The Dome, Brighton, 11 February 2014

Theatre organ performances are even rarer today than pipe organ events, so it is good that The Dome mounts occasional matinees and even better that they are well supported. The console may not rise up out of the pit but the atmospheric lighting, together with the constant movement of the up-lit shutters of the fully enclosed pipework, keeps the eyes involved as well as the ears.

Michael Wooldridge plays from memory and most of his selections are popular favourites. Individual items, including birthday requests, are carefully slotted between longer selections. In the first half we heard music from West Side Story and a Disney medley as well as numbers by Duke Ellington.

Light classical music gets a look-in, and on this occasion we heard Suppe’s Overture Light Cavalry.

Michael Wooldridge is happy to chat between items and brought us details of a forthcoming Young Theatre Organists event in Solihull in July, with which he is heavily involved.

From a purists point of view the musical approach is something of a law under itself. Closer to improvisation than focussed on the written score, the sound produced is often more impressive than the melodic line. While this is fine for most of the scores, the Suppe suffered from some lack of accuracy and finesse in registration. The reeds are certainly fiery but could be balanced with a little more subtlety.

The organ itself is still in good voice and a cypher was quickly dealt with. The large range of percussion stops were very impressive and effective, and the woolly tremulo much in evidence. It would be good to hear the more serious side of the instrument by itself on some occasions, or maybe focus on a different range of music. However, it is always better to have something and want more, than to have nothing at all. BH