Always fun to introduce someone to the impressively gloomy Gothic space of the Union Chapel in Islington, North London, and last week I took along my brother to an early evening organ recital there. Francesca Massey (recently appointed Director of Music at Rochester Cathedral) gave us a recital entirely devoted to French music. We are going to hear a lot of Vierne, this year, I suspect, being the 150th anniversary of his birth, and Francesca obliged with the first suite from his Pièces de Fantaisie.
The suite is a collection of unrelated pieces – ‘though much is very brooding in quality,’ said Francesca in her introductory talk (above) ‘reflecting Vierne’s complicated and tragic personal life.’ Her performance of the Requiem aeternam, the fifth piece in the suite, dedicated to the memory of Vierne’s brother, caught the angular pain inside the music, and a bleakness to the ending. The suite ends with a Marche nuptiale: though more upbeat, its unsettling modernist style a little at odds with its suggested purpose.
It’s quite hard to persuade the Union Chapel’s 1877 Henry Willis to be ‘French’ – its forthright sound is designed to fill all corners, rather than waft Parisian refinement. But Francesca Massey’s skilful phrasing and deft changes of mood between pieces were in much in evidence throughout, especially in her playing of the first two items on the programme, chosen for their seasonal suitability. Gaston Litaize’s spectacular Épiphanie alternates between declamatory and playful ‘and note the march-like arrival of the Wise Men!’ said Francesca. (She’s recorded this for Priory Records as part of a CD devoted to the organ of King’s Lynn Minster. )
Duruflé’s Prélude sur l’introit de l’Épiphanie was more winsome, though not in the least sugary – Francesca describes it as ‘short but exquisite’ – the inner plainsong shrouded in a graceful cloud of accompaniment. Her forthcoming recording of the complete works of Duruflé (again for Priory Records) will be something to look out for.
This excellent series of short (under an hour) early evening recitals is aimed at both the newcomer to the organ and serious organ enthusiast, and makes an ideal bridge between finishing work and whatever plans you might have for dinner or drinks with friends later. So why not give the next event a try? On Wednesday 19th February Eleanor Carter will be performing Bach, Sweelinck, and Duruflé, from 6.30pm. More here.
Francesca Massey has been Director of Music and Organist at Rochester Cathedral since September 2019. At the age of 19 she gained all the top prizes in the FRCO Diploma, and was awarded the WT Best Memorial Scholarship, the Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians, and the Musicians’ Benevolent Fund’s Ian Fleming Award. She has held organ scholarships at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, Gonville and Caius College Cambridge and Manchester Cathedral, and was Assistant Organist at Great St Mary’s Church, Cambridge, Assistant Director of Music at Peterborough Cathedral, and Sub-Organist at Durham Cathedral, before moving to Rochester.
Her recordings are available on the Priory Records label.
