Organ Festival Programme

ORGAN FESTIVAL Sunday 25 February | Doors open at 11.30am Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall

ORGAN FESTIVAL Sunday 25 February | Doors open at 11.30am | Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall The new organ at the Royal College of Music displays both confidence and exuberance. Its eye-catching casework is resonant with the centuries-old Dutch and North German tradition, and echoes historic instruments from those regions. The mechanical action allows the greatest sense of feel and control for the player. The careful blend and balance of stops allows the maximum versatility of repertoire whilst retaining a coherent and complementary sound. It is a thoroughly musical instrument, and it is particularly fitting at the Royal College of Music, whose history was grounded in the British organ tradition, to see once again such a magnificent instrument at its heart, pleasing to both ear and eye.

Stephen Johns FRCM, Artistic Director

It is our strong belief that organs which allow for the performance of many musical genres are not based on different musical styles, but on one single, coherent musical idea, which is flexible enough to adapt itself to the music that the musician places on the stand. Even though the design of the organ case, the spatial design, the specification, the calculations of the wind supply and wind chests, the design of the mechanical proportions, and the scaling and building details of the pipes all breathe the same concept, it is hard to explain the character of the new instrument.

Of course, Flentrop Orgelbouw is a tributary of the Dutch-German tradition, which developed over more than four centuries from Antwerp to St. Petersburg. But for the new RCM organ, no particular instrument or historic organ builder was taken as an example. Rather, intense discussions within our experienced team of organ builders, based on talks with Stephen Johns and David Graham from the RCM, led to an instrument that should embrace the listener with warmth and wealth, that should breathe, should have a responsive contact with the player and, finally, is experienced as an instrument with a soul.

Even with all the sand casting, all the maths, all the craftsmanship and hard labour, and the full control over the building process, this last occurrence, our ultimate goal, is not an achievement, but a mercy and a grace.

Erik Winkel & Frits Elshout, Flentrop Orgelbouw

It is thanks to generous philanthropic support that we have been able to commission this wonderful organ which has been funded by a significant Founding Patrons gift from the Kingdom Music Education Group. The instrument is named in honour of James Zheng Huang HonRCM. We would also like to thank the following generous supporters of the RCM Organ: The Hon Richard Lyttelton & Mrs Romilly Lyttelton Mrs Hilda Scarth ARCM GRSM Ms Jane Wilson

12pm | Introduction 12.05pm | The Splendour of the Baroque Bruhns (1665–1697)

Praeludium in E minor

2’

Katy Silverman organ ***

Böhm (1661–1733)

Vater Unser im Himmelreich

5’

Eric Chan organ ***

J S Bach (1685–1750)

Organ Sonata no 2 in C minor BWV 526

iii

4’

Allegro

Xiaoting Chang organ ***

Couperin (1668–1733)

Messe pour les Couvents

4’

Sanctus and Benedictus

Nicholas Mannoukas organ ***

J S Bach

Canonic variations on Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her BWV 769

Christopher Strange organ

14’

12.40pm | Organ Music by RCM Composers Stanford (1852–1924)

Sonata no 1 op 149

ii iii

10’

Tempo di Menuetto Allegro Maestoso

Graham Thorpe organ ***

Ireland (1879–1962)

Miniature Suite

ii

5’

Villanella

Eric Chan organ ***

Fricker (1920–1990)

Pastorale

6’

Samuel Ali organ

1.15pm | The Organ Close up Talk and tours by Flentrop the organ builders

2pm | Organ Music Today Andrew Chen (b 1997)

New Oxygen (world premier)

4’

Magdalena Jones organ ***

Hans Vercauteren (b 1990)

Cathedrals’ Phoenix (world premier)

Samuel Ali organ ***

4’

John Gediminas (b 1996)

Magnification of a Theme (world premier)

4’

Laurence Long organ ***

Lionel Rogg (b 1936)

Partita on ‘Nun freut euch’

15’

