Tom Winpenny organ
TOCCATA CLASSICS TOCC 0731
This is the second volume of Gerald Hendrie’s organ music played by the indefatigable Tom Winpenny on the organ of St Alban’s Cathedral, where he is Assistant Master of Music. In the disc booklet there is a fascinating essay by the composer headed ‘The Diverse Roots of My Musical Language’.
Having been resident in France since the mid-1990s, it is perhaps not surprising that the French school of organ compositions has been a significant influence. There are hommages to Franck, Dupré, Duruflé, and Messiaen, which, as Tom Winpenny informs us in his reflections on the music, were featured in Volume 1. The fact that the composer is also an accomplished player means that at all times the writing is idiomatic while, at the same time, requiring the technique and interpretative breadth of a virtuoso. However, as Tom Winpenny puts it, ‘(the music) never strays beyond the ergonomic’.
The French tradition is still evident in the pieces gathered in this second volume, but here the technical demands seem to be significantly increased. The Six Concert Studies (2020-23) with which the disc opens, brings to mind Demessieux’s works under the same title. These are mentioned as having, to a limited extent, provided some of the inspiration.
Similarly, the Sonate en Trio of 2005 exploits another aspect of organ technique which is regarded as one of the heights to which players should aspire – Bach’s Trio Sonatas being the pinnacle as far as this somewhat specialised part of the repertoire is concerned. Hendrie, of course, makes the form his own, but also embraces influences from jazz, particularly in his use of rhythm. His ability to combine this with his characteristic approach to counterpoint is most persuasive.
The longest single work here is the final one on the disc, Sonata: In Praise of Reconciliation. Lasting almost 25 minutes, it is an ingenious synthesis of seeming disparate material; the 16th century Coventry Carol and the Dresden Amen. Other elements include a Shaker melody and a quotation from the funeral march from Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony.
Baldly stated, the prospective listener might have some uneasiness. However, Hendrie’s deep and instinctive understanding of form and, a point made by the performer, his gift for dramatic pacing, ensures that the seemingly arbitrary inclusion of musical elements achieves genuine cohesion and becomes what the composer intended, which is an astonishingly powerful plea for peace.
Tom Winpenny must be commended, not merely for his ability to master both the technical and interpretive challenges of this highly wrought music, but for ensuring that it is the music that always takes centre stage, and not his own extraordinary virtuosity. A magnificent achievement.
Review by Martyn Strachan