Wagner, transcr. Demers The Mastersingers of Nuremberg – Prelude to Act 1; Rachel Laurin Prelude and Fugue in G major; (World premiere); J. S. Bach, arr. Dupré Cantata No. 146, ‘Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal’ – Sinfonia; Coleridge-Taylor Three Impromptus; Reger Chorale Fantasia on ‘Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott’; Still Elegy, transcr. Demers Romeo and Juliet – excerpts. Isabelle Demers organ
I went to this rather at the last minute. I had a weekend Proms arena pass so was able to make that decision quickly. Having breezed up with little notice about 10 minutes beforehand I am glad I went. It is always fun to hear the Albert Hall organ being put through its paces. I did wonder why there was such a preponderance of transcriptions of orchestral pieces. If I wanted to hear the Mastersingers overture or the Romeo and Juliet suite I would much rather go to orchestral performances – the organ transcriptions tend to point out that organ’s inadequacies, its relative inflexibility rather than its strengths (though it was fun to hear some extraordinarily high percussive clings the RAH organ can produce ). It follows that the piece of music I enjoyed most was the monstrous Reger piece, conceived for RAH sized organs, and the unpretentious but attractive Coleridge Taylor pieces. But it’s a pity that alongside these three wasn’t some French or English 20th century pieces or some more arranged Bach organ works. Anyway, a very well-played programme
John's musical journey 