Having recorded the complete organ works of Messrs Whitlock‚ Howells and Krebs‚ Priory has turned its microphones to the English organist and composer Basil Harwood (1859­1949). His reputation rests on a handful of large­scale organ pieces‚ one fine anthem O How Glorious‚ an Evening Service and two classic hymn­tunes‚ Luckington and Thornbury. Until his retirement (at the age of 50) Harwood held a succession of organist posts in London and at Ely Cathedral and Christ Church‚ Oxford. In Leipzig he studied composition with Liszt’s pupil‚ Salomon Jadassohn‚ and there are clear Lisztian fingerprints in Harwood’s style‚ notably a tendency towards prolixity coupled with bravura pianism. For Volume 1‚ Adrian Partington has chosen to record in Bristol Cathedral on an instrument (Walker 1907) of ideal vintage and ample tonal resources. Priory’s first­rate engineering captures all the warmth and sweetness of the Bristol acoustic. The tautest and strongest piece on the disc is also the earliest‚ the Sonata No 1 of 1886. This striking work comes off thrillingly‚ especially the opening Allegro appassionata. Harwood is always at his most interesting in fast‚ driven music. Dithyramb‚ Paean and Capriccio also hold up their heads proudly. The rest of the programme is less convincing. The music meanders and dribbles‚ though this is more the fault of the composer than the performer‚ I hasten to add. A mixed result‚ therefore‚ and there are two dozen more organ pieces to fill successive volumes! Could this series be extended to include a recording of Harwood’s Organ Concerto (complete with pedal glissando)?