In these pages you’ll find examples of the kind of organ recital I give:
Hymns, Cunningly Disguised
If you think you know your hymns, then this is the recital for you. Fergus plays variations on hymn tunes, hymn tunes disguised and hymn tunes mangled. See if you can spot them! An organ recital with a difference. A programme I first played in 2003 at All Saints Church in Peterborough
Colours of the Organ
A programme I first played at Centenary Methodist Church, Boston in 2004, with soprano Abby Johnson*, as a fundraiser for Boston Choral Society. Popular organ arrangements of songs, arias, choruses, piano and orchestral works from the classics –
nothing in fact, written originally for the organ!
Seasonal Soiree
A programme of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany music I played at All Saints' Stamford in 2004. All Saints has a two manual Binns organ, and the concert was broadcast to the audience on a Large Screen.
Shattered Refraction and Ethereal Beauty
A concert I gave at St Martin's Stamford in August 2005 with the soprano Anna Belson*, as part of the Music at St Martin’s series. Anna’s high, ethereal soprano was perfectly suited to the soaring music we chose, and the freedom to play a largely contemporary programme allowed us to explore unusual repertoire.
Bach’s Organ Works
Note: as you can probably tell from the pictures above and below, at the heart of this concert is a joke: not one of the items in the concert was originally written by Bach for the organ - the works by Bach are arrangements of works not originally for the organ, and the other pieces are not by Bach, although a number of them were arranged by Bach for the organ. The irony, is that the concert includes many of the most popular works by Bach, regularly played on the organ.
Passiontide/Easter
The inspiration for this concert, was the date: I was asked to give a lunchtime recital at St Wulfram’s, Grantham on Holy Saturday: a difficult proposition! I chose Passiontide works, and an anticipation of Easter at the end in the form of Langlais’ Incantation pour un jour Saint
The Best Finger of the Age
A lunchtime recital, illustrating the music of Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625), and pieces by other composers based on his tunes.
Our Father
A lunchtime concert, based on Mendelssohn’s Sixth Sonata, exploring the themes of the Lord’s Prayer in music.
Please contact me to ask me to devise a programme for you.