Classical.

Byline: Peter Spaull

FROM Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral comes one of the finest recordings of organ music I have heard for a long time. The two CDs contain the complete work for the instrument of William Mathias, founder of the North Wales Music Festival, who died in 1992. His music fits the special sound of the organ like a glove.

Richard Lea is the complete master of his instrument and the special idiom of the works he is playing, and Priory Records have captured the acoustic of the cathedral to perfection. I particularly enjoyed hearing Invocations again, which was commissioned for and premiered at the inaugural recitals in 1967 when it was played by its dedicatee, Noel Rawsthorne.

The BBC Philharmonic have two fine releases: Giandrea Noseda has completed the Liszt Symphonic Poems with volume 4 for Chandos, and makes a strong case for this music to be heard in the concert hall when performed as well as this.

Hungaria and Hamlet are among the four works here in the usual excellent sound from this label, and composer in residence, James Macmillan, conducts the orchestra in his Quickening, with the Hilliard ensemble and the CBSO Chorus and Youth Chorus in a cantata about childbirth and parenthood, words by Michael Symmons Roberts. It is extraordinary how Macmillan writes contemporary music which has immediate appeal, although he makes few concessions. Three Interludes from The Sacrifice complete the record.

A third disc from Chandos has Joop Celis playing works for piano by York Bowen, mostly premier recordings.

Volume 3 of the series shows us once again why we mustn't ignore many of these British composers who had high reputations 80 years ago and were almost forgotten for many years. But then he was just too romantic. And that goes for Wilhelm Stenhammer, his Swedish contemporary.

Martin Roscoe recently played the Three Fantasies on Radio 3, and one of them has hit the Classic FM play-list, which is not surprising. Two piano sonatas and Nights of Late Summer complete this Hyperion release, which deserves to be a best seller.

Let's hope other pianists take up Stenhammer.

This being the second centenary of Haydn's death, the record companies are springing into action with a wave of releases. I particularly liked the disc of string quartets superbly played by the Jerusalem Quartet which we heard at the Chester Festival some years ago. They give fine performances in immediate sound, and pleasure is added as Harmonia Mundi have packaged the disc in a sleeve with a booklet containing some very nice tinted prints of old Vienna. And it is at mid-price.

Finally, the young soprano Elizabeth Watts makes a promising debut disc with a recital of Schubert songs accompanied by Roger Vignoles on the Sony label. Her selection of 21 songs contains both the well-loved success Die Forelle, Nachtviolen and Im Abendrot. This is an auspicious first appearance on record and will enhance a growing reputation.