Ericsson

It may be news to many readers that these composers wrote organ music at all, and in the case of Dvorak he virtually didn't, for these are composition exercises from his student days which remained in the archives of Prague Conservatoire until they were found and edited by Jarmil Burghauser in 1980. Some of the world's most boring music has been written as before-service preludes and Dvorak's student exercises are more engaging than many a more professional job, but it would be unwise to read more into them than that. Occasionally Mr. Ericsson seems to be trying too hard, but generally he leaves their homely charm to speak for itself.

The powerful sound of this magnificent organ is indeed an imposing one. In this virtuoso programme, Hans Ola Ericsson continues to confirm his reputation as a fearsome exponent of such wonderfully sonorous instruments whilst unearthing a few rarities that have lain undiscovered for centuries. An interesting leitmotif on this disc is the contribution of the Duben family with no less than three members producing works of excellent construction and fine melodic content. Indeed, Andreas Duben's magisterial 'Praeludium Pedaliter' continues to confirm the shameful neglect of such a talented composer. There is also an effective Suite by Gustav Duben and short works by Martin Duben.