Organ Prom John Challenger

• Sir William Walton (1902 - 1983):
• 1Orb and Sceptre (Arr. J. Challenger for Organ)08:47
• George Frideric Handel (1685 - 1759):
• 2Serse, HWV 40: Largo "Ombra mai fu" (Arr. E. Lemare for Organ)04:05
• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750):
• 3Toccata & Fugue in D Minor, BWV 56510:58
• Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943):
• 4Morceaux de fantaisie, Op. 3: II. Prélude "The Bells of Moscow" (Arr. L. Vierne for Organ)05:25
• Edwin Henry Lemare (1865 - 1934):
• 5Andantino No. 2 in D-Flat Major, Op. 83 No. 2 "Moonlight and Roses"05:29
• Walter Alcock (1861 - 1947):
• 6Marche triomphale08:50
• Sir Edward Elgar (1857 - 1934):
• 7Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36 "Enigma": Var. 9, Nimrod (Arr. J. Challenger for Organ)05:33
• Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883):
• 8Lohengrin, WWV 75: Act III Prelude - Bridal Chorus (Arr. E. Lemare for Organ)10:29
• Charles-Marie Widor (1844 - 1937):
• 9Organ Symphony No. 5 in F Minor, Op. 42 No. 105:52
• George Thalben-Ball (1896 - 1987):
• 10Elegy for Organ05:11
• Sir Edward Elgar:
• 11Pomp and Circumstance Marches, Op. 39: No. 1 in D Major (Arr. E. Lemare for Organ)07:25
• Total Runtime01:18:04

Info zu Organ Prom

Salisbury Cathedral’s Assistant Director of Music, John Challenger, releases his third album on the Cathedral’s famous Father Willis Organ.

In August 2018 Salisbury Cathedral was packed to the rafters as concert goers came to enjoy their first ever Organ Prom, a final ‘adieu’ before the Cathedral’s famous Father Willis organ was decommissioned for restoration in 2019. Following completion of this restoration, the instrument sounds more glorious than ever. Due to current social distancing measures the 2020 Organ Prom takes the form of an album to hear at home – enjoy an evening of spine-tingling classics from across the continent on one of the finest organs in the United Kingdom.

Of this most recent album, John Challenger said: “Our Cathedral’s great Father Willis organ, known and loved by listeners around the world, stood through the changes of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In the current pandemic of our own century, we are denied the thrill of live performances of great works in grand spaces, the unforgettable shared musical experiences, the joy of massed crowds. I hope this album might remind us that, despite the loss, trials and uncertainty which currently surround us, it will one day be possible to share memorable musical experiences again, in the glorious and awe-inspiring spaces we know and love. We couldn’t let this summer pass without marking the return of our great organ from restoration, so I hope listeners will be able to find comfort in these well-known works, and the familiar sounds of this marvellous organ, restored for future generations.”

John Challenger, organ

John Challenger
has been Assistant Director of Music at Salisbury Cathedral since September 2012, where he accompanies the Cathedral's liturgy on the great Father Willis Organ. He received his musical education as a chorister at Hereford Cathedral under Dr Roy Massey and Geraint Bowen, and as an Organ Scholar at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, and St John’s College, Cambridge; at St John’s, under the directorship of Andrew Nethsingha, he played the organ for services, concerts, recordings, broadcasts, tours, and four critically-acclaimed recordings on the Chandos label. He studied the organ with David Briggs, Jeremy Filsell, Mark Williams, and the late David Sanger, and obtained his Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists in 2008. In addition to his duties at the Cathedral, John is active as an organ teacher and recitalist. Between January and March 2017, John acted as Director of Music at St John's College, Cambridge, during the sabbatical of the College's full-time Director of Music, Andrew Nethsingha. During this time, the world-famous choir undertook numerous high-profile engagements, including a BBC Radio 3 live broadcast of Choral Evensong on Ash Wednesday.

In April 2015, John’s début solo organ CD, ‘Elgar from Salisbury’, was released under the Regent label, and features transcriptions of Elgar’s orchestral and instrumental works on the Father Willis Organ, including John’s own transcription of Elgar’s Prelude to ‘The Kingdom’. The recording was awarded five stars by Choir & Organ Magazine, and received enthusiastic reviews in the American Record Review, Hi-Fi Plus, Church Music Quarterly, and on Classic FM. Roger Judd, writing for FCM’s Cathedral Music wrote that ‘it would be difficult to imagine a more auspicious début CD’, whilst Andrew Fletcher wrote for Organists’ Review: ‘there is nothing I can say that can begin to convey the technical brilliance, artistry, musicality and seemingly effortless organ management of John Challenger. If you love the Salisbury organ (and who wouldn’t?) and adore Elgar (and who doesn’t?), here is a match made in heaven. Flawless! Phenomenal!’ His second solo CD, of the major organ works of César Franck, was released this summer.

Booklet für Organ Prom