Royal College of Organists Young Performers’ Series: Organ Recital at St Lawrence Jewry
Interest in the organ is burgeoning at Merchant Taylors’, a fact confirmed by the school’s recent accreditation by the Royal College of Organists. As part of this, we were invited by Sir Andrew Parmley to take part in the College’s Young Performers’ Series of organ recitals which take place at St Lawrence Jewry Guildhall.
Recent recitals have been given by the City of London Girls’ School and the City of London Freemen’s School; next week girls from Cheltenham Ladies’ College will perform.
On Tuesday, Steven K (4ths), Ethan G (4ths) and Dominic D (L6ths) went up to London to perform, giving a recital of about 40 minutes in length. Two other boys attended to support their peers: Milan A (Divs) and Adam K (U3rds).
The programme was typically varied, featuring the requisite amount of Bach, as well as more modern works by French, English, and German composers. Ahead of our trip to the Netherlands, several of the boys have been learning works from César Franck’s L’Organiste, and one such work, the Sortie, opened the recital, despite the name. Bach’s Fantasia in G minor followed, and then C. S. Lang’s ebullient Tuba Tune concluded Steven’s set. Ethan opened with another work by Bach, before playing Henry Coleman’s charming Prelude. His third piece was a chorale prelude on the old Irish tune St Columba, which is usually set to Baker’s metrical version of the twenty-third psalm. Dominic played the extensive Pièce d’Orgue by J. S. Bach, showcasing not only his great skill but also the versatility of the organ. The concert closed with an old favourite, Karg-Elert’s chorale prelude on Nun danket alle Gott, from his Opus 65.
At the end of a concert, Sir Andrew Parmley thanked the performers and the audience, and invited us back to perform at a future recital.