Halgeir Schiager - Gustav Merkel Organ Works, Vol. 3 (2012)

This is the third release in a series of four CDs dedicated to the organ works of the nineteenth century composer Gustav Merkel, and includes the 4th, 5th and 6th Sonatas, the Fantasie in D minor, the Three Postludiums opus 44 and the Choralstudies on "Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten". As with the previous two volumes (PSC1273 and PSC1274) the soloist is Halgeir Schiager. He is here performing on the organ of St. Marienkirche in Barth.

Although Gustav Merkel was a significant composer and organist in the 1800s, his name is virtually forgotten today. He was born in 1827 in Oberoderwitz near Zittau in Germany, and after some early lessons from Robert Schumann moved to Dresden where he concentrated his time on writing and performing on the organ. His compositions include nine solo sonatas, a separate sonata for two organists, and several dozen miniatures. In these works his style is strongly influenced by Mendelssohn, and the music is similar in many ways to his younger contemporary Josef Rheinberger.

Halgeir Schiager has produced a number of highly acclaimed CDs in recent years including a series of releases covering the complete organ works of Petr Eben for the renowned British label Hyperion. His doctoral thesis at the Norwegian Academy of Music was on aspects of interpretation in the organ music of Gustav Merkel. In 2001 he received the Norwegian Critics Annual Prize.