Emmanuel Centre Battle, 31 October 2015

Stephen gave the last recital in the old Methodist Church and has now given this first organ recital in the new Emmanuel Centre, though the organ is the same and he opened with the final work heard in the old church – Karg-Elert’s Choral Improvisation on Nun danket.

If the organ is not quite up to the rigours of late romantic music it certainly has enough scope to provide some very beautiful sounds, particularly in more reflective works. In the first half Martin Howe’s Elegy and two choral preludes by Michael Corah were particularly effective. The three pieces by Bach also demonstrated the strengths of the organ in a bright reading of Wir glauben all’an einen Gott and a briskly cheerful Badinerie.

The second half brought a more relaxed feel with Saint-Saens’ Danse Macabre setting a proper mood for Halloween before the softer tones of Howells’ Preludio sine nomine. A lengthy tribute to John Williams allowed us to spot the tunes from a wide range of popular block-busters, with Harry Potter sneaking in between the super-heroes. The final piece was a splendid coming together of the popular and the classical with Lefebure-Wely’s Sortie in E flat.

The large audience responded with enthusiasm and looked forward to further events in this new but already highly valued venue.