ORGAN RECITAL: DANCING FEET AND FINGERS BY NICK EDWARDS
12th July 2006 1pm St George's Church, Beckington Code: 1203 Author: Ann Burgess
This was the first time that both Nick Edwards and Beckington Church had been part of the Frome Festival, but I hope the first time of many. St George's Church is a beautiful place and Nick Edwards gave us a marvellously varied programme, full of surprises.
He began with early music: clear, dance-like Praetorius, Tallis with exquisitely- placed false relations and Byrd, delicate and virtuosic at the same time.
His Bach/Vivaldi Concerto in A minor was translucent, with light and airy textures clarifying the glorious circles of fifths and solo/ripieno contrasts. The Adagio had gentleness, and the fast movements rhythmic vitality. This was high quality Bach- playing.
Mr Edwards found suitably miniature registration for a stylish Mozart Andante in F.
After the Mozart, as the amusing and informative programme notes told us, we went from the sublime to “Something Completely Different”: Sousa's Liberty Bell , the theme music for Monty Python, which had the audience smiling as it recalled the Ministry of Silly Walks and such like.
Three Movements from Noel Rawsthorne's Dance Suite, left us in no doubt of the sureness of Nick Edwards' technique. The lyrical Waltz (shades of gorgeous Michel le Grand here) was followed by Dancing Feet , a jazzy movement played impressively by feet alone, and a truly descriptive Dance of the butterflies.
Nick Edwards, also a composer, next played his own tongue-in-cheek arrangement of a famous French folk-tune, Claire on the Moon . This worked very well and was much enjoyed by the audience.
Nick Edwards saved the most astonishing piece for last. The Marche des Marseillois by Balbastre, organist of Notre-Dame in Paris around the time of the French Revolution, is a set of variations on the French national anthem, which had the audience enthralled as the recitalist, whilst playing, shouted “Le Combat Commence” and other morceaux of the flamboyant French language.
This was a Frome Festival debut with enormous panache! Come again next year!
Ann Burgess
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