Rusty?

I expect there are a lot of musicians out there in Covid-land who are a little rusty With the best intentions, we mostly don't manage to practice all day even when we have the time. We miss those upcoming gigs that prompt the preparation. So it was, to some degree, when I got to a return Royal Society of Church Music (RSCM) organ recital. The planned organist pulled out due to lack of preparation. Bill Fraser, a stalwart of the local organ scene, filled in. He told me he was missing the normal preparation himself, but he did a worthy job on a string of interesting pieces from Baroque through to last C19th. The concert was in St Peter's Lutheran Church, Reid, with a German-made baroque organ that sounded great to me and filled the A-frame church nicely. Interestingly, Bill told me this is a mechanical organ, so keys are linked with bars to pipes. The more common current style is electro-mechanical with actuators controlling airflow; presumably cheaper and easier but not always preferred. just closed my eyes and enjoyed it immensely. Organ is so satisfying, big and full and sweetly toned, and this concert had a series of apt tunes, a Corelli violin sonata transcribed and an early Bach Prelude and Fugue and two choral preludes by Merkel and Brahms. We heard a Mendelssohn allegro taken from a manuscript, called the Berlin-Krakow, of uncertain ownership like various other removals from Germany after WW2. I remember seeing a few remaining pieces of the plunder of Troy in Berlin, with reference to the rest of the collection being held in Russia. Again, conflicts over ownership. Of course, there could also be some query over Germany's ownership in the first place. At least they are not lost to humanity. And a few late C19th Australian works, religious and very satisfying. So the gigs are up again, perhaps only while they last. Let's catch what we can, within the limits of social distancing, of course.

Bill Fraser performed for the RSCM (ACT Branch) at St Peter's Lutheran Church, Reid.

Finally

It really wasn't as difficult to achieve as I'd made it (I could have just emailed), but it was only recently that I got my name on the RSCM ACT Branch mailing list for their monthly concerts. The RSCM is the Royal Society of Church Music, its Australian incarnation, and there's a branch in the ACT. They run an monthly lunchtime organ recital series around the church organs of Canberra. This one was David Franks playing Buxtehude, Bach, Wesley and some 1950s compositions from Sumsion and Bush at the City Uniting Church. The organ is a Geo. Fincham & Sons dated 1925, originally for St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Goulburn, installed in its present location in 1988 by David Hudd and rebuilt in 2011 by Australian Pipe Organs. I've found that church organs commonly have histories like this, often moved from church to church with openings and closures, and Fincham is certainly a name I've heard often. For lists and descriptions of organs, see the Organ Historical Trust of Australia site (below). The turnout isn't vast but the pleasure is certain. This wasn't an organ to blast with deep bass pipes, although we did hear the pedals at times. But it was pleasant, each work was informatively introduced and the playing was informed and duly capable. Various preludes and fugues and chaconnes and dances and ground bass with toccata flourishes above. David has a string of qualifications up to Trinity College of Music, London, and a matching string of performances on various organs through Sydney and beyond. Organists have to move, but the flip side is they experience diverse instruments. It reminds me of a jam session I used to attend. I experienced so many nice and different e-basses until I realised I was expected to bring my own! But a huge pleasure while it lasted. As was this: a great pleasure to hear the music and to discover another organ.

David Franks played Buxtehude, Bach, Wesley, Sumion and Bush on the Fincham organ at Canberra City Uniting Church for the RSCM Australia ACT Branch.

Organ Historical Trust of Australia

Strange sights

It was the strangest thing to attend a concert and see ... nothing much ... a bare altar. We were at concert of pipe organ and cello with performers James Porteous and Clara Teniswood. The concert was in St Paul's, Manuka, a nice lofty stone church with genuine tuned bells and an impressive organ. But the organ was in a loft behind us and Clara was there with James so the visuals were not too special. But the music was lovely. James performed four tunes and Clara played on two, including Vierne Symphony No. 2 and Bach's Prelude and Fugue in G major BWV 541 and Bruch's Kol Nidrei arranged for cello and organ. The third was by Saint-Saens, but I've lost the program. The organ is lofty, big, satisfying, seriously deep, so I was surprised that a single cello was so effective, although the tunes with cello were more subdued. Despite the strange orientation, the sound was good and full in the nave. The Bach was attractive and grand and intellectually satisfying as Bach must be. The Vierne was big, impressive, sometimes loud, utilising the organ and its various stops and diverse pipes and tones. The Saint-Saens was more delicate, quieter, essentially a cello piece with accompaniment. The final Bruch was melancholic with cello and organ. All this happened behind us but I like to close my eyes so little lost there, but odd none-the-less. A lovely concert of church music from the concert program of a group I had never heard of, the Royal Society of Church Music, ACT Branch. Well, I'll be! They keep coming out of the woodwork! And they have monthly recitals on church organs around Canberra.

James Porteous (organ) and Clara Teniswood (cello) performed at St Paul's Manuka