One of the joys of a series of concerts given by different performers on the same organ is the variety of styles and techniques each employs. Many of the large and appreciative audience would have known that Nigel Ogden would bring a very different approach to the other performances of the series. They were not to be disappointed.
The evening began in (almost) conventional organ recital mode with 2 familiar marches by Walton. True to form, though, Nigel presented them in what is sometimes now referred to as a mash-up beginning and ending with parts of Crown Imperial, with some of Orb & Sceptre in between. He next paired Bach’s Toccata in D minor with Alec Templeton’s Bach goes to town, demonstrating how easily he is able to move from one style to another. After a selection from German’s Merrie England Massenet’s Meditation from Thais allowed for a change of mood and a beautiful pared back registration complete with tremulant. A medley of music from Luigini’s Ballet Egyptian preceded an unashamed advertisement with a selection of music featured on 2 currently available CDs!
The second half opened in martial mood with a selection by Sousa. After this came a well thought-out arrangement of James Horner’s music from the film Titanic. It began with a most haunting introduction, leading into the well-known song My heart will go on through a dramatic sequence and ending with a subdued hymn tune Nearer my God to Thee. Nigel really seemed at home in this and the rest of the programme as by now he had moved into full theatre organ mode.
A selection from Lehar’s The Merry Widow commemorated the diamond jubilee of the MGM film of the show. Following on from this was a highly inventive Gershwin medley that included a fair amount of swing as well as a late night jazz interpretation of Summertime. Nigel’s technical skills and awareness of the potential of this organ’s rich palette were to the fore as he ‘thumbed down’ (accompanying a solo line with the rest of his fingers on the same hand) and produced some beautifully reverberating timbres, at times reminiscent of a Compton melotone unit.
Further medleys of well known classics and songs from several decades (including most unexpectedly, Postman Pat) were all played with style, bringing the programme to an end.
Two encores followed. First there was a brilliantly cheeky set of short variations in different styles on When the Saints go marching in, ending with the melody in the pedals with a Widor Toccata-like accompaniment above. Show me the way to go home brought this excellent concert to a (final) close. Once again the organist Entertained. SP