The sight and sound of the Royal Albert Hall organ are familiar to Proms-goers but for those who regard it as merely a noisy backdrop to the orchestral works of Elgar, Mahler, Strauss and others, this CD will come as a revelation. There’s a wealth of colourful quiet registers on the newly restored instrument which are fully exploited by Dame Gillian Weir, including a soft percussion Carillon stop heard during Liszt’s Ad nos Fantasia.

This giant composition receives a truly authentic 19th-century Romantic-style performance from Weir with an unhurried approach to the slow middle movement and rhythmic virtuosity in the rapid outer sections. The vast tutti of the organ makes the C major conclusion even more glorious than usual and Weir’s account of this piece is one of the most spectacular you’ll ever hear.

The other solo works are equally successful. Howells’s Rhapsody is passionate and eloquent, and Parry’s Toccata and Fugue has a dignified flow. In comparison, Cook and Lanquetuit’s pieces may seem lightweight but the former has some attractive jazzy elements and the latter is as dazzling a French toccata as you’d hear from Dupré, Widor et al. Meanwhile, the transcriptions of Elgar and Liszt are entirely convincing thanks to Weir’s skill as a colourist: it’s good to hear Pomp and Circumstance No 1 without the words!

Priory has done the RAH organ proud with an excellent recording and a comprehensive booklet. One must salute the endurance of Weir and engineer Paul Crichton for making this disc during the hall’s only available hours – 1am to 6am. This is an exceptionally fine CD that I’m sure will become a landmark recording.