Catalogue
HAVPCD337 – EDWARDIAN SPLENDOUR
| You can order any material from the Herald catalogue by sending an email to Record Corner. Record Corner are one of our best distributors, carrying considerable stock and with close ties to Herald AV Publications. |
 |
|
| Disk Title | EDWARDIAN SPLENDOUR |
| Organ of St Mary’s Bourne Street, London | |
| Soloists | Organist: William Whitehead |
| Location | St Mary’s Bourne Street, London |
| Date Recorded | March 2007 |
| Audio Tracks | 13 |
The Edwardian era: the image that more than likely springs up, sepia-toned, before the mind’s eye is of moustachioed, stiff-backed men, ivoried parasols and tea on the lawn. If it was a period of recovery from the Boer Wars, of moral relaxation after strict Victorianism and of solid middle class prosperity, it was also a time of tense and febrile European relations. To some extent music covered its ears and continued heedless, preoccupied with the heady foibles of comfortable society. Yet at the same time sensitive and pensive artistic souls, shedding at least a portion of their Victorian emotional torpor, began to assert themselves through the depth and originality of the music, painting and literature. Parry and Elgar were the first musicians to begin to open their eyes to new possibilities.
| Trk. | Duration | Track Title | Composer |
| 2 | 06.04 | Transformation Scene, from Parsifal, Act I | Richard Wagner |
| 3 | 04.19 | Communion, from Eight Pieces, Op 58 | Basil Harwood |
| 4 | 04.12 | Introduction to Judith | Charles Hubert Parry |
| 5 | 03.25 | In Minuet Style, from An English Suite | Charles Hubert Parry |
| 6 | 03.34 | Elegy | Charles Hubert Parry |
| 7 | 04.18 | Flourish for an Occasion | William H Harris |
| 8 | 03.37 | Toccata-Prelude on Pange Lingua | Edward Bairstow |
| 9 | 07.05 | Elegy | Edward Bairstow |
| 10 | 07.05 | Prelude on Vexilla Regis | Edward Bairstow |
| 11 | 04.56 | Marcia Eroica, Op 189 | Charles Villiers Stanford |
| 12 | 02.56 | Benediction, Op 58 | Basil Harwood |
| 13 | 07.33 | Rhapsody No 3 in C sharp minor, Op 17 No 3 | Herbert Howells |
William Whitehead has gained a wide reputation for his engaging and inspiring interpretation of the organ repertoire. His concert career was boosted when he won first prize at the Odense International organ competition in Denmark, 2004. Since then he has given concerts in the Royal Albert Hall, London, France, Sweden, Austria, South Africa and Denmark. A recording of the music of Duruflé and Alain, ‘Dances of Life and Death’, was released in 2005 by Chandos Records to excellent acclaim (garnering a Diapason Découverte award). It includes William’s own transcription of the Danse Lente by Duruflé.
