John Kitchen has always had an
eye towards innovative and imaginative programming and the exploration of
unfamiliar repertoire. In 1972 he introduced me to Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Oxford Elegy for which I have been
eternally grateful. Less influential on me (I confess) was his passion for
Berlioz’s The Trojans and Wagner’s Tristan. Whether it is the music of the
‘unknown’ (Louis) Couperin, the organ music of Johann Ludwig Krebs, the
voluntaries of William Russell and the hidden treasures of the Victorian Organ
Sonata, John Kitchen has never failed to present the interested listener with a
wide-range of musical styles and eras. This has been clear in his organ and
harpsichord recitals as well as in the recording studio. The present CD is no
exception to the above observation.
The programme has an underlying
theme of ‘bells’ and ‘chimes.’ The opening number by Cecilia McDowall ‘Church
bells beyond the stars’ was a 2013 commission from the Edinburgh Society of
Organists to mark its centenary. It is a stimulating piece that explores a wide
range of ‘bell sounds’. The conclusion is particularly breath-taking. Samuel Sebastian Wesley’s evocative Holsworthy Church Bells is well-known to organists and recital-goers alike.
This present recording features the Usher Hall organ’s carillon, which is a set
of tuned metal bars played from the manuals. It is a lovely, even moving,
rendition of this piece. The final
‘bell’ piece is by Bernard Rose, former Informator Choristarum of Magdalen
College, Oxford from 1957-1981. ‘Chimes’
was one of the numbers published in Hovingham
Sketches (1974) which was a gift from the Royal College of Organists to HRH
The Duchess of Kent. The piece, perhaps
unsurprisingly, is based on the chimes at Magdalen. It is a lovely, thoughtful but
slightly reticent work.
The raison-d’être of Alexander
Guilmant’s Marche funèbre et chant séraphique, (Fantasie pour l’orgue, op. 17)
was to show off the ‘wide range of timbres’ on the new (1868) Cavaillé-Coll
organ in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Likewise, John Kitchen has used this
piece to showcase the fine dynamics and voicing of the Usher Hall organ. The
piece is in two sections – a march rising to a huge climax, and a ‘song of
angels’ which is ethereal.
I am not a great enthusiast of
organ transcriptions of orchestral works.
However, Jeremy Cull’s arrangement of the Scottish composer Hamish MacCunn’s
well-loved overture The Land of the
Mountain and Flood is excellent. It is unfortunate that this composer is
neglected both in Scotland and furth of the border. Most of his orchestral
works have been recorded: his operas (apart from an extract from Jeannie Deans), choral music and songs
languish.
I was delighted that this CD
includes some ‘light’ music. There is always a danger that organ recitals can
become a little po-faced or high-falutin’. No chance of that with these three
fantastic pieces.
Christopher Maxim’s (a name I have not come across before)
Toccata Nupitale is clearly angling to become a bridal favourite to match some
of the better-known (and hackneyed) pieces. Maxim has counterpoised a
Vierne-like Toccata with the once-popular song written by Harry Dacre in 1892 ‘Daisy
Bell’. (Daisy, Daisy / Give me your answer, do. / I'm half-crazy
/ All for the love of you…’ concluding with the line ‘a bicycle built for two.’)
Seemingly, the present toccata was composed especially for a cyclist friend! It
is witty, fun and clearly not a cinch to play.
Clifton Hughes’s ‘Dance Variations on Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer’
deserves to be widely known: it would be a major ‘hit’ wherever it was played.
Kitchen manages to make the great Usher Hall organ sound like an instrument once
found in the Roxy, the Gaumont or the Odeon. Hornpipes, waltzes and the tango
are all grist to Rudolph’s mill.
The final ‘pop’ is ‘Johnny on the Spot’ which is a ‘piano novelty’ dating
from the 1940s composed by Sherman Myers (better known to pianists as Montague
Ewing.) It is a delightful miniature that makes an ideal crossover onto the
concert organ.
