Gordon Stewart brought the 24th All Saints summer series to a triumphant close last night and will surely do so again this time next year at the end of the Silver Jubilee series. Such is the enthusiasm of the Hastings audience and the continuing professionalism of the organist that this relationship has lasted so long. There can surely be few, if any, other series with such a history.
Gordon Stewart stays in Hastings for the Bank Holiday weekend, practising each day. If therefore there were any concerns about his choice of registration they are as the result of careful thought and not last minute judgement. No problem with the rich textures of the opening section from Respighi’s The Birds but the orchestral parts for Handel’s Cuckoo and the Nightingale sounded over romantic. If Bach’s Toccata, Adagio and Fugue started with some questionable rhythmic choices it settled quickly and the final fugue was strongly focussed, with a sense of pace and drive.
Gordon Stewart is a master at finding unfamiliar works which challenge us by their quality. Callaerts’ Toccata in E minor brought the first half to a close with an heroic romanticism which drew on all the qualities of the Willis organ, and this after a delightful trio by Felton using the Swell flutes.
Equally acceptable was Parry’s Fantasia and Fugue in G which may have required extra gym sessions prior to performance but the dexterity of the articulation was never in doubt.
Ketelbey’s In a Persian Market is rarely heard today and conjures up memories of the Light Programme in the 1950s, before two works to mark the Jubilee and the Olympics – W T Best’s Variations on God Save the Queen and Elgar’s Imperial March. As not every member of the audience is an organ buff it was good that Gordon pointed out the use of the Viola Pedal stop during the Best, one of the gentler but very effective ranks on the Willis.
As an encore he played the last movement of Bach’s First Trio Sonata. This was possibly the most effective piece of the evening, with simplicity, great clarity and rapt concentration from all on the beauty of the music.
The Silver Jubilee season is already fully planned. Watch this space for details! BH