Niels Gade - The Complete Solo Organ Music

Niels GADE(1817-1890)

Organ Works

Ralph Gustafsson, organ. 

Three Pieces, op. 22. Three Chorale Preludes. Trio in F. Trio in C. Andante in G Minor. Chorale with Variations. Andantino, Moderato, Allegretto, and Prayer. Andante for Four Hands. Andante con moto. Short Piece. Funeral March for the Burial of Admiral Suenson. Festive Prelude.

Niels Wilhelm Gade's symphonies are assuredly better remembered than this mass of organ works. But it should stand to reason that BIS would be the label on which the organ music would make its unabridged debut. To set matters straight, sporadic movements have been released elsewhere with two distinguished old LPs coming to mind. These are Thomas Murray's able demonstrations of the wonderful 1863 Hook organ at Boston's Church of the Immaculate Conception on the Town Hall label. He includes the op. 22 set of Gade in that program. Another Swedish label, Paula, offers an older LP of the four-hand Andante played in the original scoring by two organists. Gustafsson shrinks this back to one player, although without altering pitches.

Gade's vita declares his strong relationship with Mendelssohn, which master noticed the first symphony of the young Danish composer. Gade eventually assisted and later succeeded Mendelssohn at the Gewandhaus. Gade did finally return to Denmark and founded the Royal Danish Conservatory. Not at all surprisingly, Gade's music reflects the strong heritage of Mendelssohn, as well as strains of Schumann and the others of the conservative wing of German Romanticism.

Formalism and restraint rules although not without the grace of well-spun melody and cheerful spirit.

Ralph Gustafsson plays a new instrument in Härnösand, Sweden, which, although of twenty-five stops, cuts a classic but abundant profile of the music. The frequent contrapuntal passages (indeed, like many of his comrades in the conservative camp, Gade's choice means of development is fugal imitation) justify the choice of organ which would have been disastrously inappropriate for the more colorfully mainstream Romanticism of Liszt, Franck, or Reger.

Performer-producer Gustafsson, who makes his BIS premiere here, reflects upon the music with indispensable studied restraint. The BIS audio is immediate, true, and satisfying.

Haig Mardirosian