The Pieces de fantaisie provide a wealth of display material for record companies and concert organists. But for the average organist-in-the-church the Pieces en style libre offer something far more useful with 24 short pieces which place only modest technical demands on the player and which can be performed on a pedal-less harmonium. That's not to say there aren't some which at least sound virtuosic—the bustling ''Divertissement'', for example—or offer opportunities for dramatic displays of organ colour—the ''Carillon'' based on the chimes of Longpont, as opposed to those at Westminster which provide the basis for the more famous ''Carillon'' from the Pieces de fantaisie. Above all, though, these are eminently serviceable pieces designed to be played during the Offertory within the Mass, using every major and minor key and, as the title suggests, encompassing a wide diversity of styles.
Of course they don't begin to compete with their larger stablemates for sheer opulence but given a player as sympathetic as Colin Walsh and an instrument as rich-toned as that in Lincoln Minster they reveal subtle charms as well as moments of pure magic. These immaculately prepared performances show this music to have a substance and quality belied by its small stature and modest demands. And perhaps the smooth, gentle accents of Lincoln's magnificent 1898 Willis are more fitting than the dramatic soundscape of the hulking great Cavaille-Colls CD collectors have grown accustomed to in recordings of Vierne's larger-scale organ works: just listen to that divine Orchestral Clarinet in the ''Canzona'' or the sultry Flute caressing the flowing line of the ''Arabesque''.
Given their intended use there is an understandable preponderance of soft music here and listening through two hours' worth may seem a little too restrained for some people's taste. The atmosphere is not lightened by the three subdued and intense movements of the Triptyque; in length and character these could easily be part of the Pieces en style libre. But beneath this superficial similarity there lurks a greater depth of feeling, with the ''Stele pour un enfant defunt'' as moving a piece of music as Vierne ever created.
The recording captures the gentle, calm mood to perfection, with the organ ideally placed to give just the right aura of distance. In every respect this is a real gem of a disc.'