Te Deum Laudamus - Tournemire

Livre du Saint Sacrement (exc) - Messiaen

Sonata No 6 - Guilmant

Toccata, Fugue and Hymn on "Ave Maris Stella" - Peeters

The organ recital last Wednesday lunchtime at the Pro-Cathedral was the first in a series of four at this venue on successive Wednesdays. The series is the Pro-Cathedral's first since 1993, partly because of the thorough renovation of the organ by Walkers in 1994-1995 and the redecoration of the building.

It is appropriate that all four programmes should be dominated by music from the French symphonic-organ tradition of the last 150 years. No instrument in Dublin, possibly in Ireland, can equal this one in this repertoire. It was built by White of Dublin in the late 19th century, and various renovations have expanded its range of tone and improved its clarity and versatility. It does not replicate the sounds of CavailleColl, the superb, innovative builder whose organs inspired most of this music. But, like his instruments, it has highly-coloured mixture and reed stops; and like most large French instruments - and unlike most in Ireland and Britain - it is situated in the west end. Sympathy between building and instrument is impeccable. This organ can speak clearly in finecolour delicacy and in massivity. And what mass ivity!

Gerard Gillen captured the improvisatory origins of Tour nemire's Te Deum Laudamus and excerpts from Messiaen's Livre de Saint Sacrement, and played the Sonata No. 6 by Guilmant with the flair one would want for a composer who was primarily a concert virtuoso. Toccata, Fugue and Hymn on "Ave Maris Stella", by the Belgian player-composer Flor Peeters, made a strong conclusion to one of the best recitals I have heard from this organist.

John O'Keefe plays at the Pro-Cathedral at 1.05 p.m. next Wednesday.