As sonic extravaganzas go,
Harald Feller's 2006 showpiece SACD, Phantomes: An Organ Spectacular, is a lively display of the instrument's possibilities and the soloist's prestidigitation, as well as a stunning demonstration of state-of-the-art audio technology. Though not really a theme, the Phantom of the Opera connection is still a bit too obvious -- who didn't expect to find
Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor as the opener here? -- but this CD actually has something worthwhile to offer listeners other than clichés. Apart from the extremely theatrical transcription of
Rossini's Overture to William Tell, and the vulgar but strangely effective suite from
John Williams' Star Wars (arranged by
Feller), the program is a fairly respectable organ recital, and serious organ buffs will appreciate such quirky and rarely played pieces as the perverse Phantômes by Louis Vierne, the robust Sonata by
Nino Rota, and Enjott Schneider's exciting Toccata "Schlafes Bruder," all of which provide enough musical substance to balance the silliness.
Feller's playing is always brilliant and impressive, though less than fully expressive: this kind of program requires more flash than passion, and while this organist is fully capable of delivering emotionally charged performances, this SACD is not a profound listening experience, even if its extraordinary sounds bring tingles to the spine. Oehms' recording is amazingly resonant, and the Goll organ of St. Martin, Memmingen, is almost shockingly colorful, so this disc is an audiophile's delight from beginning to end.