Anthony Gritten, organ, 1230, 14 August 2019, Leatherhead,

Wednesday 14th August

12.30 Lunchtime Concert

Guest organist:

Anthony Gritten

Director of Undergraduate Programmes
Royal Academy of Music

Sponsors:
Julie West Solicitor

Supported by:
Leatherhead Concert & Arts Society

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Programme

Pierre Kunc (1865-1941)
Sortie Fuguée (1899)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
from Leipzig Chorales (1710-14 & 1739-42):
three settings of Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr BWV 662-664

Daniel Roth (b 1942)
Ave Maris Stella (2014)

Eugène Gigout (1844-1925)
Trois Pièces (1885)
    I    Prélude et Fugue
    II   Andante Varié
    III Allegro con Brio

Concert duration: 35 - 45 minutes

Free Concert, with a retiring collection to cover costs. Tea and coffee will be available after the concert.

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Anthony Gritten

Anthony Gritten is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, and studied with Harry Gabb, David Sanger, and Anne Page. He has given over 300 solo recitals, including the first complete performance of Daniel Roth’s magnum opus, Livre d’Orgue pour le Magnificat, and four recitals in St Sulpice, Paris, including one for Roth’s 70th birthday celebrations. He has also performed numerous works by Richard Francis, including the premiere of a four-movement symphony on themes by Lefébure-Wély.

Other projects have included anniversary performances of the complete works of Tunder, Buxtehude (a 6½ hour recital), Homilius, Brahms, and Mendelssohn. Many of Anthony's recitals are listed at organrecitals.com/anthonygritten .

Anthony was an organ scholar and research student at Cambridge University, writing his doctorate on Stravinsky. He has worked at the University of East Anglia, the Royal Northern College of Music, and Middlesex University, and is currently Head of Undergraduate Programmes at the Royal Academy of Music.

His publications include two books on Music and Gesture, essays on Igor Stravinsky, John Cage, and Frederick Delius, and numerous articles on issues in Performance Studies. Many of his publications can be downloaded from ram.academia.edu/AnthonyGritten .

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The Christ Church organ was built by Hill, Norman & Beard in 1970 with 16 stops, using some pipes from previous organs plus some neo-baroque sounds typical of the 1960's and '70's (Chimney Flute and Fifteenth on open-foot voicing, like the Royal Festival Hall organ).

In 1995, HNB moved some loud stops from the Great to a new double case in the nave, 6 stops were added, and the tone was refined. In summer 2015 the nave organ was re-voiced to produce a more robust tone.

Hill Norman and Beard Pipe Organ Christ Church United Reformed Epsom Road Leatherhead KT22

The Hill Norman & Beard organ at Christ Church (United Reformed), Leatherhead

Christ Church, Leatherhead, Hill Norman and Beard organ registration

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Next month's guest organist, on Wednesday September 16th, will be Paul Ayres
composer, concert organist, conductor of City Chorus, and London College of Music Chorus
accompanist for Concordia Voices, and Crouch End Festival Chorus

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Concert at Home
Here are some links to online recordings of works that feature in Anthony Gritten's concert:

Pierre Kunc (1865-1941)
Sortie Fuguée (1899)

Sadly there seem to be no readily accessible recordings of any of Pierre Kunc's works. His older brother Aymé is more known.
Native of Toulouse, Pierre held the post of organist at Notre-Dame-de-la-Nativité, in Bercy, South East Paris.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
from Leipzig Chorales (1710-14 & 1739-42):
three settings of Allein Gott in der Höh sei Her BWV 662-664

These three connected movements in the Leipziger Choräle portray the Trinity, this first movement being the Father.
BWV 662 is played here by Jean-Baptiste Dupont, at the Jürgen Ahrendt organ at the Musée des Augustins, Toulouse:

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
from Leipzig Chorales (1710-14 & 1739-42):
three settings of Allein Gott in der Höh sei Her BWV 662-664

BWV 663, representing the Son, is played here by Reitze Smits. This recording is part of the Netherlands Bach Society's project 'All of Bach' and the recording comes from the Lutheran Church, The Hague.
The Johann Heinrich Hartmann Bätz organ dates from 1753, and was put into the existing case from the 1648 Hans Wolff Schonat instrument. The current organ was restored by Bätz' grandson Johan in the 1820s and 1830s, and in 2007 by Flentrops of Zaandam. Registration page / stop list on this link.
Noted Dutch organ composer and teacher Feike Asma was organist of this church from 1943 to 1965:

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
from Leipzig Chorales (1710-14 & 1739-42):
three settings of Allein Gott in der Höh sei Her BWV 662-664

BWV 664, the Holy Spirit, is played here by Aude Schumacher, at the the church of St-Jacques, Lunéville, in the French region of Lorraine, where she hold the post of Organiste Titulaire.
The 1749-51 organ is by Nancy organ-builder Nicolas Dupont. It is unusual in having a facade devoid of pipes. Instead the facade depicts the entrance to Paradise. The instrument was completely rebuilt in 1998 to 2003, under the guidance of Michel Chapuis, with works undertaken by Bertrand Cattiaux and Laurent Plet:

Daniel Roth (b 1942)
Ave Maris Stella (2014)

Another piece for which I have found no online recording. So here instead, and to give a flavour of Roth's style, let's listen to one of his improvisations during a Mass. You will hear the full sound of the action of this magnificent Cavaillé-Coll instrument:

Eugène Gigout (1844-1925)
Trois Pièces (1885)
    I    Prélude et Fugue
    II   Andante Varié
    III Allegro con Brio

These three pieces bring our concert to its close.
They are played here by Gerard Brooks, at the Cavaillé-Coll organ, Perpignan Cathedral: