The Organ of St Bartholomew’s, Orford

Relocated from Southampton’s Turner Sims Hall and newly restored, Peter Collins’s 1977 III/28 sounds tailor-made for the generous but accommodating acoustics of its new home in the Orford church where Britten premiered Noye’s Fludde. Framed by a brace of robust Toccatas – Bach’s BWV 565, and Reger’s opus 59 (glistening with the organ’s newly installed Zimbelstern) – Catherine Ennis’s well-ordered recital is distinguished by fluidity of expression and lightly worn detailing to mark the organ’s first appearance on disc. Grigny’s Hymnus: Veni Creator, Handel’s Organ Concerto no.13 (arr. Dupré) and three chorale preludes by Parry provide highlights of their own as Ennis deftly throws an ever-shifting spotlight on the multiple attractions of an impressive instrument.

MICHAEL QUINN Read the full review on Agora Classica