In Christopher Houlihan's eloquent hands, the composer's gloomily gothic writing proves graceful and full of life.

Once again, Houlihan was a first-class advocate, conveying the mellow rumination of the Aria with subtle colors, as surely as the jokey galumphing Scherzo and the enigmatic Adagio before closing with a sonic full-bore blast at the coda.

His deft footwork on the pedals throughout the concerts prompted one listener to dub him "the Fred Astaire of the pipe organ.