Innholdsfortegnelse for July/Aug 2022 i Choir & Organ

At a time when government funding of the arts and arts education is at its worst in living memory, and the value and status of the arts has been undermined from primary to tertiary levels and beyond, it is heartwarming to hear of projects that buck the trend, ignore the negative messages, and resolutely pursue a path of hope and creativity. One such project has been taking place on the south coast of England in an area of Portsmouth. Not content with simply fundraising to cover the cost of restoring the 1889 Walker organ at St Mary’s Church, Portsea, the organisers of The Organ Project have been engaging with the local community in numerous innovative ways, of which The Heritage Organ Festival (see News, p.6) is simply a small part.…

The finals of the IAO-RCO Organ Playing Competition 2022 for young organists will take place during the IAO Music Festival in Edinburgh. Six competitors will be chosen from recordings to participate in the semifinal round on 23 July. From there, three competitors will be selected to go through to the final on 24 July. The adjudication panel is David Hill, John Kitchen and Naji Hakim. bit.ly/3oRoXzj Haarlem Improvisation Competition will be held on 20, 22 and 23 July. Selected participants so far are Sebastian Benetello (D), Marcel Eliasch (DE), Niklas Jahn (DE), Cyril Julien (CH), David Kiefer (DE), Harmen Trimp (NL) and Wouter van der Wilt (NL); the eighth participant will be the winner of the Dordrecht Bachfestival Competition, which takes place on 23 June.organfestival.nl The RCO Summer Course, based…

Cecilia McDowall: Ring out, ye crystal spheres Luton Choral Society/Lewis 2 Jul, St Augustine’s, Luton, UK David Shapiro: Sumptuous Planet: A Secular Mass The Crossing/Nally 8 Jul, Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, PA, US Carson Cooman: Helium Huw Morgan (org) 9 Jul, All Saints, Clifton, Bristol, UK Roxanna Panufnik: God’s Mirror Bath Abbey Choir of Girls and Lay Clerks/Williams 9 Jul, Bath Abbey, UK Clara Sanabras: The Mystic Trumpeter Chorus of Dissent 9 Jul, St Matthias, Stoke Newington, UK Thomas Hyde: From Silence (40-part motet) Carice Singers, Pieces of Eight, The Gentlemen of Lichfield Cathedral Choir/Craig 9 Jul, Lichfield Cathedral Cecilia McDowall: Good News from New England City Chamber Choir, Pia Jeppesen (vn)/Jones 12 Jul, Carpenter’s Hall, London EC2, UK L’ubica Čekovská: Toccata lacerta Ignacio Ribas Talens (org) 16…

CD ANTON BRUCKNER: THE SYMPHONIES – ORGAN TRANSCRIPTIONS VOL. 3 Hansjörg Albrecht, Klais organs (2003 & 2011), St Peter (Alter Peter), Munich Oehms Classics OC479 ‘A wonderfully evocative soundworld’ (see review, p.73) Who better to transcribe symphonies for the organ than an organist who is also an orchestral conductor? Hansjörg Albrecht has been ideally qualified to see through three volumes of Bruckner symphonies, all to critical acclaim, as part of a bigger project that celebrates record label Oehms Classics’ 20th anniversary and that leads up to Bruckner’s bicentenary in 2024. Courtesy of Oehms Classics, we have 5 copies to give away; quote code ‘BRUCKNER’. CD EDWARD NESBIT: SACRED CHORAL MUSIC Ruby Hughes (s), Choir of King’s College, London, Joshua Simões (org) / Joseph Fort (dir) Delphian DCD34256 ‘Highly original and…

I. C-a3 Principal 16 Majorbaß 16 Principal 8 Doppelflöte 8 Principal amabile 8 Flûte harmonique 8 Viola di Gamba 8 Bordun 8 Gemshorn 8 Quintatön 8 Harmonika 8 Gedacktquinte 51/3 Octave 4 Flûte octaviante 4 Fugara 4 Rohrflöte 4 Octave 2 Rauschquinte II Großcymbel III Scharff III-V Cornett III-IV Bombarde 16 Trompete 8 Clairon 4 II. C-a3 Principal 16 Quintatön 16 Principal 8 Doppelflöte 8 Geigenprincipal 8 Spitzflöte 8 Salicional 8 Soloflöte 8 Dulciana 8 Rohrflöte 8 Octave 4 Spitzflöte 4 Salicional 4 Flauto dolce 4 Quinte 22/3 Piccolo 2 Mixtur IV Cymbel III Cornett III Tuba 8 Clarinette 8 III. C-a3 Salicional 16 Bordun 16 Principal 8 Hohlflöte 8 Gemshorn 8 Schalmei 8 Konzertflöte 8 Dolce 8 Gedackt 8 Unda maris 8 Octave 4 Gemshorn 4 Quintatön 4 Traversflöte…

