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I love the sound of organs. Maybe my adoration dates back to my very first memories of the James Mason version of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, a film that burned its way into my subconscious much like other Disney flicks from the same age did. This went beyond the typical melodramatic villain trappings of the adventure serial; the image of Mason's Captain Nemo attempting to exorcise his personal demons on a vast cathedral organ was almost primordial in its dramatic power.
Of course, with this image in mind, it was with some genuine anticipation that I arrived at St John's Church in Pembroke to attend Clive Driskill-Smith's organ recital. I already saw Mr Driskill-Smith at work in the Ruth Seaton James Centre, but there he was merely participating as a pianist; this was a purely solo effort.
The man knows his stuff, no doubt about it. A quick glance at the programme brochure speaks of an international career, from Japan to Germany to Australia. I haven't seen any of those performances, but the intimate atmosphere of St John's would have been lost in the much larger concerts he's probably used to.
A vast television screen had been set up at the far end of the church in order for the audience to see Mr Driskill-Smith performing his craft, and I found myself hypnotised by the elegant, spider-like movements of Driskill-Smith's fingers on the organ keyboard. He became so absorbed by his own music, he didn't even seem to notice a sheet of music notes fluttering to the ground during the peak of a particularly fast-paced symphony.
I will admit, some of the musical numbers did blend together into one indistinguishable note to me. Maybe I just don't have the ear for music I thought I did, or maybe I preferred the more portentous themes of Captain Nemo. Regardeless, at its very best, Mr Driskill-Smith's performance reminded me of whale song; an intangible beauty that was almost nautical in nature instead of something strictly confined to dry land. At one point, he effortlessly delivered ten different versions of the same symphony. Variations sur un Noel op 20. Each interpretation ranged from elegant, to comedic, to discordant, to carousel, to Gothic, and possibly every other genre known to Mankind. Each and every take was completely unique from the one preceding it.
Just to keep things from becoming too "artsy", Mr Driskill-Smith concluded the evening with a little number called Hornpipe Humoresque, which I instantly recognized from the classic Popeye cartoons of old. Only a few days ago, I was expecting much from this deeply talented fellow after watching him at the Ruth Seaton auditorium. Occasional indisctinct music notwithstanding, he didn't disappoint.
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