Erb: Organ Works, Vol. 2

The enormously prolific Marie Joseph Erb (1858–1944) has somehow escaped the attention of posterity, although the quality of his music is on a par with contemporary organist-composers whose works are far better known. Erb’s long life – he heard Berlioz conduct in 1863 and was still composing 80 years later – was focused on Strasbourg, where he was active as pianist, organist and professor, though he had studied in Paris, with Fauré, Gigout, Saint-Saëns and Widor, and later with Liszt in Weimar. This second Jan Lehtola/Toccata Classics album devoted to his organ music sandwiches six short pieces intended for liturgical use between two monumental works; indeed, in its combination of architectural magnificence and emotional intensity, the 'Sonata on Chorale Themes of the Catholic Liturgy' may be one of the finest of all organ sonatas.