Tom Winpenny - William Mathias: Choral Music - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Organ music holds a special affection for leading UK composer Judith Bingham, and the repertoire in this programme reflects a cross-section of her themes and work both recently composed and newly arranged.

The music of Arnold Cooke, born in Yorkshire in 1906, had already fallen into neglect by the time of his death 99 years later. Cooke was a prolific composer, with two operas, six symphonies, numerous concertos and a generous amount of chamber music to his credit - nor did he neglect the organ, as this album of his major organ pieces reveals. Cooke's style owes much to his teacher, Hindemith, not least since both men were natural contrapuntists, although there are also points of contact with Bartók and Shostakovich, and occasional touches of Walton's ceremonial sparkle and no-nonsense grandeur.

The larger part of the organ music of the American composer Vincent Persichetti (1915-87) was composed towards the end of his life, with of some of those pieces receiving their first recordings here. Several are based on hymn tunes, which can often be heard in the background - re-emerging in glorious affirmation in the Auden Variations. On occasion the language suggests a kaleidoscopic admixture of Hindemith and Messiaen, bristling with edgy flashes of color; and Do not go gentle, an essay for pedals alone after the Dylan Thomas poem, is a statement of austere power. What these highly contrasted works have in common is complete textural clarity Persichetti had been playing the organ since boyhood, and his writing for the instrument is that of a master. Tom Winpenny, who has already experienced much success with his organ recordings, presents Persichetti's organ works on this new .