MAGNIFICAT
DOUGLAS LAWRENCE

Douglas Lawrence plays a magnificent recital on this his second recording on the organ he designed, the impressive 4 manual Rieger organ in The Scots' Church Melbourne. Works include, Bach, Mendelssohn, Alain and much much more!

The Song of Mary "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour" (Gospel of Luke 1:46-55) has inspired composers through the ages. This disc begins with the Fuga sopra il Magnificat by JS Bach and also holds movements from two Magnificat Suites by Michel Corette. The title also reflects the magnificence of the Rieger organ in the Scots' Church, Melbourne. The disc explores some of the wonderful, intensely musical sounds of this great instrument. Installed in Scots' in the year 2000, it has drawn outspoken praise from many of the world's most eminent organists. The listener will hear the distinct registrations used for German and French music. This is most clearly demonstrated in the earlier works where the German repertoire is based on the Organo Pleno - a sound based on the mixtures of the organ, whilst the French repertoire is founded on the sound of the reeds (trumpet, clairon, cromorne, voix humaine). The music covers a period of 300 years from Dietrich Buxtehude who was born in 1637 to Jehan Alain who died in 1940.