Gerard Gillen's recital on the organ of St Michael's Church, Dun Laoghaire, opened with works in the North German baroque style, by Bohm, Hanff and Buxtehude, reached a climax in Bach's Sonata No 5 in C, and concluded with three short works by Max Reger. "A composer who united the excesses of the baroque and the romantic," was how Gillen characterised Reger's contribution to the organ repertoire; and the other composers were introduced with similarly brief and helpful remarks, which underlined the unity of the programme.

Gillen's choice of registrations was full of colour and variety, particularly striking in Bohm's Praeludium in C and Buxtehude's Praeludium in D, but for Hanff's Chorale Prelude "Erbarm dich mein, o Herre Gott" and the sonata by Bach there was a touch of austerity which made more apparent the beauty of the part writing.

Reger's Op 65 Nos 49 and 37 were unusually succinct for this composer, but the Introduction and Passacaglia in D minor were more typical, ending in a blaze of chromaticism. In these, as in the other works, the organist made plain his enjoyment of the music and also managed to convey the feeling that the notes plumbed depths inaccessible to words; intellect and emotion became equal partners in the communication between performer and listeners.