As horoscope writers in the seamier magazines might put it, with Yan Pascal Tortelier and the BBC Philharmonic in conjunction with Ian Tracey and the Liverpool Cathedral organ within the orbit of Chandos the earth is bound to move for you. And so it does. The Guilmant is one of those great spectaculars which thrives in just such a steamy acoustic environment, but Tortelier with his incisive, thrusting direction ensures that while there is vivid aural spectacle, musical integrity is preserved with quite remarkable clarity and co-ordination. The BBC Philharmonic are magnificent and while it's only what we would expect from him, Tracey handles this virtuosic solo part wonderfully. He uses this great hulking brute of an organ with a surety of touch which comes not only from years of intimate experience, but from a deep understanding of what is needed.
Tracey's true colours are shown off to the full in the Widor—and what an inspired piece of programme planning to include this famous solo organ symphony as the meat in the sandwich between works for organ and orchestra. I hope it might also remind casual passers-by on their way to the Poulenc that Widor's Fifth contains a lot more (and a lot better) music than the famous Toccata. As for the Poulenc, this is a splendid performance, combining high drama with spiritual intensity, but misplaced in these gargantuan Liverpudlian cavities. The sound is just too beefy—the timpani interjections during the Allegro giocoso (after 3'18'') resound like emigre canons from the 1812—and Poulenc's lightning changes of mood are largely masked by an all-enveloping acoustic which thoroughly blurs the subito andante at 5'20''.
When the stars conspire, the astrological charts augur well or contracts and schedules can be agreed, let's hope for more from this earth-shaking team: how about Guilmant's Second Symphony which, for my money, works rather better than the First?'