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Wednesday 18th April
12.30 Lunchtime Concert John Sharples organ Organist & Director of Music St Nicolas Church, Charlwood, Surrey |
Sponsors: Julie West Solicitor Supported by: Leatherhead Concert & Arts Society 
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Programme
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
from Clavier-Übung III Prelude and Fugue in E flat (‘St Anne’) BWV 552 (1739) Frank Bridge (1879-1941) from Three Pieces for Organ (1905) 2 Adagio in E major John Stanley (1712-1786) from Ten Voluntaries for Organ Opus 6 (1752) 6 Voluntary in D Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Fugue in A flat minor WoO 8 Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809-1847) Organ Sonata No 2 in C minor Op 65 (1844) |
Free Concert, with a retiring collection to cover costs. Tea and coffee will be available after the concert.
John Sharples
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John Sharples began organ lessons while a pupil at Hipperholme Grammar School. His tutors then were Nicholas Kerrison and Philip Tordoff (Organist of Halifax Parish Church). Later he spent time as a student at Chester College during which time he sang in the Cathedral Choir.
He moved to London in 1984 and began organ studies with Ian Curror (Organist of the Royal Hospital Chelsea) and in 1989 became an Associate of the Royal College of Organists. In 1995 John achieved Fellowship of London College of Music in Organ Performance. He also played for services in Lambeth Palace for 15 years while working for the central offices of the Church of England. Currently he is organist at St Nicholas Charlwood and also plays at Second Church of Christ Scientist in London and is a deputy organist of Arundel Cathedral. John has given recitals in Southwark Cathedral and St Paul's Cathedral in London, and also in St Thomas' Church in New York's Fifth Avenue. John has played in many venues in the UK and abroad accompanying choirs. He is a Fellow of London College of Music and an Associate of the Royal College of Organists. John is also President of the Crawley and Horsham District Organists' Association. |
John Sharples, pictured at the organ in St Thomas's Church, 5th Avenue, New York
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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. |
The Hill Norman & Beard organ at Christ Church (United Reformed), Leatherhead
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Concert at Home:
Here are some links to online recordings of works that feature in John Sharples' concert:
Here are some links to online recordings of works that feature in John Sharples' concert:
John Sharples opens his recital with BWV 552, Bach's Prelude and Fugue in Eb, 'St Anne' (O God our Help in Ages Past). The organist in this recording is Olivier Latry (of Notre Dame, Paris) playing the 1981 Oberlinger organ in St Joseph's, Bonn-Beuel, Germany:
Our next organ has had an interesting life. It was built in 1924-26 for Queen's Park High Parish Church, Glasgow by JJ Binns. When this church closed the organ was rebuilt by Geo Sixsmith & Sons for installation in St Werburgh's, Chester. You can read more on this link.
Here is John Keys playing Frank Bridge's Adagio in E:
Here is John Keys playing Frank Bridge's Adagio in E:
Taking a little risk with the purists next, this recording of John Stanley's Voluntary No 6 from Opus 6 is by Enrico Sandrini, on a Hauptwerk emulation of the Ducroquet-Cavaillé-Coll organ in the Cathedral of the Holy Saviour, Aix-en-Provence. Read more about the organ and its history are here :
Next we hear Hugo Bakker at the Wolferts-Heijnemann organ in St Maartenskerk, Zaltbommel, Netherlands, playing Brahms' Fugue in Ab minor:
To finish, we hear Wim Stroman at the 1742 Garrels organ in St Nikolauskerk, Purmerend, North Holland. The organ was restored in 2000 after both the building and the instrument went through changing times, which you can read about here. The glorious finish to our recital today comes in the form of Mendelssohn's Sonata No 2 in C minor from his Opus 65:
We hope you have enjoyed your Concert at Home
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