Music : Organist Murray Demonstrates Prowess

American organist Michael Murray impressively pulled out his Romantic stops when he came to town Friday night. A recital of mostly 19th-Century organ music skillfully balanced the drama of a gigantic, loud instrument with the intricacies of expert musicianship.

Performing on the mammoth 215-rank organ at First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, Murray well demonstrated his prowess with Romantic organ repertory, making generous but exact use of the crescendo/diminuendo pedal to shape melodic lines, as well as using registrations that imitated various combinations within a large, at times earsplitting orchestra.

The centerpiece of the evening was Franck’s Three Pieces from 1878--Fantaisie, Cantabile and Piece Heroique. Murray’s approach showed a deep understanding of the introspective music, combining a particularly shimmering string sound with sensitive phrasings.

Similarly, Mendelssohn’s four-movement Sonata, Opus 65, No. 2, proceeded expertly and with an enticing interplay between reeds and strings. The bold fugue finale rang out resolutely, maintaining the many statements of the subject consistently and without faltering.

Schumann’s Canon Opus 56, No. 5, originally written for pedal-pianoforte, also proved an engaging study in the hands of Murray, who emphasized staccato passages deftly. Brahms’ brief chorale prelude “Es ist ein Ros entsprungen” sang out sumptuously, again using tastefully conceived registrations.

Bach’s famous warhorse, Toccata and Fugue in D minor, felt out of place on this program, especially the fugue that was played with a tempo that raced to the brink of being out of control. Two ordinary tonal fanfares by unadventurous 20th-Century composers Francis Jackson and John Cook opened the program.