cohesion. The instrument, conceived from the outset as a collaborative venture, was built by Glatter-Gotz of Uwingen, Germany; the tonal concept, scaling and voicing were completed by Manuel Rosales; and Campbell and Arnott of Edinburgh, Scotland handled the visual aspects. The warmth of the room's acoustical properties, the quality of the instrument, the recorded sound (engineered by Michael Barone) and the excellent performances make this a desirable CD.

--Colin Andrews
Greenville, North Carolina

"THE DIAPASON" July 2002 - www.thediapason.com