Recital on Avery Organ

The Muse's Delight - Douglas Mews

19 Feb 2012  2:30 pm Ponsonby Baptist Church - Auckland

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2011 Events have included...

At the End-of-Year function members were treated to an interesting recital by Michael Bell and Peter Smith on the new Willis organ. Both recitalists clearly demonstrated the versatility of the instrument and the wide range of tone colours. Following refreshments many members enjoyed a play.

Works by J.S. Bach, Handel, Walther, Stanley, Saint-Saens
Sacred songs & spirituals, music for solo cello

A recital by organ students, plus Michael Cox (organ) & Margaret McConachie (Cello), and Music Performance Students from Wesley Methodist College, Paerata, performed at the Mt. Eden Methodist Church to an appreciative audience. A concert contributing to National Organ Month.

A4 Flyer (PDF Format)

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The Annual Meeting re-elected Walter Nicholls President, Brian Ellis Secretary, Lyn Insley Treasurer and elected Graeme Davidson, Michael Cox and Ken McGrath as committee members.

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Joseph Nolan 19 June 2010 at St Marks:   Joseph is a superb organist, formerly Organist of Her Majesty's Royal, UK, and now Master of Music at St George's Cathedral, Perth, Australia. He gave us a fantastic programme including Passacaglia in C by JS Bach, the complete Widor 6th Symphony and  the complete Dance Suite by Noel Rawsthorne.  

This complex, now also the community managed Mt Eden Community Centre, is still in process of extensive upgrading and major redevelopment of the Church property to enhance its heritage and community value. The old church itself, now fully restored with a clear floor and new comfortable chairs, makes an excellent community venue while still showing its 1899 heritage origins. The pulpit is still there on the side, and central communion table with cloth backdrop. But most impressively the organ stands tall in the front with the console discretely on the side.  

 

Before entrancing us all with his skilful playing, Walter gave a short history of the organs in this building, beginning with a harmonium, progressing to a small pipe organ later removed to Takapuna Methodist until 1962, and then in 1954 the purchase of the present instrument from George Croft. In 2010 the South Island Organ Co partially dismantled, refurbished and restored the organ. Added to over the years this organ is remarkably complete and adaptable as demonstrated by Walter in his short recital. There are no extensions other than to the pedals in this 2 manual instrument of 7 Great stops, 9 on the Swell and 6 on the pedal.

 

Commencing with the opening section of Couperin’s Offertoire sur les Grand Jeuz to demonstrate the quieter stops Walter followed with Be Still my Soul by Sibelius, a Dubois Prelude, the Adagio from Mendelssohn’s Sonata no 1, moving to more broader works of a Voluntary by William Russell, the Bach Prelude & Fugue in E minor, and rounding off with a rousing rendition of Grand Choeur by Franck.

 

The Annual Meeting followed, a little reluctantly I might add, an afternoon tea break well supported with muffins baked we believe by young Ryan Nicholls. Committee elections produced a committee of 6 with Walter Nicholls President, Brian Ellis Secretary, Lyn Insley Treasurer and Graeme Davidson, Michael Cox and Ken McGrath committee members. The meeting expressed the feelings of all AOA members in a motion to pass our condolences and heartfelt sympathy to John Hargraves and the SIOC Company on the sad loss of Neil Stocker, Scott Lucy and Paul Dunlop. In honour of their memory a hymn was sung. A further expression of concern and distress at the devastation in Christchurch was also to be sent to the Christchurch Organists’ Association. Aside from other matters of detail the meeting concluded with a presentation from Walter about the forthcoming ORGANZ Congress in June which will be the most ambitious and outward facing Organists’ Congress ever attempted in NZ. In recognition of the stress suffered by our Canterbury colleagues because of the earthquake it was agreed that the late registration penalty on Congress fees would be waived in their favour to help a little in encouraging attendance at Congress.