Mendelssohn's organ music

As a Very Big fan of Mendelssohn's beautiful organ music, I could not resist the temptation to get Peter Planyavsky's 3 separate CD's. They seem to be OK but, I am not yet sure about the instrument. Perhaps a historic organ would be better for Mendelssohn.
You know, some sort of historic, fragile-sounding thing from c. 1820 - 1840.

Bleicher's recording has one (which Mendelssohn himself once played and liked), but he plays rather slowly, which perhaps drains some excitement.

Hurford's 1980s record is great, exciting fast playing and wall-shaking recording but incomplete and played with a modern organ, although a terrific one.

 

I don't know about the music, but concerning the organ you are probably right: Mendelsohn used to play one of the 'small' (2+P) Silbermann instruments. Of course, when you mention small with Silbermann in mind, that is something of a contradiction of terms: it seems that all his organs are loud.

 

I shall perhaps get the cheap Bleicher set as well because of the organ (restored Aloys Mooser Organ in Bulle, on which Mendelssohn has played). To my ears the music has an incredible atmosphere and is much underrated. Silbermann: I have an old Bach CD by late Hans Otto at the Freiburg Silbermann organ and it doesn't sound loud, maybe it's just the recording. The Freiburg organ sounds very idiosyncratic to me, I can hear that much tin has been used.

The amazing 60-stop Ratzeburg organ that Hurford played has 4 manuals + P.