Christian Wilson OrganistChristian Wilson hasforged a unique path asan organist, showcasingtra ilblazi ng vi rtu osityand profoundmusicianship throughinspired and unorthodoxprogramming, andchampioning rarelyheard or forgottenmasterpieces. Hisprogrammes celebrateboth the historie rootsand central repertoireof the instrument whilst

engaging audiences through original juxtapositions with transcriptions ofjazz and other genres, ranging from medieval in-tabulations to works byPiazzolla and Frank Zappa. Performances have met with critical acclaim atmajor concert venues across Europe, Australia, Russia,South Africa and theUSA.

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1Christian's musical career began at Westminster Abbey, where he was headchorister. He spent a year as Sub-Organist at Perth Cathedral (WesternAustralia) before taking up the Organ Scholarship at Christ Church, Oxford.Following a research degree· (investigating the pre-Reformation Englishorgan), Christian was awarded various prizes and scholarships to study forthe solo postgraduate degree at the Musikhochschule, Stuttgart with JonLaukvik and Ludger Lohmann. ln 2012, he became the eighth person in theworld to perform Francis Pott's epic Organ Symphony 'Christus' (sometimesconsidered the "Everest" of organ repertory) with performances in Germanyand UK.

ln addition to his role as Organist at the HM Chapels Royal in the Tower ofLondon, Christian is Director of Music at BrasenoseCollege in Oxford, andhas been Assistant Organist at Christ Church, Oxford. He is also busy as apianist, chamber musician, teacher and musicologist. A recent recording oforgan music from the interwar period - Commotio - recorded on theDudelange organ has been particularly well received.

Future engagements include tours to the USA, Canada, various Europeanconcert dates, and a recording of the complete organ solo works of FrancisPott. He is currently editing the cycle of Lady Massesby Nicholas Ludford forEECM, and the keyboard works of Austrian WWII émigré Walter Bricht(1904-1970) in preparation for an edition and recording.

Brent Holder MBE

is known all over the wortd for his musical talents and abilities. His awardwinning performances have not only captivated but enthralled audiences farand wide. Brent Holder MBEis one of the world champion soloists for whichhe composed all his winning songs.After first going abroad to not only play pan but teach pan in Columbia in1992 at just 15 years old, he has since gone on to -perform and teachworldwide, including Japan, Holland, Dubai, Switzerland, Germany,Denmark, France, Morocco, Seychelles to name just a few. He has also beenlucky enough to perform too with of the best artists in the world includingperforming for Her Majesty the Queen.After building a home in the UK, Brent and his late wife Crystal Holderopened CSIsteel band in West London. After starting in 2007, the band hassince gone on to win numerous awards and also perform worldwide.Becauseof his natural ear for music Brent was chosen to be a judicator for'Music for Youth' competitions for many years at the Royal Albert Hall. ln2012 Brent with his band CSI was able to achieve a world record, byorganizing and directing a 1000 pans. The event was to celebrate the passingover of the Torch for the 2012 Olyrnpics and involved over 1000 pan playersfrom all the UK'ssteel bands, performing together one song, an achievementthat has never been done before.

Brent Holder MBEis the youngest Trinbagonian (citizen of Trinidad & Tobago)to receive an MBE(Member of the Order of\the British Empire) award. Neverforgetting where he grew up and came frormin Laventille, Trinidad, Brent isproud of his achievements today. Not only is he known worldwide, wonnumerous competitions and just been presented with the prestigious MBE.award from The Prince of Wales on behalf of the Queen for his services tomusic, Brent is also a family man with 5 kids all of whom share his musicaltalents. .Brent continues to strive to share his passion and love of music with theworld and educate and nurture the future stars of the pan world.

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: Brent HOLDER,,..-,~

as the fust movement of a large-scale vocal Cantata (BWV140), but was thenre-worked as one of his 6 Sehübler Chorales (BWV 645). The same theme isused in the organ solo version arranged by Reginald Watson (and this timewith the addition of a little-known popular song). The second chorale setting,'Schafe kënnen sicher weiden' ('Sheep may grazesafely, when a goodshepherd is watching over them') is also taken from a vocal Cantata, this timeon a secular theme and known as the 'Hunting' Cantata, The piece belongs tothe early part of Bach's eareer and was composed for the 31 st Birthday of DukeChristian of Saxe- Weissenfels on 23rd February, 1713.Just two weeks earlier, on 6th February 1713, Handel had presented his 'Odefor the Birthday of Queen Anne' to celebrate the Queen's 48th birthday.Unfortunately, the piece is likely to have fallen on deaf ears as Queen Anne wassaid to be "too careless or too busy to listen to her own band, and had nothought of hearing or paying new players however great their genius or vasttheir skill". ln spite of this, Handel was granted a generous pension of noo peryear, perhaps as a result of the great respect with which he was held in Londonand all around Europe. We might also thank Queen Anne for her politicalacumen in unifying the kingdoms of England and Scotland to become GreatBritain in 1707.

