Cathedral recital

Press, 4 December 1978, Page 4

Cathedral recital

Bv C. Foster Browne i< i Paul Ellis, the recitalist in I Christchurch Cathedral on I Friday afternoon. began i his programme with “Di- ' alogue sur les Grands Jeux” I bv Nicholas de Grignay This is a seventeenth-cen- i tnry work, typical of the French school of organ com- i posers of its period. Balance between various sections of the organ, in decorative style of playing, gave opportunity for niceties of contrast, and were colourfully 1 registered and played with vitality Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in B/minor was played clearly and with well-con-trolled •’hythm. When several recitals by various organists are to be given, it would be helpful if some cooperation could be established with regard to pro- < gramme material. In the last.

very few weeks we have had two performances of Bach’s] Passacaglia and two of this! B/minor. They are splendid I compositions. but Bach ( wrote so many, just as good, i that are being neglected. Franck’s “Prelude, Fugue and Variation,” displaying attractive solo stops with | rippling flute accom- ( paniment, and clear choice j of colours sensitively phrased in the fugue, was! refreshingly rendered. Oli- j vier Messiaen s “Les Enfants I de Dieu” were a rowdy lot at times, and compositions by Reger and Smart showed how well these men knew how to write effectively for< the organ and for a large building. Hefty gangings on the roof gave continual dis-: traction. Mr Ellis's playing shows imagination and excellent, .control of the instrument. »