These CDs provide an enjoyable collection of pieces from six of the finest organist-composers of the 17th and 18th centuries. The French organ builder Bernard Aubertin is responsible for both the instruments we hear; at Saint Martin’s Church, Vertus he built a new organ in 1996, and at Saint-Antoine L’Abbaye he restored the organ built by Samson Scherrer in 1748. Both instruments are extremely fine and excellently recorded by Cantoris. I would say that the organ at Saint-Antoine has more character due to its use of 18th-century pipework, and it’s set in a more generous acoustic than Saint Martin’s.

The different emphasis of the contents of the two discs means that they complement each other very well. ‘Barock Orgel’ has music by four of the greatest European organist-composers, and the mixture of free and chorale-based works by Bach is particularly satisfying. ‘L’Orgue Baroque 2’ features two outstanding French composers: Boyvin and Dandrieu. They may not be as well known as Couperin or Rameau, but their music is every bit as rewarding to listen to. There’s sufficient variety on this CD for it to be heard at one sitting with the music ranging from liturgical solemnity through to theatrical playfulness and military swagger.

Nigel Allcoat is renowned as an improviser, and he’s very successful in capturing the spontaneity of the two French composers and the Toccata and Fugue of Buxtehude which would have started life as an improvisation. He’s also good at exploiting the varied sounds of the two organs and finding appropriate colours; only in Bach’s B minor Fugue does an ugly change of manual (at 3'36") strike a jarring note. His fingerwork is neat and nimble in the faster pieces like the Sweelinck variations, and Bach’s Prelude and Fugue has a pleasing flow.

The slower music isn’t quite as satisfying; I find some of the tempi of the Bach chorale preludes a little laboured, and the more reflective movements of the French composers are missing some of the poetry. Nevertheless, this is very good playing from Allcoat, and his programme notes supply effective signposts for listeners unfamiliar with the 17th-18th century-organ and its music.