Battle of the Organs

This August, Chester Cathedral will present an out of the ordinary event in the form of a Battle of the Organs concert as part of the Cathedral’s summer series of organ concerts.

Cathedral organists Philip Rushforth, Alexander Lanigan-Palotai, Daniel Mathieson and Graham Eccles will combine forces for a light-hearted, one-off organ skirmish, jam-packed with musical variety and virtuosity.

The Cathedral will take delivery of two digital organs and the Cathedral’s small chamber organ will all combine for the concert. These ‘young pretenders’ will go up against Chester’s Grand Organ on its home turf. Dating from 1876, the Grand Organ has 4864 pipes and has been played virtually every day for nearly a century and a half.

Programme:

Toccata and Fugue in D minor
J S Bach (1685-1750)

Londonderry Air
J Stuart Archer (1866-1954)

Knightsbridge March (In Town Tonight)
Eric Coates (1886-1957)

The Swan
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 - 1921)

Sleepy Lagoon (Desert Island Discs)
Eric Coates (1886 - 1957)

Crown Imperial
William Walton (1902-83)

INTERVAL

Coronation
Scot Vivian Ellis (1903-96)

Cavatina
Stanley Meyers (1930-93)

Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia
Aram Khachaturian (1903-78)

Jerusalem (+ audience)
C H H Parry (1848-1918)

Toccata
C M M Widor (1844-1937)

All proceeds will go towards the organ appeal for repairing and maintaining our magnificent organ.