What a delightful recital this is. Charming music played with precision, sensitivity and a touch of aplomb, showing off a delightful organ and with a pleasant surprise at the end. My only slight disappointment is a rather stopping-and-starting ‘Line Dance’ wrapping up Noel Rawsthorne’s jovial Dance Suite which ensures textural security at the expense of humour. Christopher Herrick brings this off with real panache (Hyperion, 10/01) but he only offers up the ‘Line Dance’; here we have the complete Suite.

The 2009 Ruffatti organ in Sweden’s Älmhult Church is visually and aurally a fine instrument which speaks with great clarity and brightness, although never that piercing brightness which distinguishes so many new organs, and has plenty of warmth, especially in the pedals, which can sound a little woody but never muddy. In short, it seems just about the ideal church organ.

And, if this playing is anything to go by, Mary Chard Petersson – Canadian born and Viennese trained – is the ideal church organist. She’s not the organist at Älmhult – that position is held by her Swedish husband, Per Gunnar – but she clearly knows her way around this instrument and displays it to its very best advantage in a programme which captivatingly spans the gamut from Bach’s bubbly Concerto transcription to Lindberg’s endearing folk melody, and from Brahms at his most intimate to Heiller at his most extrovert.

The surprise? Mr Petersson’s work involves the church choir, who add a nice touch of sanctity to the whole disc. Highly enjoyable.