I am not quite sure why John Kitchen has chosen to present a
‘selection’ from Charles Marie Widor’s well-known Symphony No.5 for organ. Clearly there was not room on the CD for the
missing movements, however this repertoire is widely recorded (24 recordings of
the entire work and 82 of the Toccata) so maybe one or two of the composer’s
lesser-known pieces would have been interesting. That said, these three movements are outstandingly
and imaginatively played on the Usher Hall organ.
The final number is Bach’s massive Passacaglia and Fugue, BWV
582. This is a work popular with organists and has been extensively recorded. The
added-value of this present version is that it has been registered ‘in
Edwardian romantic style’ as Thomas Collinson, onetime Master of Music at St.
Mary’s Episcopal Church in Edinburgh, may have played it in the year that the
Usher Hall organ was inaugurated (1914). As Kitchen points out, it is totally
‘inauthentic’ but who cares? I love this.
In 2003 John Kitchen was appointed Edinburgh City Organist, a
post he still occupies. The job includes not only organising and playing in a
popular series of recitals at the Usher Hall, but also promoting the instrument
and undertaking ‘curatorial duties.’
Kitchen is heavily involved in Edinburgh musical life, including being
Director of Music at Old Saint Paul’s Church, conductor of the Edinburgh
University Singers and University Organist. He is also a busy accompanist,
continuo player, lecturer, examiner, adjudicator, writer and reviewer. Until
August 2014 Kitchen was a Senior Lecturer in Music at the University of
Edinburgh.
The Usher Hall organ celebrated its centenary in 2014. This
‘monumental’ instrument was built by Norman & Beard at the then huge cost
of £4000. Unfortunately, the organ fell
into desuetude during the 1970s due largely to problems of humidity and
temperature control. The liner notes point out that the instrument’s ‘neglect’
spared it from ‘baroquisation’ which may have been its fate if money had been
devoted to its restoration at that period. It was not until the early ‘nineties
that the organ was brought back into use and was thoroughly refurbished by
Harrison & Harrison under the auspices of David Sanger. The pipework remained unaltered although the
electro-pneumatic action was completely overhauled. It is therefore an
excellent example of what a large Edwardian concert organ would have sounded like.
The sound on this CD is excellent. The liner notes mention the
fact that there is ‘more reverberation on this recording’ than normal for the
Usher Hall: this was due to all the upholstered seats in the stalls being temporarily
removed. The CD insert was written by
John Kitchen and is characteristically informative and approachable. There is a detailed history of the organ and
the essential specification so vital to organ enthusiasts.
Altogether, this is a superb recital that explores a wide-range
of music. John Kitchen has presented a number of new works (possibly to become
new favourites?) and some well-established masterpieces. He brings huge flair,
understanding, characteristic humour and an intimate knowledge of organ
registration and repertoire to this disc.
Track Listing:
Cecilia MCDOWALL (b.1951)
Church bells beyond the stars (2013)
Alexandre GUILMANT
(1837-1911) Marche funèbre et chant séraphique, (Fantasie pour l’orgue, op. 17)
(1865)
Samuel Sebastian WESLEY
(1810-76) Holsworthy Church Bells (1874)
Hamish MACCUNN (1868-1916)
The Land of the Mountain and the Flood -
Concert Overture, Op. 3 (1886-7) arr. Jeremy
CULL (?)
Bernard ROSE (1916-1997)
Chimes (1974)
Christopher MAXIM
(b.1971) Toccata Nuptiale (?)
Clifton HUGHES (b.1946)
Dance Variations on ‘Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer’ (?)
Sherman MYERS (Montague
Ewing) (1890-1957) Johnny on the Spot (1940s)
Charles-Marie WIDOR
(1844-1937) Organ Symphony No. 5 in F minor, Op. 42 No. 1 (Movements I, Allegro
vivace, IV, Adagio & V, Toccata) (1879)
Johann Sebastian BACH
(1685-1750) Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV582 (c1706-13)
John Kitchen (organ)
DELPHIAN DCD34132
With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published.
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