Corrections: In the June issue, the feature on Henry Smart gave an incomplete specification; for the full specification, please visit bit.ly/3lMEmjh. And based on information supplied by the Handel Festival Halle, our feature stated that the performance of Fernando, re di Castiglia would be a world premiere. However, the opera in the original version set in Portugal was performed in 2005 by Alan Curtis and Il Complesso Barocco in Lisbon, Spoleto and St Gallen. We apologise for the error. The San Francisco Conservatory of Music has announced that it will be the new home of the PENTATONE record label. PENTATONE will continue to operate as an independent company. Bradford Cathedral Girls’ Choir, the second oldest cathedral girls’ choir in the country, is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a celebratory Evensong…

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS’S SIZEABLE CHORAL CATALOGUE continues to get an extensive workout through the remainder of 2022 in celebration of his 150th anniversary. The Mass in G minor will be performed in many places of worship and concert venues across the UK and beyond, including by the Carice Singers, directed by George Parris, at St John’s, Bethnal Green, London (6 Jul), Lichfield Cathedral (9 Jul), and at a special anniversary concert in Kings Place, London (12 Oct). Three Shakespeare Songs will also see many outings, including from the Orlando Chamber Choir, directed by Lucy Goddard, at St Mary Aldermary, London (23 Jun). A frequently performed accompanied work will be the Five Mystical Songs. Jack Apperley conducts Goldsmiths Choral Union with piano accompaniment in the George Herbert settings, alongside In Windsor Forest,…

St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh, will see the Scottish premiere of Howard Skempton’s 25 Preludes and Fugues for organ given by Matthew Owens (17 Aug). The pieces comprise Book 1 of what will be a total of 50 (Book 2 will be premiered in 2023). As in J.S. Bach’s ‘48’, they work their way through all the different keys; The composer writes: ‘Why 25? Matthew Owens suggested I should compose an “extra” pair based on the letters of Bach’s name, perhaps including my own initials… each pair of pieces starts with a four-note group as a basis.’ Owens describes Skempton’s music as ‘quite often meditative, quite often trancey, and seemingly simple but full of disarmingly subtle layers which benefit from in-depth exploration… Some of [these] pieces are as short as 16…

A physics conundrum finally solved; and remembering Simon Preston Now, I’m no scientist. When it came to the battle between arts and sciences after my Scottish ‘O’ Grades, with both departments competing for my attention at ‘Higher’ Grade, it was the science teachers I sent packing. Chemistry was smelly and the periodic table made my eyes bleed; I quite liked physics with its bimetallic strips and I did like trigonometry as it was handy for map-reading… As an adult, I understand the romance of astrophysics which seems to combine every science in the world in space (ha!); when it comes to organs, I’m in it for the music, not the nicking, although full respect to all those with intimate knowledge of what goes on under the bonnet. Nevertheless, even a…

“BEAUTY IS ONE OF GOD’S ATTRIBUTES. For the sacred musician, the expression of beauty forms a thin place, a mystical space where the veil between the holy and the human is traversed. Music knits together the physical and the spiritual worlds so we can transcend the ordinary for a glimpse of the infinite. Music speaks when words cannot. As an organist, I am drawn to beauty and create beauty through institutional instruments. Pipe organs build community. The music expressed through them is used to lift voices in song, heal the brokenhearted, soothe the suffering, excite the mind, delight the soul, and inspire the heart. Creativity is an inherent human trait. Every artist hopes to have at their fingertips the best tools for creating beauty and for carrying out the high…

part 6 Edward John Hopkins (1818-1901) Dr Edward John Hopkins, the fifth and final subject in this short series on ‘Fathers of the Victorians’, had the rare distinction of being a musical participant at both the coronation of King William IV in 1831 and the service of thanksgiving on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral in 1897 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. His birth took place some ten months before hers (30 June 1818); he died a fortnight after her (4 February 1901). By then, he could be described in an obituary as ‘the Father of English Organists’,1 but while undoubtedly an ‘eminent Victorian’, his formation had begun more than ten years before the Queen succeeded her uncle when he joined the Chapel Royal choir as a…

