Portsmouth Cathedral Lunchtime Live

David Price, organ, Portsmouth Cathedral, Sept 13th

A new season of lunchtime recitals got underway with Portsmouth Cathedral's organist giving a programme of some considerable variety that demonstrated the organ's range and dynamics.
Looking at the running order, it was as if he was expecting me as he began with a vigorous Prelude and Fugue by Dietrich Buxtehude and followed it with selections from Messe pur les Couvents by Francois Couperin, two composers held in high regard at this house.
The Couperin set used some of the more muted and melodic stops. I'm afraid the full organ sound always makes me anticipate Vincent Price and there is more to the instrument than that.
Daniel Purcell was the brother of one of England's finest composers, Henry, but a dab hand on his own account on the evidence of a stately Minuet and Air.
Elgar's Chanson de Nuit and Chanson de Matin was the best known piece, taken a bit hastily for me in this arrangement and thus losing the usual elegant smoothness and the finale was an energetic and climactic Festival Toccata by Percy Fletcher, a little more Reginald Dixon in its early passages but reverberating grandly at its finish.
It was a pleasing excursion for 45 minutes on a gorgeous Thursday, exactly the sort of day that makes this time of year my favourite. If I can make it to any more of these recitals, I will. In particular the countertenor we are promised on October 4th.