My Recital at St. James' Cathedral - Music at Midday

Last Tuesday, I did a recital at The Cathedral Church of St. James for "Music at Midday".
Philip Elliot recorded it for me and I uploaded the full recital to SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/joshua-duncan-lee/full-july-24-2018-music-at-midday-recital-at-the-cathedral-church-of-st-james-live/s-6fQwB

I played:

• Rigaudon by Andre Campra (1660 - 1744)
• Largo e Spiccato by A. Vivali (1678 - 1741) arr. J. S. Bach
• Prelude and Fugue in E Minor, BWV 533 by J. S. Bach (1685 - 1750)
• Voluntary in A Minor by William Boyce (1710 - 1779)
• Choral Song by Samuel Wesley (1810 - 1876)
• Folk Tune by Percy Whitlock (1903 - 1946)
• Trumpet Air by Bert van der Hoek (b. 1932)
• Variations on 'Fidelis' by F.R.C. Clarke (1931 - 2009)
• Gaelic Fantasy for Organ by Hans-Andre Stamm (b. 1958)

Just in case you don't have time to listen to the full recital, here are videos of a few of the pieces:

Rigaudon by Andre Campra

Prelude and Fugue in E Minor (BWV 533) by J.S. Bach

Choral Song by S.S. Wesley

Folk Tune by Percy Whitlock 

Variations on 'Fidelis' by F.R.C. Clarke

It was a lot more relaxed than my first two recitals and I felt better prepared, mainly because I had done it before.

Thomas Fitches came to hear me play!
The first time I met him was just a couple days before I started doing organ lessons. I heard him play at "Music at Midday" and so it is really a big deal to me that he came to hear my recital. Thank you so much for coming!

The biggest surprise was that Chrissy Quigley came to my recital! She helps to organize the Leahy Music Camp and she mentioned that she might come but it was wonderful seeing her!
I made sure to upload both Choral Song and Folk Tune since I know you loved them!  Thank you for coming all the way to Toronto to hear me play!

One of the highlights of the recital is showing people the Pipe Organ afterwards... I'm hoping that some of the kids will be interested in learning organ in the future!

A huge "Thank you" to my teacher, Ian Sadler and to Robert Busiakiewicz, the Director of Music at The Cathedral Church of St. James for allowing me to perform and do lessons there.  And of course, thank you to Philip Elliot for the audio-recording and to my Mom for the videos!

My Recital at St. James

I did my second ever solo recital earlier this month. It was on May 8th at the Cathedral Church of St. James.
It wasn't as nerve-racking as the first time.

Normally when I do concerts or rehearsals, my parents record some of it, but this time, they sat and enjoyed it.

We arranged with Philip Elliot to do an audio recording of the concert for us.
I'm so happy that we could get such a wonderful recording!


My program included:

• Rigaudon by Andre Campra (166 - 1744)
• Trio in C Minor, BWV 585 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750)
• Prelude and Fugue in E Minor, BWV 533 by J. S. Bach
• Fantasia in C Minor, BWV 562 by J. S. Bach
• Sonata de 1o Tono by Jose Lidon (1748 - 1827)
• Folk Tune by Percy Whitlock (1903 - 1946)
• Choral Song by Samuel Wesley (1810 - 1876)
• Berceuse by Louis Vierne (1870 - 1937)
• Gaelic Fantasy by Hans-Andre Stamm (b. 1958)

I finally had time to sit down and listen to the performance.

It is very different listening to the concert and comparing it to how I experienced it while playing. The Rigaudon and the Bach pieces all went really well. I stumbled in the Sonata; the stumble was only about a split second, but it seemed so much longer while playing. I approached the Gaelic Fantasy a little too fast..It would have sounded better if I had just gone a little slower. Everything else was good. :-)

I uploaded a few of the pieces from the concert to SoundCloud
Rigaudon by Andre Campra
https://soundcloud.com/joshua-duncan-lee/rigaudon-by-andre-campra-live

Fantasia in C Minor by J. S. Bach
https://soundcloud.com/joshua-duncan-lee/fantasia-in-c-minor-bwv-562-by-j-s-bach

Choral Song by Samuel Wesley
https://soundcloud.com/joshua-duncan-lee/choral-song-by-samuel-s-wesley


Lots of homeschoolers came out to listen. Thank you so much for coming, it was great having so much support from other homeschoolers! I really hope you all enjoyed it!

me with Robert Busiakiewicz (left) and Ian Sadler (right)

A special thank you to my teacher - Ian Sadler,  Robert Busiakiewicz - the Director of Music at St. James, and to Philip for recording the concert. :-)

Manuel Piazza at "Music at Midday"

Yesterday, Mom and I went to "Music at Midday" at the Cathedral Church of St. James.
Their new Organ Scholar, Manuel Piazza, played for us. He is going to take up the position in September.

He played:

• Prelude in B Minor BWV 544 by J. S. Bach (1685 - 1750)
• Prelude in G Major, Op. 105 by Charles V. Stanford (1852 - 1924)
• Fugue in C Major, from Sonata No. 2, Op. 65 by Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1947)
• Organ Symphony No. 6, Op. 42, No. 2 by Charles-Marie Widor
  I. Allegro
  II. Adagio
  V. Final

He was amazing and his program was very entertaining!

I especially loved the Organ Symphony selections by Charles-Marie Widor.
His playing was very precise but also artistic.

Prelude in G Major by Charles V. Stanford was soft, balanced and very enjoyable.

The pieces that Manuel chose were very good at showing off the organ.
I loved it!


