Subtle, skilful organ recital

Press, 28 March 1979, Page 6

Subtle, skilful organ recital

Bv [’ C. FOSTER BROWNE b ri With pleasure and enjoy-! ment. a large audience heard) an organ recital yesterday ini; the University School of Music from Graham Hollobon, who has recently returned from leave in Europe. He played a programme illus-l trative of the works ofj seventeenth-century com- , posers. Beginning with a Toccata)’ in F by Buxtehude, Bach’s) most impressive and im- i mediate predecessor, he went|i on to play a charming ' Partita, based on “Jesu Meineji Freude.” by Walther, in'i which he explored the instru- | ment’s tonal possibilities in[< the variations with delighting); contrasts. It is a deeply mov- j ing work, making demands' upon the player’s ability to 1 choose subtly varied changes !

|of registers so that suitable contrasts are produced, but [unity is preserved. This Mr [ Hollobon did in this work [ and throughout his programme. English and Spanish schools of composition were represented by the works of Boyce, Pasquini. and Cari valho. These held heightened j interest and many fascinating changes of colour with skilI ful use of stops of high i register. ( The programme ended with [rousing glory and magnificence from Bach’s great [Toccata in F. The two long [pedal solos had just as much [interest in their phrasing and perfect clarity as their [counterparts on the manuals, [and the great unfolding of [the composition held its deep inspiration to its blazing ending.