Archive for organ

Announcing James Cook Organ Symphonies performed by Kevin Bowyer

James Cook
James Cook © James Cook/Divine Art

Foremost British organist Kevin Bowyer makes his first appearance on the Divine Art label with a recording of two symphonies for organ by James Cook. This will be the ninth album of Cook’s music from Divine Art, ranging from operatic extracts, many organ works, and sacred choral and vocal compositions.  The two works on this new album are his Symphony No 8 (“Olympian”) and No. 9 (“Apollonian”). Both symphonies were written in 2006 and orchestrated in 2011. The recording was made on the organ of Glasgow University Memorial Chapel in 2023.

James Cook (b.1963) briefly studied composition at Oxford University during the Hilary Term of 1994. Prior to that he composed works which include ‘A Carrollean Symphony’, ‘Symphony in Yellow’ and the ‘Jude the Obscure Symphony’.

After his stint at Oxford he wrote sacred vocal music, much of which has been released on the Divine Art and Diversions labels. From the year 2000 he turned to writing organ music and in 2006 completed a sequence of nine organ symphonies, four of which have also been released by Divine Art.  Since 2010 he has concentrated on composing opera, four of which make up a cycle of Biblical operas. His first opera, ‘Dorothy’ was performed by Secret Opera at Theatre N16 in London in December 2015.

Kevin Bowyer at organ © Katy Cooper
Kevin Bowyer © Katy Cooper

Kevin Bowyer (b.1961) has enjoyed a prolific recording and recital career and is known for his powerful performances of the most challenging contemporary works including music from Ferneyhough, Sorabji, Maxwell Davies and many more, but he has a very wide repertoire from all periods, including recordings of the complete organ works of J.S. Bach, Brahms, Jehan Alain, Alkan and others.

Album details

  • Title: James Cook: Organ Symphonies 8 & 9
  • Label: Divine Art
  • Catalogue number :  DDX 21136
  • Composer : James Cook
  • Works :  Organ Symphony No, 8 (“Olympian”);  Organ Symphony No. 9 (“Apollonian”)
  • Performer:  Kevin Bowyer (organ of Glasgow University Memorial Chapel)
  • Recorded in 2023
  • Release date to be confirmed, between July and October 2024.

James Cook Recordings

Upcoming Concerts from Transformations artist Alexander Ffinch!

This July brings Alexander Ffinch’s organ release, Transformations, performed on the rebuilt organ of Cheltenham College Chapel, where he will also be giving one of three recitals that month!

Upcoming Performances

  • 1.15 pm: Tuesday, July 2, 2019 – Cheltenham College, Cheltenham, England – Lunchtime Recital
  • 1.15 pm:  Tuesday, July 9, 2019 – Hereford Cathedral, Hereford, England – lunchtime recital
  • 5 pm: Sunday, July 14, 2019 – Parish Church of St. Nicholas, Rumbeck, Germany

July 14 Program:

J.S. Bach: Pièce d’Orgue, BWV 572
Buxtehude: Partita auf meinen lieben Gott
Purcell: Voluntary on The Old Hundredth
Byrd: Miserere in Four Parts
J.S. Bach: O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig,BWV 656
Byrd: The Queenes Alman
J.S. Bach: Fugue in E flat, BWV 552
Byrd: The Galliarde to the Firste Pavain
J.S. Bach: Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier, BWV 731

And for those in the U.S.…

  • 4pm, Sunday October 27, 2019  Cathedral of St Mary of the Assumption, San Francisco

‘Women of History’

Divine Art Records continues its series of recordings with American organist Carson Cooman, who is organist at the Memorial Church at Harvard, as well as being a teacher, writer, speaker, music critic and incredibly prolific composer. Following three recordings including organ works by German composers Andreas Willscher and Raimund Schächer, Cooman has recorded an album of music by the Italian composer Carlotta Ferrari (b.1975). Ferrari’s compositions have been performed frequently around the word and appear on many recordings including six all-Ferrari CDs. She is currently professor of music composition at the European School of Economics in Florence, Italy.

Ferrari has written many works based on historical figures, and the five works on this album are all inspired by the lives and works of famous women, lending to the album’s title, ‘Women of History’. She writes in a distinctive modal style, utilising the modal harmonic system of ‘Restarting Pitch Space’ which was actually developed by Cooman in 2005.

The recording will be issued this July on CD and many digital formats (Divine Art dda 25178). Cooman’s own compositions continue to appear, performed by Erik Simmons, in the ongoing series from Divine Art, with three more volumes scheduled for 2018.

The release is also timely as 2018 marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein which is the inspiration for the first piece.

Tracks
Lady Frankenstein
Maria Restituta
Historia Gullielmae
Viva la vida
Esctasy (La transverberazione di Teresa d’Avila)

New recording of music by Naji Hakim

Among a full schedule for 2018 is a new recording of works by Naji Hakim centering on organ and harpsichord. The main soloist is Simon Leach, joined for two works by violinists Benedict Holland, and for one each by recorder player John Turner and tenor Ranald McCusker, the latter singing a plainsong introduction to the program.

Simon Leach’s connection with the composer goes back to 1992, when Leach was awarded a bursary, while a student at the RNCM, to study with Hakim in Paris. He has developed his career to a high level and has performed with the Hallé, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Manchester Camerata, Northern Sinfonia, and other top orchestras; he is a regular performer on the BBC Daily Service and since 2001 has been organist at Holy Name Church in Manchester which has a long and celebrated musical tradition.

In addition to being the recipient of many international awards throughout his career, including one from Pope Benediktus XVI, Hakim has held extended positions as organist at both the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur, Paris and at the l’église de la Trinité, in succession to Olivier Messiaen. He is now professor of musical analysis at the Conservatoire National de Région de Boulogne-Billancourt, and visiting professor at the Royal Academy of Music, London.

The new album, working title ‘Embrace of Fire’, is to be recorded on March 5-7, 2018 at Holy Name Church, Manchester, England with engineer/producer Richard Scott and will be released in CD and digital formats later in 2018 (MSV 28583).

November Releases

Look out for three new albums in November (our last issues of 2017). We are delighted to present Volume 6 of the Carson Cooman organ music series (“The Cloak with the Stars”). Cooman also appears, this time as performer, in Andreas Willscher’s Organ Symphonies 19 & 20 and a suite ‘The Beatitudes’; and from Métier we focus on works for solo violin and violin/viola duo by Michael Alec Rose, currently teaching at Vanderbilt University, Nashville.