Alex Fishburn organ 2.30pm | Improvisation and The French Tradition Sophie-Véronqiue Cauchefer-Choplin gives a masterclass to RCM organ students and plays an improvisation on a submitted theme. ***

Duruflé (1902–1986)

Variations on Veni Creator op 4

iii

Jordan English organ

Chorale Varié

6’

3.35pm | Organ as accompaniment Parry (arr Chris Hazell) (1848–1918)

I was glad

6’

RCM Chamber Choir | RCM Brass Ensemble | Simon Petitte conductor | Graham Thorpe organ ***

Vaughan-Williams (1872–1958)

O How Amiable

4’

RCM Chamber Choir | Simon Petitte conductor | Graham Thorpe organ ***

Rheinberger (1839–1901)

Suite for Organ, Violin and Cello op 149

iv

8’

Finale

Wilford Goh violin | Naomi Tran cello | Laurence Long organ ***

Bowen (1884–1961)

Fantasia for Organ and Viola

Tilly Chester viola | Chris Strange organ

9’

I was glad I was glad when they said unto me: We will go into the house of the Lord.

Our feet shall stand in thy gates: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem is builded as a city: That is at unity in itself.

O pray for the peace of Jerusalem: They shall prosper that love thee.

Peace be within thy walls: And plenteousness within thy palaces.

O How Amiable O how amiable are thy dwellings; thou Lord of hosts!

My soul hath a desire and longing to enter in to the courts of the Lord: My heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God. Yea, the sparrow hath found her an house and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young: Even thy altars O Lord of hosts, my king and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: They will be always praising thee.

The glorious majesty of the Lord our God be upon us: prosper thou the work of our hands upon us.

O prosper thou our handy work, o prosper thou our handy work.

O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, Our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home.

RCM Chamber Choir Soprano Hilary Aeschliman Isabelle Atkinson Elise Berthelon Issy Bridgeman Jessica Edom Samantha Gaspe Holly Graham Susannah Hardwick Morgane Matteuzzi Beatriz Neto Miranda Grace O'Malley Adriana Oliveira Ribeiro Daria Rybak Emily Scott Olivia Turner RCM Brass Ensemble Trumpet Duncan Hughes Elliot Phelps Antoine Sarkar

Alto Louisa Baker Alice Bell Annabel Kennedy Anna Munoz Emma Pelkiewicz

Trombone David Pitts Merin Rhyd Judith Richmond

Tenor Daniel Bell Dafydd Jones Laurence Kilsby Zac Neal Toshanbor Nongbet Adam West

Bass Dafydd Allen Ivo Almond Ben Gautier Giorgos Ioannou Edward Jowle

Timpani Sam Howes

MORE MUSIC INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF MUSIC Our More Music development is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform our campus.

New state-of-the-art facilities at the heart of our building will complement our existing spaces and heritage.

Our plans include: • • • • •

two new performance spaces additional practice rooms for students a new Royal College of Music Museum a new café/ restaurant and courtyard area with improved access a new organ

Over the next few months, some instruments and equipment may be visible on the Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall stage while we undertake these works.

Access routes around the College may vary throughout the project and wayfaring signage will be regularly updated to reflect changes.

We ask for your patience and understanding as we transform our campus.

The video playing in the Inner Hall and BaRCM visualises the ways in which the development will enhance our campus facilities and you can find more information on the More Music Campaign at www.rcm.ac.uk/moremusic If you have any questions please contact moremusic@rcm.ac.uk

THOMAS TROTTER RECITAL Sunday 25 February 2018 | 5pm | Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall

Programme to include: Parry Fantasia and Fugue in G major JS Bach Ach, was soll ich SĂźnder Machen BWV259 Downes Paraphrase on 'O filii et filiae' Experience the full power of the RCM's new organ with a rush-hour concert from world-renowned organist Thomas Trotter, to end our day-long celebration.

Tickets: ÂŁ5 RCM Box Office 020 7591 4314 | www.rcm.ac.uk/events

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