Writes Samuel Hill, Music Administrator
The organists of Merchant Taylors’ School were delighted to be invited to the Church of St Matthew, Oxhey, to present a short organ recital on Wednesday 29 April. Prominently located next to Bushey station, the church houses a fine Norman & Beard / Bishop & Son organ in the chancel, which speaks well down the body of the church.
Five organists took part in the concert, the first of whom, Steven K. (Divs), performed three contrasting works from the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries with great poise: the lyrical Adagio from Mendelssohn’s First Sonata; the stirring Andante Maestoso by Stanford; and Philip Moore’s rousing Paean.
Ben C. (L6ths) took to the organ bench next, first playing the angular Aria by the Dutch composer Flor Peeters, before performing Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in G minor from the Eight Short Preludes and Fugues. The variety of these works enabled Ben to display his adaptability at the organ.
Adam K. (4ths) played next, beginning with Elgar’s lyrical miniature Andantino from his Vesper Voluntaries. The work suited the organ splendidly, and Adam gave a beautifully flowing performance. This was followed by another of Bach’s Eight Short Preludes, that in D minor, in which Adam demonstrated his technique and control of finely crafted part-writing.
Taking the opportunity to show off the full force of the organ, Ethan G. (Divs) performed another work by Flor Peeters, his Festival Voluntary. This was contrasted with the tranquil Berceuse (‘Lullaby’) by Vierne, which followed.
The final performer at the recital was Dominic D. (U6ths), whose four pieces demonstrated the depth and breadth of his capabilities as an organist. He opened with Bach’s exquisite chorale prelude on Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier (‘Dearest Jesu, we are here’), which he preceded with the chorale in its unadorned setting. Next came a work from several centuries later, Florence Price’s Adoration, a piece of great beauty executed with fluency and sensitivity. Howells’s Psalm Prelude, Set 1 No. 2 followed, a work of characteristic evocation and harmonic complexity. To close the recital, Dominic played Buxtehude’s grand Prelude, Fugue and Chaconne in C, a work of variety and sparkling Baroque exuberance.
We look forward to welcoming parents and friends to the school for the final organ recital of the academic year, on Friday 26 June at 4.30pm in the Great Hall.
