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Clive Driskill-Smith, Wesley Uniting Church, Canberra, Australia
18th August, 2005
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The Director of Music at Wesley Uniting Church, Garth Mansfield, has been presenting an ongoing series of varied concerts this year in the new Music Centre, as well as a succession of exceedingly fine recitals by organists of international reputation on the excellent instrument in the church. The latest of these was on Thursday night last week when the brilliant 26-year-old British organist, Clive Driskill-Smith, played a highly attractive program of organ works from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.
He launched his concert with an immediately assured and virtuosic performance of the glittering Fete, op 51, by the Frenchman Jean Langlais. Somewhat quieter, with pleasant changes of registrations, was Nun Komm' der Heiden Heiland, while the Roulade by the American S. Bingham returned the program to the brilliance of its opening.
A delightful Scherzo, op 2, by another great French organist, Maurice Durufle, rounded out this group of 20th century pieces, and the first half of the program concluded with a sparkling performance of the first movement of C. M. Widor's Symphony no 5, one of the 10 organ symphonies with which this composer established this form for the organ.
The second half of the concert commenced on a similar scale with an equally impressive performance of the Rhapsody in C sharp minor, by the English composer of church music Herbert Howells. Then as a jump back to the 18th century there was a performance of considerable beauty of the Trio Sonata no 2 in C minor of J. S. Bach, before this constantly rewarding concert concluded with an organ show-piece, the arrangement by the British organist Edwin Lemare of Rossini's William Tell overture.
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