DORCHESTER-ON-THAMES At St Birinus Church, French organ builder Bernard Aubertin has created a new organ to accompany Catholic liturgy. DANISH NATIONAL CONCERT CHOIR A choir of 75 voices comprising solely professional singers? We learn the inside story of this unique ensemble. LEEDS KEYBOARD STUDIES PROGRAMME How introducing children to music-making through the melodica can lead to learning the accordion, keyboard and organ. ELIZABETH MACONCHY Though chiefly known for her stage and instrumental works, the British-Irish composer’s choral canon merits closer exploration. FROM PUB TO PULPIT How Ralph Vaughan Williams incorporated folk music in his hymn tunes. Plus… International news and previews, specialist reviews, regular columns, and a supplement of Scholarships & Voice Trials.…

Rating: Highly recommended Very good Good Average Poor THIS ISSUE’S REVIEWERS Early Music Editor Rebecca Tavener Organ Music Editor Stephen Farr Choral Music Editors Joy Hill Jeremy Jackman Jeremy Summerly Chris Bragg Rupert Gough Brian Morton David Ponsford Michael Quinn Philip Reed Clare Stevens KEYBOARD CDS 72 CHORAL CDS 75 EARLY MUSIC 76 CHORAL MUSIC 80…

There are no ‘usual suspects’ among the artists in this selection of recent releases of Iberian material, beginning with the Polish medieval specialist quintet Scandicus, four of whom sing as well as play instruments. Their vivacious evocation of 13th-century southern Spain and the court of Alfonso X in Cantigas de Santa Maria [Accord ACD 285] is a clever compilation, sampling various types of cantiga in arresting, convincing interpretations. Lovely expression and tone from Agnieszka Mucha, the finest of the singers, complements equally entertaining medieval fiddle, symphonia, harp, recorder, oud, citole, and deeply sonorous percussion. Much gracious and heartfelt story-telling is enhanced by excellent recorded sound, spacious and detailed. Not so long ago one lamented the lack of classy Iberian groups singing their own massively rich repertoire of renaissance polyphony. They’re…

Get Them Singing, Keep Them Singing: Leading Singing in Primary Schools Currently running to 20 Apr 2023 Twilight training sessions online for anyone working with young voices in primary schools. This new flexible course is designed to develop confidence, knowledge and skills for all teachers who lead young singers in primary schools, whether in a choir, in a classroom, or the whole school, whatever their experience level. The course can be booked in individual sessions or as a whole: each session is recorded for later viewing. Intermediate Course 2022 17 Sep 2022 to 23 Apr 2023, London Led by Amy Bebbington, Sarah Tenant-Flowers and Peter Broadbent, this course is for those who have either successfully completed the Initial level of training or those who already have experience in leading a…

The International Choral Festival Cardiff returns for the first time in three years, 1-3 July. The five highest scoring choirs from across all categories will compete in the Choir of Choirs competition for the prestigious Sir Karl Jenkins Trophy. internationalchoral festival. wales The biennial American Guild of Organists national convention returns on 3-7 July in Seattle. Called ‘The Well-Tempered Future’, featured recitalists include David Briggs, Isabelle Demers and Katelyn Emerson. Briggs will also lead a workshop, 'The Illusionist’s Art: the Liturgical Improvisations of Pierre Cochereau'. agoseattle2022.com The combined forces of Salisbury, Winchester and Chichester Cathedral choirs return for the Southern Cathedrals Festival from 15-17 July. Based in Salisbury Cathedral, the festival marks two anniversaries: César Franck’s bicentenary and Vaughan Williams’s 150th. southerncathedralsfestival.org.uk Cambridge Summer Music Festival runs from 15-31 July.…

