Writes Samuel Hill, Music Administrator
On Wednesday, three of our organists travelled to the church of St Mary-le-Bow in the City to give a recital as part of the Royal College of Organists’ Young Performers’ Series. The concert opened with Steven K. (Divs), who performed Stanford’s Postlude on an old Irish church melody (the hymn tune Gartan), before playing the Adagio from Mendelssohn’s Sonata No. 1. Ethan G. (Divs) played a selection of three pieces, beginning with Recita de Nazard by the French baroque composer Clerambault. Another Mendelssohn movement followed, this time the Andante con moto from his Sonata No. 5. Closing his set with a flourish, Ethan played the Festival Voluntary by Flor Peeters.
Dominic D. (U6ths) took to the bench next, opening with Bach’s chorale prelude on the Lutheran communion hymn, Liebster Jesu, BWV 731. Buxtehude’s lively Prelude, Fugue, and Chaconne in C major came next, before we moved to the late-Romantic sound world of Howells, with his Psalm Prelude Set 1 No. 2. We were then taken across the Channel with Dupre’s Prelude in B major, before concluding the concert with the exciting Fiesta by Emma Lou Diemer, which made use of the Cymbelstern, something our organ in the Great Hall is sadly lacking!
