I went to what was billed as an ‘Easter Bank Holiday Bonanza’, Dewi Rees’ final organ recital before leaving Bath Abbey for St Alban’s Cathedral. For this, a small part of the quire was cordoned off so that the audience could hear undisturbed by tourists, and it was important to sit there if you wanted to enjoy the music.
The programme wasn’t just a selection of popular voluntaries. Two pieces stood out for me: firstly, a couple of choral preludes on Gregorian themes by Jeanne Demessieux. (I’m ashamed to say that I hadn’t realised that Demessieux was a woman! I suspect Radio 3 may not have cottoned on to this yet either.) The opening of Elgar’s Op. 28 definitely does come into the ‘popular voluntary’ category but the rest of the sonata was much less familiar.
I will be visiting St Alban’s Cathedral to sing in the autumn so perhaps our paths will cross again soon.