<<<  <<  -- 6 --  Alistair Hinton    A THRILLING EXPERIENCE

Volume II ends with the cycle of Pièces dans le style Réligieux, scored (like Pro Organo) for manuals only and followed by another equally modest Handel transcription. These engaging character studies generally eschew the kind of developmental writing to be found among the Grands Préludes, although the last and most disturbing piece in the set seems to venture towards the symphonic-poem-like movements in that cycle, with some bizarre contrasts and a passage in quintuple metre (not the only example of this in Alkan). There can surely be no more accurate overview of this series of pieces than Malcolm MacDonald's elegantly expressed observations that bear quoting in extenso:

'For Alkan(,) the style réligieux seems to have indicated at least a superficial appearance of emotional simplicity: pieces brilliant and optimistic, or lyrically devotional. But his characteristic strangenesses and sense of the incalculable almost always implant a small worm in the bud of these rosy musical pictures.'

In these two sentences, MacDonald alights on the essence of the composer so effectively that one could almost guess whom he was writing about even had he omitted Alkan's name.

In every track on these two CDs, Bowyer's flawless technique and missionary commitment provide ample ammunition to silence all potential doubters. The critical encomia that have already greeted Volume I are well justified; Bowyer's phenomenal mastery is every bit as engaging in Volume II. In looking forward to the third and final CD in this series (anticipated for 2009), one can only wonder why these seminal works have had to wait so long for the recognition that they so richly deserve; the simple answer, however, is that it has been equally necessary to wait for an organist of rare intelligence capable of rising to the often fearsome challenges of this remarkable music.