After the concert, I got to meet Manuel.

Here is a picture of me, Robert and Manuel.

Thomas Gonder at The Cathedral Church of St. James

I have seen Thomas Gonder playing at "Music at Midday" at St. James Cathedral twice now.

He is absolutely spectacular!

On October 4th he played:

Hagia Sofia by Naji Hakim

&

Hommage a Igor Stravinski (Triptyque pour Grand Orgue) by Naji Hakim

and on November 29th he played:

Marche Episcopale by David Briggs

Fugue Improvisee pour Sulpice by David Briggs

& 

Le Tombeau d'Olivier Messiaen (Trois meditations symphoniques pour Orgue) by Naji Hakim

I've noticed that Thomas Gonder likes to perform contemporary music.  Both concerts featured composers who are still alive.  In fact, David Briggs was in the audience last week! And he loved it!

I can't believe how brilliant Thomas Gonder is, and he really pushed the organ to its limits. I'm still flabbergasted!

And I can't believe all of these organists do these performances for free!

Here is a link to the youtube video of David Briggs doing his Fugue Improvisee pour Sulpice:

https://youtu.be/tOQvxK813J0

Here is a picture of me with Thomas Gonder at the October concert:

Simon Walker's "Music at Midday" Concert At St James Cathedral

Last week Tuesday, Mom and I went to St James Cathedral's "Music at Midday".

I almost didn't get to blog about it because of my exam preparations and my own concert on Sunday. (I was the principal violist in my youth orchestra. We had rehearsals on Saturday and performed on Sunday.)

Simon Walker was our soloist. 

He Played...

• Prelude in F-sharp minor by D. Buxtehude
• Fantaisie in A by C. Franck
• Chorale Prelude 'Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland by J.S. Bach
• March on a theme of Handel by A. Guilmant

He was amazing!
I love being able to hear so many good organists. I am so lucky that I can go to these concerts on a Tuesday afternoon.

March on a theme of Handel by A. Guilmant is based on the opening of Lift Up Your Heads from Handel's Messiah but it has a Bach feel.

Mom loved Fantasie in A by C. Frank.... She told me it moved her to tears.

All of his selections were wonderful.

I wonder if it would be possible to organize an organ concert geared towards school kids?
I think more kids my age should get the chance hear such great music.  They'd like it, they just don't know that they'd like it.

David Briggs's "Music at Midday" Concert at St. James Cathedral

I really love going to the "Music at Midday" Concerts at St. James Cathedral. :-)

On Tuesday, I convinced Mom to take me to the organ recital. We got to meet David Briggs and he let me watch from beside the console.

I am in awe!

I can't believe his hands and feet can move so fast!
I don't know how it is physically possible.... I wonder how I can learn to do it!

The other thing that is completely amazing is that he can transcribe music that he has heard. It takes him hours upon hours but he is patient enough to do it, and his hearing must be really sensitive to get all of the notes!

He played music in the Notre-Dame tradition including:

• Marche des Marseilloises by Claude Balbastre (1724 -1799)

• Pièce d'orgue by Anotoine Calvière (1695 - 1755)

• from 'Pièces de Fantaisie' by Louis Verne (1870 - 1937)

Impromptu

Clair de Lune

Toccata in B flat minor

• Toccata de la Libération by Léonce de St Martin (1886 - 1954)

• Variations sur 'Alouette, gentille Alouette' by Pierre Cochereau and transcribed by David J. Briggs

I am so totally amazed!


He is doing next week's "Music at Midday" concert where he will be performing Gustav Mahler's Symphony Number 3 (which he transcribed) and Mezzo-Soprano Christina Stelmacovich will also perform.

And on November 11th he is doing a Remembrance Day Concert at Lawrence Park Community Church (2180 Bayview Ave) at 8pm, featuring the music of Bach, Franck and Elgar.

Thomas Fitches' "Music at Midday" Concert at St. James' Cathedral

On Tuesday, Mom and I went to see Thomas Fitches play at the "Music at Midday" Concert at St. James' Cathedral. It was wonderful!

We started going to as many organ concerts as possible, because I convinced Mom that it is a part of my education. I want to become an organist and a part of that is listening to many good organists in concert. It was kind of easy to convince Mom to go, because she doesn't like listening to recordings. (It is the same way that Dad can't convince her to watch Baseball on TV, but she will go to games.)

At Thomas Fitches' concert he played:

• Preambulo from Music for Organ by Sigfrid Karg-Elert

• Voluntary II in A minor, Opus 6 by John Stanley

• Suite on Magnificat of the Second Tone by Jean-Adam Guilain

Prelude

Tuerce en Taille

Duo

Basse de Trompette

Trio de Flutes

Dialogue

Petit Plein-jeu

• Fantasie from Fantasie Sonata #17 in B major by Josef Rhineberger

Even though I don't normally like discord,  The Preambulo was kind of cool!  I think it would be perfect for Halloween.

My favourite part was the Suite on Magnificat. I really loved the Dialogue and the Petit Plein-jeu.

I am beginning to notice that I like the French style of organ playing.

Here is a picture of me with Thomas Fitches. :-) 

He was so kind, and he explained to me how it is pipes in the pipe organ are voiced. He helped with voicing some of the pipes at St. James Cathedral in 1966 - 1967 for Alan T. Jackson of Casavant Freres.

He pointed out the lips on the pipes which  I never really noticed before. They hammer the lips to get them in tune. I think it is fascinating that they can go out of tune! And weather can affect them because metal can expand and contract when exposed to extreme temperatures.