Installed in 2023, the Eule organ at Magdalen College Chapel marked a new chapter in the College’s distinguished musical history. It replaced the ailing Mander organ installed in 1986. Built by Hermann Eule Orgelbau of Bautzen, Germany, the instrument reflects German Romantic ideals, while it remains versatile for a broad repertoire including Baroque. With forty-five stops across four manuals and pedals – including a rare Physharmonica and a commanding tuba stop – it offers exceptional colour and dynamic range.

The organ’s case is a reimagining of Julian Bicknell’s earlier work for the Mander organ. It sits elegantly in the south gallery, while the console allows direct engagement with the choir and congregation. The organ, funded by a bequest from Anthony Smith CBE, was inaugurated by former Magdalen organ scholars. It now serves as a focal point for worship and recital.

The programme opens with a dark, melancholic offering by Franz Liszt. Originally written for piano, Funérailles (Funeral) is the seventh number in Liszt’s Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, a collection of ten character studies inspired by the gloomier aspects of death and religion. The work, which commemorates the casualties of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, majors on themes of pain and suffering. Jeanne Demessieux made this transcription for organ. It is an arduous piece, although there are some remarkable moments, especially the moving funeral dirge and the triumphant march.

Next up is Liszt’s arrangement of the hackneyed Pilgrims Chorus from Richard Wagner’s 1845 opera, Tannhäuser. It evokes solemn devotion and rising hope, and symbolises the hero’s longing for grace through its steady rhythm and sacred harmonies.

The liner notes explain that Carl Reinecke’s Organ Sonata in G minor has echoes of Felix Mendelssohn, especially in the beautiful middle section, a nod to his Lieder ohne Worte. There is considerable interest in the first and last movements, and a glorious conclusion expounds the chorale theme, Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (How brightly shines the morning star). There is no consensus as to when the Sonata was completed, although judging by the opus number it is late in Reinecke’s life. Sadly, his achievement is forgotten, yet his contribution to his art was considerable, through his post as composition teacher at the Leipzig Conservatoire. His pupils included Edvard Grieg, Max Bruch, Ferrucio Busoni and Charles Villers Stanford.

Ethel Smyth wrote the Prelude and Fugue on O Traurigkeit, O Herzeleid (O Sadness, O Heartache) when she was in her mid twenties. It is the fifth and final number of her Short Choral Preludes. From the opening Prelude meditating on Good Friday, which would make a lovely introit, to the considerable Fugue, with its dramatic middle section and ruminative close, this is a gem.

Sigfrid Karg-Elert was a German composer who wrote in a wide variety of genres but is recalled nowadays for his expressive organ works. Influenced by Debussy and Scriabin, he fused chromaticism and Impressionism with Baroque polyphony. The atmospheric The Reed-grown Waters comes from his Seven Pastels from the Lake of Constance. It calls for innovative registrations and a sensitive evocation of mystery. Listen out for the cuckoo…

Talking of that avian friend, Eric Fenby’s winning transcription of Frederick Delius’s best-loved tone poem, On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, is always a rare treat. Not sure I would use this ideal illustration of pantheist nature worship during liturgical services, though.

Percy Whitlock is well-loved by organ buffs. His impressionistic Carol (Four Extemporisations, No.1) has hat-tips to Delius, and includes yet another brief appearance of the cuckoo. Malcolm Riley has noted its “Delian characteristic [including] pervasive chromatic voice leading, the use of the false relation and a wide-ranging meandering melody”.

I am not sure about Percy Grainger’sThe Immovable Do in his own arrangement for organ. It certainly sounds impressive at times, but is not suitable for Evensong! It is an interesting sonic experiment, part meditation and part technical warhorse. At its heart lies a single sustained pitch (doh/C), held (by a jammed-down pencil in the keys) throughout the entire piece. This tonal anchor is secure while the surrounding harmonies shift and evolve: a symbol of stability amid change.

Peter Warlock’s Folk-Song Preludes are yet another transcription, this time by the present soloist, Alexander Pott. Originally written for piano around the end of the First World War, this collection of miniatures reimagines five traditional Celtic melodies, and provides them with subtle harmonies and finesse. The liner notes supply titles of the “found” tunes (where known). They are lovely, short pastoral evocations, which may be just too brief. Their overall mood is melancholy and introspection.

The final work on this imaginative disc is Ernest Austin’s Organ Sonata in G major. In his wide-ranging career, Austin was a baritone singer, an organist and as artistic director of the short-lived British National Opera Company. He was also a professor of singing at the Royal Academy of Music. Recording projects over the past thirty years have seen editions of his Symphony in E minor, the Symphonic Rhapsody “Spring,” the cello sonata and the Overture: Sea Venturers.

Austin’s dedicated the Organ Sonata Percy Whitlock, but it is not known whether the dedicatee played it. It is in a single movement written, I guess, as a Sonata-Rondo. Certainly, there is a powerful recurring theme, interspersed with vibrant dance episodes and the occasional meditation. There are nods towards Whitlock. The liner notes explain that Charles Matthews gave the first modern performance in 2022. This it the premiere recording. I hope that this worthy piece gains traction in the organ loft.

Alexander Pott is a British organist, conductor and scholar. His early training began as a chorister at Westminster Abbey, followed by organ studies at Christ Church, Oxford, and Westminster Cathedral. He later served as Assistant Organist and Tutor to the Choristers at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he played a key role in celebrating the installation of the new Eule organ. That included a performance of the complete organ works of J. S. Bach over two terms, which raised over £10,000 for charity.

Pott is also the founder and director of The Delius Singers, a choir dedicated to exploring overlooked choral repertoire from the 19th and 20th centuries. His academic endeavour focuses on the music of Frederick Delius, the subject of his PhD at Cambridge.

The liner notes give a decent introduction to the recital. There is a resume of the organist and a succinct history of the instrument. The all-important organ specification is included, but the schematic diagram of the console and the stop arrangement is illegible.

The disc offers a satisfying portrait of the recent Eule organ’s expressive breadth and tonal sophistication. The programme is by turns solemn, whimsical and richly evocative. Alexander Pott’s thoughtful programming and assured playing illuminate the instrument’s capacity to honour tradition and embrace innovation – from Liszt’s brooding grandeur to Whitlock’s pastoral charm. Although a Baroque inclusion might have rounded out the recital’s stylistic range, the disc establishes Magdalen’s renewed musical vision.