It is easy to forget how flexible an instrument the All Saints Willis actually is, but surely not when under the command of an organist with the stamina of D’Arcy Trinkwon. The opening Prelude & Fugue in C by Johann Krebs was convincingly crisp and bright, with a real North German twang to it. Even the lengthy pedal passages and the dance-like fugue belied the weight of the action and the large amount of coupling involved. The baroque sound was carried over into an arrangement of Handel’s Concerto Op4 No5, with delightful, almost cheeky, ornamentation in the final movement.

Mendelssohn’s Prelude & Fugue Op37 No3 brought us firmly into the 19^th century, with virtuoso writing which never becomes flashy, though it does allow for some neat dexterity in registration and rapid changes across the manuals.

Frederick Holloway’s Scherzo from his Organ Symphony Op47 was unfamiliar but made a fluttering interlude before the power of Boellmann’s Suite Gothique.

I had not realised that Flor Peeters’ Modale Suite was based on Boellmann’s, but playing them back to back was fascinating if only to see how the younger composer drew on the emotional content of the earlier work, reforming it into a more contemporary image. It is unashamedly lyrical in style and often florid in its writing which certainly suited D’Arcy Trinkwon’s approach.

The Berceuse and Impromptu by Vierne were used as a reflective bridge into Liszt’s Fantasia and Fugue on BACH. If there were problems of clarity in this performance they were not down to the organist. Jean Guillou delights in overblown textures which can ring round the vast spaces of St Eustache in Paris, and his arrangement would probably excite there, but there were times even D’Arcy Trinkwon’s dexterity was thwarted by the density of the version which almost pushed the Willis beyond its comfort zone.

This was even more obvious in the delightful encore Toccata which had all the fury of the Liszt but the clarity and finesse of the earlier baroque pieces. BH

Next Week – David Flood – 7.30pm All Saints Church, Hastings with works by Bach, Mendelssohn, Durufle, Vierne and Widor.

Friday 13 July:  Alison Bury, violin; Neil McLaren, flute; Catherine Rimer, cello; Tom Foster, harpsichord

In 1747 J S Bach was challenged by Frederick the Great to improvise on what he thought was an almost impossible theme. Not only did Bach do so immediately but soon afterwards came up with a range of works based on the theme which we know collectively as The Musical Offering.

This event made a useful hook for a concert which drew on a number of chamber works of the same date, all of which had connections with Frederick the Great, opening with a Trio Sonata by Karl Heinrich Graun. As with most works of the period, the flute and violin have the more interesting parts while the cello and harpsichord form a continuo bass. This particular sonata was probably receiving its British premier in that it had been trawled by Neil McLaren from the libraries in Dresden, now miraculously open to all via the internet. It made a lively start to a compelling evening.

A violin sonata by Franz Bender followed, allowed us to hear Alison Bury’s solo work with greater clarity and warmth. The flute sonata by J J Quantz was No 348 of more 400 which the composer completed, and demonstrated that he was not only a prolific composer but a virtuoso performer given the lighting speed of articulation needed to bring the work to life. The use of Eb major brought an added warmth to the playing which was aided by the close acoustic of the church.

A trio sonata by C P E Bach ended the first half and the second opened with the only harpsichord solo of the evening – a collection of brief dances by Johann Philipp Kirnberger. After three rather formal pieces came a delightful les tamborins with its hurdy-gurdy bass, and a final Cossack dance, which was somewhere between a rondo and a set of variations. Tom Foster had put the lid back on the harpsichord for this work and it was a pity it was not there throughout as the sound was far richer.

The evening ended with the trio sonata from Bach’s Musical Offering. If the cello had been reduced to mirroring the bass line in some of the earlier pieces, here at last was writing which enabled Catherine Rimer to show the beauty of line her baroque cello can produce. The bass line in the second movement was worthy of being heard as a solo, so beautifully crafted is it.

There are already plans for next year, and the large audience was certainly enthusiastic enough to justify it. We might tactfully ask, in the planning for that event, for a microphone to be available for the introductions, as friends towards the back of the church heard none of the them, and for a brief printed programme to be offered, even if only an A5 sheet with a list of works and performers.  No point in spoiling a fine evening when a little extra preparation could make it perfect. BH

Richard Eldridge  9 July 2012

A large and appreciative audience were in attendance for the opening concert in the 24^th annual season of organ concerts at All Saints Church. These concerts have a loyal local audience and also aim to attract visitors to the town during the summer. The Father Willis organ was once again to be heard in all its glory, on this occasion by former parish organist Richard Eldridge.

By his own admission Richard’s programme was rather overbalanced in favour of the loud and fast. There were some fine virtuosic performances but, for me, it was the more reflective moments that  were the most satisfying.

A slightly erratic rendition of Murrill’s Carillon was a good opener followed by Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in A minor BWV 543. Richard seemed much more at home with Mendelssohn’s Sonata No 2 which allowed for more contrast in pace and registration, including a chance for the clarinet to speak out.  A bright and breezy performance of Stanley’s Voluntary No 8 in A minor was very pleasing and included some exposure for the beautiful choir flutes. Franck’s majestic Piece Heroique came next, allowing Richard’s knowledge of the All Saints organ a chance to come to the fore with numerous changes in registration and much excitement (if again a bit on the fast side).

After the interval the performer’s own arrangement of material from Wagner’s Mastersingers Overture and then Percy Fletcher’s well-known Festival Toccata. This was followed by perhaps the most interesting item in the programme. Anwyn by P Homes is based on Welsh mythology and Richard felt very at home with this piece full of interesting and sometimes ethereal harmonies and registration, as well as passages of excitement and rhythmic intensity. Two contrasting pieces by Lefebure-Wely brought the programme to an end – a quiet Andante and one of the two famous Sorties – this one in Eb – always a crowd pleaser but again did it have to be so fast? A much quieter performance of Shubert’s Marche Militaire was a welcome encore.

Richard engaged the audience well throughout the evening with his often humorous anecdotes and explanations despite a breakdown with the sound system.

It is to be hoped that subsequent concerts in the season are as well attended. We heard that plans for the next (Jubilee) Season are already well underway. SP

Next Monday at 7.30pm D’Arcy Trinkwon