A 40-MINUTE CANTATA BY LUKE STYLES is the lead commission at this year’s Three Choirs Festival in Hereford. The Three Choirs Youth Choir, Hilary Summers and the Philharmonia Orchestra directed by Samuel Hudson, director of music at Worcester Cathedral, will perform Voices of Power in Hereford Cathedral on Thursday 28 July. The work, a collaboration with poet and author Jessica Walker, and written with the voice of Hilary Summers in mind, contemplates the nature of power across the centuries. The cantata’s protagonists include figures as diverse as Boudica and Elizabeth I, Catherine the Great and Margaret Thatcher, and Eleanor Roosevelt and Jacinda Ardern. Styles has been a fan of Summers ever since he first heard her voice while working as an usher at the Wigmore Hall. He told C&O: ‘When…

part 5 The Sauer organ of Berlin Cathedral The next stop on my survey of organs in and around the German capital brings me to the Berliner Dom, where I am sitting on the Kaiserempore high above the cathedral’s west end, in conversation with the Domorganist, Prof. Dr Andreas Sieling. As we talk I gaze out over the vast interior, with its richly gilded sanctuary, mosaics adorning the 70-metre dome and, to the north, the monumental organ. The old organ builder’s adage “it sounds best in the west” did not hold sway here, as a west gallery for the Kaiser took precedence over the organ. However, Andreas Sieling points out to me that so as not to forget the true purpose of the building, a tiny cross atop the Hohenzollern’s…

Mozart Collectors’ Edition of Gramophone, 99 years in the making ■ 100 pages of expert and authoritative articles to explore ■ Recommended recordings of all of Mozart’s most significant works ■ Interviews with today’s leading interpreters ■ In-depth and expert insight into some of Mozart’s major masterpieces Order your copy for just £12.99 today Go to www.magsubscriptions.com/mozart Call: 0800 137201 (UK) or +44 (0)1722 716997 (Overseas) P&P is free for UK address. An additional charge will be added for shipping overseas.…

Clevedon Organs Ltd The Clevedon Organ group was established in 2006, amalgamating two previous companies: Percy Daniel & Co. Ltd (Clevedon) and Cawston Organs Ltd. The firm now has over 300 customers nationwide and has undertaken over 400 organ-building contracts, of varying size and complexity. Clevedon is headed up by Anthony Hall and Warren Marsh. After studying law, Anthony Hall trained in organ building and design at Rieger Orgelbau, then worked as a designer for Nicholson & Co. and later for J.W. Walker, specialising in laying out complex new tracker instruments. Warren Marsh is a Walker-trained voicer, to whom the firm’s voicing and tonal regulation work falls, in addition to a large tuning round. With their staff of between four and 11 organ builders (according to need) they are able…

KEYBOARD CDS Le Manuscrit de Madame Théobon Christophe Rousset, harpsichord by Nicolas Dumont (1704) Aparte AP256 (2CDs) [55:00; 67:00] A fortuitous purchase (via eBay) of a collection of 80 17th-century harpsichord pieces, together with the completed restoration of the Dumont harpsichord, has enabled Christophe Rousset to record this entire manuscript, which not only contains 34 transcriptions of Lully, but also pieces by Chambonnières, D’Anglebert, Louis Couperin and Lebègue, in versions that differ considerably from the publications. Many pieces are anonymous, and there are several world premiere recordings. Madame Théobon was one of Louis XIV’s mistresses, and evidently a collector (perhaps a player) of keyboard music. This is an excellent recording of a most interesting repertoire. Very highly recommended. DAVID PONSFORD Christophe Moyreau: Complete Harpsichord Music Fernando De Luca, harpsichord by…

As the title suggests, Jenny Mahler’s Come Alive (SSA & pno + opt. mel. instr; Oxford University Press 9780193561342, £3.75) is a high energy, joyful piece. The text, written by the composer, explores the idea that energy might not die, but in fact could transform or transfer into something else. There are varied vocal textures throughout, touching upon unison, four-part counterpoint and a short solo/small-group line at one stage. This piece will work well with a large or small group of upper voices when an upbeat item is called for. The driving piano accompaniment, plus optional parts for instruments (printed in the score) including glockenspiel, xylophone, flute, and violin, will also give a spark and lift to the performance experience for both singer and listener. The words are set with…