New publications

[Martin Cooke]

Two recent acquisitions have been David Bednall's Evocation of Wells Cathedral, and the Verdi Organ Album, both published by OUP in the last few weeks. I haven't had time yet to really get down to learning and practising any of this music, but I feel sure that these are both publications that others would enjoy. 

[Richard Fairhurst]

The Bednall Evocation is lovely - I picked that up at the start of Advent and had a few appreciative comments after playing it one Sunday.

I recently found the 'Freiburger Orgelbuch 2' in Blackwells. It's an album of some 86 pieces over 200 pages, from the 15th century to the present day, and with composers from Germany to the US. Most of all it's very well-chosen - there have been several times where I've picked over something and thought "wow, that's interesting". (This sort of album does tend to have either old warhorses or rightfully obscure pieces mostly chosen for their out-of-copyright status, but this is far from that.) It comes with a CD of 30 of the pieces. Not particularly cheap at £37ish, but worth it I think. Contents list etc.: https://www.carus-verlag.com/en/choir/new-releases/organ-music/freiburger-orgelbuch-2-music-for-worship-concert-use-and-teaching.html

[AJJ]

Deffinately Evocation of Wells Cathedral - David Bednall, not long published by OUP. Very effective, not difficult and brilliant if you want to sound as if you can do posh improvisations that don’t sound like Pierre Cocherau! Nice also to be able to pop down the road from here and see the place he was inspired by even if the organ there IMHO is not the most inspirational of cathedral instruments.

A