DANIEL COOK HONOURED TO GIVE PRESTIGIOUS ALCOCK ORGAN RECITAL AT SALISBURY CATHEDRAL

Daniel Cook, Assistant Director of Music at Salisbury Cathedral, gives the prestigious Alcock Organ Recital on Wednesday 22 April. Dedicated to the illustrious Sir Walter Alcock, Organist and Master of the Choristers at the Cathedral from 1916 – 1947, Cook plays music in the spirit of the master’s performing style including work by Alcock himself.

“It is a great honour to be performing this recital. Although the cathedral’s famous Father Willis organ is particularly well known for its suitability to the French 19th century Romantic organ repertoire, having played the instrument almost daily for the past four years I see its amazing versatility and how well it accomodates the full range of the organ repertoire. So my programme spans approximately five hundred years and six very different composers from England and Germany. It also illustrates the great musical and cultural links between the two countries throughout this time and takes the listener on a fascinating musical journey from the quiet intimacy of Byrd’s Voluntary to the spectacular virtuosity of Reger’s Opus 135b.”

He continued, “Byrd and Bach are both iconic representatives of the early music scene and I’ve included two of their masterpieces, Voluntary for my Lady Nevell and Canonic Variations on ‘Vom himmel hoch’ BWV 769. There is big romantic music with Stanford’s Fantasia and Toccata Opus 57 and Fantasia and Fugue in D minor Opus 135b by Reger. The Scherzetto from Whitlock’s Sonata in C minor provides a light contrast and the programme ends with a complete performance of Schumann’s Six Fugues on the name B-A-C-H , which forms a multi-movement symphonic work. You have to come along to the concert to find out which Alcock will be performed!”

Tickets, price £8.00, are available online via: www.salisburycathedral.org.uk and at the door.