Alan Gibbs' 'Calypso' is one of a number of short Preludes for solo organ,infused with the rhythrn and spirit of the Caribbean. Fauré's Dolly Suite (Op.56) was composed for two people at one piano (4 hands) with thevariousmovements marking the different life events of Dolly, the daughter of Fauré'srnistress. The Berceuse presented here was originally composed in 1864 for thedaughter of a farnily friend, but was re-arranged in 1893 to commemorateDolly's fust birthday.Tchaikovsky's famous 'Marche Caractéristique' is a movement from theSuite derived from his Ballet 'The Nutcracker'. ln this instance, the Birthdaycelebrated is that of Jesus Christ, as the farnily come together to admire anddance before the decorated Christmas Tree on Christmas Eve!Between these celebrated classical works, we include three traditional andfarniliar Caribbean tunes ('Hot, hot, hot', Yellow bird, and 'Sugar bumbum'), all normally associated with Steel-Pan orchestra, but today re-workedfor the new combination of organ and steel pan! The concert is brought to arousing conclusion by Charles-Marie Widor's famous Toccata from the 5th

Symphony - a piece commonly associated with Royal Weddings and Birthday.celebrations in England, and aIl around Europe.

Programme Notes Programme

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Brent Holder (steel pan) & Christian Wilson (organ) Birthday Celebrations for RoyalsOn this unique occasion, the steel pan and organ have been brought toge~erspecially to observe their contrasting sound worlds, and to celebrate the distanceof the traditions from which each instrument derives and has developed. On theone hand, the ancient sound of the organ, used by Kings and Emperors ofbygone centuries as a symbol of status and wealth, but now the sound of thesacred, unifying the voice of the church with that of the people; on the otherhand, the simple utilitarian materials of the steel drum, borne out of repressionand societal injustice in 1930's Trinidad and Tobago, but proliferated by aunique sonic, physical, and social interaction with the common man,irrespective of background or wealth. Both unify the voice of the people indifferentways.Whilst the modem organ is typically thought of as an orchestra of sounds, thesteel drum is found amongst multiple counterparts and pitches as part of anorchestra of pans. But today, we celebrate the sound of a single tenor pan,allowing us to hear both the solo quality of the instrument, and to focus on thefusion and interaction of these two disparate sonorities.

'Come, ye sons of Art' (Z 323) Henry Purcell

CanoninD Johann Pachelbel

Hot, hot, hot Alphonsus Cassell

Wachet auf (BWV 645) Johann Sebastian Bach

*Happy Birthday, Herr Bach Reginald Watson

Yellow Bird Traditional Caribbean

Sinfonia, from George Frideric Handel'Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne' (HWV74)

Schafe kënnen sicher weiden, from Johann Sebastian Bach'Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd' (BWV 208)

Our birthday programme for Kings and Queens brings together a broad range ofstyles unified by the theme of celebration, and a number of historie birthdays!Henry Purcell's Ode 'Come, ye sons of Art', was composed for the Birthdayof Queen Mary II in London,April 1694.Here we present an arrangement of theopening 'Sinfonia' or 'Overture' arranged in three sections: first, a grandMaestoso, then a contrapuntal Allegro and finally, a harmonically plaintiveAdagio. The recessive ending leads into our arrangement of Pachelbel'sfamous Canon, a piece which needs no introduction, and is most commonlyassociatedwith wedding celebrations. During his lifetime, Pachelbel contributedintensively to the organ tradition of South Germany, and only latterly gainednotoriety for this beautiful piece originally composed for three violins withcontinuo instruments.The programme includes two 'Chorale' settings in which the pan presents the'cantus firmus' or chorale melody in the middle of the texture, whilst the organplays the outer voices. The first of these, 'Wachet auf, ruft uns dieStimme' ('Awake! The watchman's voice caUsus'), was originally set by Bach

*Caly-pso Alan Gibbs

Berceuse, from Dolly Suite Gabriel Fauré

Marche Caractéristiquefrom 'Casse Noisette'

Pyotr Tchaikovsky

Sugar Bum Bum Lord Kitchener

*Toccata from Symphonie 5 Charles-Marie Widor

RÉCITAL DU MARDIJ MARS PAR CHRISTIAN WILSON

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Christian Wilson

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De g. à dr.: Jean Olinger (Présidentdu FIMOD), Alessandro Urbano(organiste à Dudelange et assistantà la console), Christian Wilson etJacques Dondelinger (Présidenthonoraire du FIMOD qui avait encoreorganisé ce concert en 2014).

Lors de son récital, Christian Wilsonprésentait également des extraits deson CD ;,Commotio" enregistré à Du-delange. Ce CD a été présenté dansTuyaux 117.

CONCERT HORS-SERIE

ORGUE & STEEL PANChristian WILSON & Brent HOLDER

DIMANCHE 22 JANVIER 2017 à 17 HEURES

EGLISE SAINT-MARTIN DUDELANGE