Today a goodly number of people descended upon the Guards’ Chapel in London, where Harrison & Harrison recently completed one of the most imaginative organs they’ve designed for many years. A fine composite recital displayed it admirably and showed that it could both fill the chapel with sound yet also enchant with a wide palette of delightful softer colours. A notable success.
Guards’ Chapel – en chamade trumpet rank (now mute) from the previous HN&B organ
The HN&B ‘Trompeta’ remains, but mute (taking it down would have been too costly); its photo here is therefore in memoriam.
St Peter Mancroft, Norwich – the Peter Collins organ
At the end of the month was our annual Diocesan Organ Advisers’ Conference, which I had the privilege of chairing for three years and then organising for a decade. This year found us in Norwich, where the rebuilt cathedral organ made a great impression – as did (to the surprise of no few members) the Peter Collins magnum opus at St Peter, Mancroft.
Diocesan Organ Advisers assemble at St Peter Mancroft
There were several worthwhile discussions about aspects of our work and a detailed update from Dr David Knight of Church Care. As usual, the three days were both sociable and informative.
Norwich Cathedral organ – freshly gilded – in the early evening sun
Audience gathering for Jonathan Scott’s Royal Albert Hall Promenade Concert
Of the several concerts we attended during August, these two stood out: Jonathan Scott’s barnstorming Prom from the RAH on the 10th, plus an inspiring performance of the Mozart Requiem in Southwell Minster conducted by Marcus Farnsworth on the 25th, as part of the highly enjoyable Southwell Music Festival.
Southwell Minster, front of the nave, before Mozart Requiem performance
Anne sang for the weekend of August 17-18 in Hereford Cathedral with the excellent choir of St Peter’s Nottingham. I was able to walk along the river and take these photographs. Note Bulldog Dan, of Enigma Variations fame.
The ‘Father’ Willis console on display at Lincoln Cathedral
August 8th saw us showing an old friend around Lincoln. Castle, prison (!) and cathedral all impressed. To my delight, the 1898 Father Willis console is on display in the cathedral’s excellent new museum. Here are shots of both stop jambs, to entertain organists reading my news this month.
August has been a pleasantly varied month – without too many organs, but busy. Anne and I spent a lovely day on 2nd August at Althorp House in Northamptonshire, the late Princess of Wales’ family home.
Temple of Diana
Near the lake, on an island in the middle of which Diana is buried, is an elegant temple in her memory, containing various items which bring to mind both her remarkable character and also the tragic manner in which she met her death.
Silhouette of Diana
It was a beautiful, tranquil day, and we were moved by the Diana memorials and utterly delighted by the astonishing collection of fine art within the house itself, which visitors are not allowed to photograph. A visit is highly recommended.
On Saturday 27th I had the great delight of giving an afternoon recital on the very fine instrument in St Giles – a handsome church in Lincoln. The case and much pipework survives from the H.C. Lincoln organ of 1795, with some Swell pipework by Fr. Willis and later work – fine reeds, an elegant mahogany console and responsive tubular-pneumatic action – by Cousans of Lincoln.
Paul at the organ of St Giles, Lincoln, 27 July 2024
Lewis Paul and Chris Hind have recently cleaned the Great, releathering the various complex layers of pneumatics. All now sound bright once again and works perfectly. A treat to perform there.
On Thursday 25th I much enjoyed a lunchtime recital at Worksop Priory by Angela Sones, who has recently been appointed director of music at the Birmingham Anglo-Catholic church of St Alban where I spent my teenage years soaking up the liturgy and J.L. Pearson’s wonderful French Gothic architecture. The choir and organ weren’t bad either! Truly impressive that Angela could play at all, as her car had been written off (with her at the wheel) in a smash on the M1 only the day before. That’s professionalism for you.
A celebration of Dominic Gwynn’s life, outside Goetze & Gwynn, 23 July
On Tuesday 23rd the family of the late Dominic Gwynn held a small ‘do’ outside the Goetze & Gwynn workshop (near Worksop), in Dominic’s memory, and mainly for some of us who had been unable to attend his funeral in St Cuthbert’s, Wells. His long-time colleague Edward Bennett formed some of us into a choir, singing madrigals by Wilbye (‘Adieu, sweet Amaryllis’) and Gibbons (‘The Silver Swan’, naturally), plus ‘Salvator Mundi’ and ‘If ye love me’ (Tallis). It was a lovely, gentle, thoughtful evening of which one felt sure Dominic would have approved.
We had a particularly busy final week in July, which started by attending two fabulous Proms at the RAH on Sunday 21st, with our son Morgan, on his 33rd birthday. The morning Prom was a concert by the combined forces of my two favourite a cappella ensembles – The King’s Singers and Voces 8. We had a great view and their singing was as sublime as it always is.
The old RCO – taken from the Royal Albert Hall
Going down the stairs of the RAH I noticed out of a landing window the former Royal College of Organists – that building which terrified so many of us as we made the long climb to destiny up the stairs to the organ hall, preparing to meet the examiners and play our AR/FRCO pieces. It looks a bit neglected now, but – our terror aside – it is a very special, indeed unique and beautiful building. After a long lunch and a visit to the Natural History Museum (I still miss ‘Dippy’ in the grand nave which is the main entrance hall) it was back to the RAH for something very special: Sir Mark Elder’s final Prom with the Hallé.
Sir Mark Elder about to conduct the Hallé for his final Proms appearance with them (Mahler 5)
We had attended their Mahler 5 in Nottingham (see 27th June news item and photos) and hardly expected that that glorious performance could be matched or bettered, but their Proms performance was just superlative. The Prommers went wild, Sir Mark gave a typically well-prepared and witty speech, and then we were treated to Elgar’s Chanson de Nuit as a delicious encore. What a day!
