The 1740 – 1741 two manual and pedal organ in the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway, contains more original pipework by the Berlin based builder Joachim Wagner than any of his other surviving instruments. When it was supplanted by the 127 rank Steinmeyer organ familiar to those who know E. Power Biggs’s groundbreaking mid-1950s set of LPs, The Art of the Organ (Columbia KL-219), its pipework and windchests fortunately were not trashed. They languished, unmolested, in the crypt of the Cathedral, among the tombs of Norwegian royalty, for six decades. Jürgen Ahrend completed a careful restoration in 1995, and the 29 stops of this extraordinary organ once again speak in a manner that Sebastian Bach, who dubbed Wagner’s instrument in Potsdam’s Garnisonkirche a “gar prächtig Werk”, would find familiar and praiseworthy.

Bach likely would praise Martin Sander’s organ playing, too. A pupil of Ulrich Bremsteller who has won a number of major prizes, he plays with flair, understanding, and complete technical security. Sander’s HIP-aware interpretations are thoughtful, stylish, and imaginative, and his phrasing and legato are superb, but the added embellishments, particularly in BWV 525, may prove a bit too opulent for some tastes. Producer-engineer Ludger Böckenhoff has captured the sound of the Wagner organ magnificently; the balance of clarity and ambience is perfect. The booklet contains a complete stop list, registrations, and essays on the music and organ in both German and English.

Recommended, especially to those interested in the sound of the organs built by the makers Bach knew.