FREE
LUNCHTIME RECITALS AT BIRMINGHAM CATHEDRAL
By Christopher
Morley
There is an oasis of
calm at the heart of Birmingham’s pulsating Business Quarter, and that is St
Philip’s Cathedral. Stressed office-workers relax on its lawns eating their
packed lunches, and twice a month they have the opportunity to enjoy high quality
music-making within the gracious baroque building itself.
Ashley Wagner, Head
of Music at the Cathedral, tells me about the history of the lunchtime series.
“I’m not entirely
sure how long the recital series has been going for but certainly for much
longer than I have been associated with Birmingham Cathedral (I joined as Organ
Scholar in 2016),” he begins.
“It’s a great chance
to showcase high-level music making by emerging and established artists playing
all sorts of instruments (and all free to attend with an optional donation).
The recital series used to be on Mondays, alternating with the Town Hall Organ
Series, but they are now on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of each month (apart from
our Summer Organ Series, which runs every week throughout June-August).”
The depradations of
the Covid pandemic obviously brought a pause to the recital series, but Ashley
explains how the phoenix is being reborn from the ashes.
“[As we emerged from
lockdown we made the decision just to have organ recitals given by local
organists, and giving more ourselves internally, as the cathedral has 3
organists.”
“We are now at the
stage where we are resuming our links with the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
and with other instrumentalists. Our first instrumental recital this term
(Friday 23rd September) is being given by Lana Trotovsek (violin), Boris Bizjak
(flute) and Maria Canyigueral (piano), three talented young international
artists performing an ambitious programme of Prokofiev, Beethoven and
Halvorsen.”
Tell me about the
audience?
“The audience is made
up of a small but faithful core of regulars and people who just wander in. Many
people came in during the Commonwealth Games and we had large audiences, with
the main space of the cathedral being pretty full. Some people stay for the
whole recital and some people just sit and listen for a bit.”
Ashley then goes on
to tell me about some the series’ most memorable presentations.
“There is usually
something in every recital that I enjoy! I always look forward to Camp Hill
Girls’ School’s annual recital, usually around May time. They have a great
music department there and lots of talented kids are involved. They usually
bring a choir and several instrumentalists and present an eclectic programme. I
love listening to contemporary music or any music that is new to me, so
recitals with that are onto a winner for me!”
This new season of
lunchtime recitals is crammed with highlights, as Ashley details.
“For the remainder of
2022 we will be completing our series showcasing the organ works of César
Franck, as a celebration of 200 years since his birth. Franck is probably best
known for his choral piece Panis Angelicus but he is also one
of the most important composers of solo organ repertoire.
“His 12 main organ
pieces are real gems, so each organ recitalist this term will be playing a
piece by Franck so we will have presented all of his major works during the
course of 2022. We are excited to be welcoming back students from the Royal Birmingham
Conservatoire, with whom we have had a long-standing relationship (their
historical performance department has a recital on the 14th October). In 2023
I’m hoping to start a Great Sacred Organ Music series, where once per
term/half-term we feature a major liturgical piece of organ music (e.g.
Messiaen’s L’Ascension to correspond with Ascension Day).”
Finally I ask the
obvious but humiliatingly stupid question. Does Ashley get his leg pulled about
his surname? He grins and bears it.
“I do get asked
whether I am related to Richard Wagner. Sadly I am not, though I do have some
loose and distant German ancestry. I believe it’s quite a common name in
Germany and the US (such as a recent gymnast, with the identical name!). I used
to belong to a Facebook group of people with exactly my name and it had over
500 members!”
And Ashley ends with
a great plug for Birmingham Cathedral’s Friday lunchtime series.
“Anyone who hasn’t
been to a recital here before (or indeed anyone who has) should come and give
it a try! Great music, atmosphere and it’s all free! What’s not to like!”
*Birmingham Cathedral’s
Friday lunchtime recitals begin at 1.10pm, ending around 2pm. Admission free,
but donations for the upkeep of the cathedral are welcomed.
#ends