Malcolm Williamson: Organ Music

WILLIAMSON, M.: Organ Music - Peace Pieces / Little Carols of the Saints / Elegy / Mass of a Medieval Saint (Winpenny) - One of Australia's greatest composers, Malcolm Williamson settled in Britain and rose to the position of Master of the Queen's Music in 1975. He was championed by a number of prominent musical figures and wrote in almost every genre. A skilled keyboard player and a Catholic convert, he wrote for the organ throughout his life and these works reveal his deep immersion in religious music, initially inspired by Messiaen. His instinct for dramatic bravura and colorful registrations can be heard in Résurgence du Feu (Pâques 1959) whilst the beautiful poetic miniatures Little Carols of the Saints reveal deeply human qualities, elements developed more substantially in Mass of a Medieval Saint. Elegy - JFK is fittingly sombre.