Gothic Toccata

01/08/2009
Christopher Smith
The Organ (UK)

This CD takes its name from the Gothic Toccata written by Graeme Koehne for the tenth anniversary of the Sydney Opera House Organ in 1983.  It allows Dr Calvin Bowman to display many of the famed resources of the Melbourne Town Hall Grand Organ.

The remaining 13 pieces in his programme offer an attractively varied survey of Australian organ music from Fritz Hart, Phyllis Batchelor, Percy Grainger and Sir George Thalben-Ball to Colin Brumby, Richard Mills and Andrew Schultz, some of whose compositions are recorded here for the first time.

Along with biographical sketches and the mouth watering specification of the organ, the booklet provides notes that are especially valuable as the living composers’ own comments on their works. Quite imperturbably switching from style to style, Bowman shows the versatility as well as the power of his instrument, and the sound quality of the recording is good...