John Challenger – Salisbury Meditation (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

This collection of organ music from Salisbury Cathedral has a unique story, and its commercial, or as it happens noncommercial, success is unsurprising. The great 13th century cathedral, the spire of which has been the tallest in the U.K. since 1561, was pressed into service in early 2021 as a COVID-19 vaccination site, and organist and Salisbury assistant director of music John Challenger decided to perform on the cathedral’s restored Father Willis organ during vaccination sessions. The present recording is drawn from some 270 hours of such performances, and it is one of the few live recordings made in Britain or anywhere else during the first part of 2021. The result is a win-win-win. Proceeds from album sales benefited a variety of U.K. National Health Service charities. Those being vaccinated were likely hearing live music for the first time in a year or more, and the organ renovation, probably not a high-profile event normally, received a publicity boost. The sound engineering is exemplary, catching the live background ambiance but never letting the music become vague. The pieces, nearly all familiar to average British listeners with any affection for organ or church music (MacDowell’s To a Wild Rose is perhaps the wild card here, but one wild card benefits the overall effect), certainly were delivering the Salisbury Meditation promised by the album’s title. For a keepsake of the terrible times of 2020 and 2021, this can be highly recommended.

Tracklist:

01. John Challenger – Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068: II. Air (Arr. for Organ) (04:56)
02. John Challenger – Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, BWV 147 (Arr. for Organ) (03:55)
03. John Challenger – Chanson de Matin, Op. 15 No. 2 (Arr. for Organ) (03:47)
04. John Challenger – Adagio for Strings & Organ in G Minor (Arr. for Organ) (07:12)
05. John Challenger – Sheep May Safely Graze, BWV 208 (Arr. for Organ) (05:23)
06. John Challenger – Berenice, HWV 38: Minuet (03:00)
07. John Challenger – Sicilienne (03:32)
08. John Challenger – Water Music Suite No. 1 in F Major, HWV 348: VI. Air (02:21)
09. John Challenger – Carnival of the Animals, R. 125: XIII. The Swan (Arr. for Organ) (03:11)
10. John Challenger – Salut d’Amour, Op. 12 (Arr. for Organ) (03:07)
11. John Challenger – Chanson de Nuit, Op. 15 No. 1 (Arr. for Organ) (04:40)
12. John Challenger – Three Preludes on Welsh Hymn Tunes: II. Rhosymedre (04:49)
13. John Challenger – Ten Woodland Sketches, Op. 51: No. 1. To A Wild Rose (Arr. for Organ) (02:06)
14. John Challenger – Sonata in A Major, Op. 56 No. 3: II. Andante tranquillo (02:34)
15. John Challenger – Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen (03:05)
16. John Challenger – Suite Gothique, Op. 25: III. Prière à Notre-Dame (05:02)