Peter Nardone Organ Recital, St George’s Church, Kendal

Dr Nardone, director of music at Worcester Cathedral, gave the organ recital in aid of the Nepal Earthquake Relief. I can’t ever recall seeing so many people at an organ recital other than at a festival with a captive audience. The church and organisers are to be congratulated.

The programme opened with J S Bach’s C minor Passacaglia in which the organist explored a range of sounds, especially the flutes, to be found on this fine old Wilkinson of Kendal organ. There was a good build up to the climactic point of the piece, in which the page turner assisted with control of some of the stops - unlike more modern instruments, there are no accessories on the instrument to help with managing changes.

He introduced the next group of pieces with great humour. John Stanley, Louis Vierne, Alfred Hollins and Jean Langlais were all blind composers. The Stanley Voluntary was exquisite, and in Vierne’s beautiful Lied melody and Hollins lilting Spring Song, Dr Nardone continued to explore further interesting sounds. Sur la tombe de Buffalo Bill was not as quirky as the title suggested.

In introducing the final section, devoted to the music of Sir Edward Elgar, the organist explained how he had been converted to ‘Worcester’s Second most Famous Export.’ Larghetto from Serenade for Strings is a characteristic wide-ranging Elgar melody which was played with poise and control. The crescendo and diminuendo towards the end of Nimrod, from the Enigma Variations, was executed to perfection on this instrument which I know is not easy to handle. He concluded with the popular Imperial March.

Robert Talbot