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Track(s) taken from CDA67853

A Flourish for a Bidding

composer
1969; composed for a charity auction (Novello paid £21) in aid of the Royal College of Organists, where it was first performed by Sir George Thalben-Ball

Simon Bell (organ)
Recording details: March 2010
Winchester Cathedral, United Kingdom
Produced by Adrian Peacock
Engineered by David Hinitt
Release date: June 2011
Total duration: 3 minutes 20 seconds

Cover artwork: Golden Days. Lee Campbell (b1951)
Private Collection / Bridgeman Images
 

Reviews

‘The performances of Winchester Cathedral Choir are so good you hardly register the need to 'assess' them—exactly as it should be in devotional music. That's a huge tribute to the state of the singing at the cathedral, and to Andrew Lumsden, who directs it. A marvellous CD, beautifully planned and executed’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Howells's later works have failed to find their way into the regular repertoire but this recording by a radiant Winchester Cathedral Choir urges a thorough reappraisal. The long, fluid lines, startling cadences and massive chords which are so unique to Howells are all here in 'their' service’ (The Observer)

‘These are uniformly excellent performances and the recording quality is detailed yet superbly spacious. It's the first release from a renewed relationship between Winchester and Hyperion and, although I will hope for more rare Howells, I look forward to whatever else is on the cards. I highly commend this disc’ (International Record Review)
The celebratory organ piece A Flourish for a Bidding was composed in aid of the Royal College of Organists in 1969 and the manuscript was auctioned (hence the ‘Bidding’ of the title). George Thalben-Ball gave its first performance at the RCO and the manuscript was bought by Novello for £21. This piece is in Howells’ later organ style, with short declamatory phrases and much sparer writing than in his early organ music.

from notes by Paul Andrews © 2011

A Flourish for a Bidding est une pièce d’orgue solennelle écrite en 1969 au profit du Royal College of Organists, le «Bidding» («enchères») du titre s’expliquant par une mise aux enchères du manuscrit. George Thalben-Ball la créa au Royal College of Organists tandis que Novello en acquit le manuscrit pour £21. Cette œuvre est dans le style organistique tardif de Howells, qui use ici de courtes phrases déclamatoires et d’une écriture beaucoup plus raréfiée que dans ses premières pages pour orgue.

extrait des notes rédigées par Paul Andrews © 2011
Français: Hypérion

Das feierliche Orgelstück A Flourish for a Bidding entstand 1969 zugunsten des Royal College of Organists und das Manuskript wurde versteigert (daher das Wort „Bidding“ [Steigern, bzw. Gebot] im Titel). George Thalben-Ball führte es erstmals am College auf und das Manuskript wurde von Novello für £21 erworben. Dieses Stück weist Howells’ späteren Orgelstil auf—es erklingen kurze deklamatorische Phrasen und der Satz ist insgesamt deutlich sparsamer gehalten als es in seinen frühen Orgelwerken der Fall ist.

aus dem Begleittext von Paul Andrews © 2011
Deutsch: Viola Scheffel

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