The Organ Recital Series for 2022 is about to begin!
Truro Cathedral is host to one of the most revered and highly regarded organs in the world. Installed in 1887, the Father Willis organ has remained almost entirely tonally unchanged. The importance of this fact is extraordinary. For example, in the usual lifespan of an organ of this type you could expect the instrument to be re-built, modified and extended, sometimes to such an extent as that the original identity of the instrument hardly exists anymore. The only work that has been carried out on this organ is routine maintenance, cleaning and the updating of old technology.
Proudly nestled in the heart of the Cathedral, the instrument is perched in its very own fan-vaulted chamber which allows it to speak to its best ability down into the reverberant Cathedral below. Consisting of 45 speaking stops (perhaps considered small by comparison to many other Cathedrals) the instrument is incredibly versatile, allowing the player to perform almost every genre of organ music with extreme conviction.
This remarkable and historic instrument has delighted and thrilled audiences and congregations from near and far for 135 years. If you’d like to come and hear it in the flesh, Truro Cathedral is hosting its annual organ recital series beginning on the 4th of March, running through to the end of October. This is a rare opportunity to hear the instrument in all its glory in a way that you would not during daily services. The list of organists is truly exciting, with performers coming from all over the country as well as much further afield, and the variety of repertoire between recitals will be such that there will certainly be something for everyone.
The series runs on Friday afternoons at 13:10 and begins with Andrew Wyatt, our assistant director of music here at Truro. He will be marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Belgian composer César Franck, the recent passing of the English Organist and composer Francis Jackson, and the 110th anniversary of the first performance of Vierne’s monumental 3rd Symphony.
We hope to see you there!
Andrew Wyatt
Assistant Director of Music