John Challenger - Salisbury Meditation (2021) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

John Challenger has been Assistant Director of Music at Salisbury Cathedral since September 2012, where he accompanies the Cathedral's liturgy on the great Father Willis Organ. He received his musical education as a chorister at Hereford Cathedral under Dr Roy Massey and Geraint Bowen, and as an Organ Scholar at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, and St John’s College, Cambridge; at St John’s, under the directorship of Andrew Nethsingha, he played the organ for services, concerts, recordings, broadcasts, tours, and four critically-acclaimed recordings on the Chandos label. He studied the organ with David Briggs, Jeremy Filsell, Mark Williams, and the late David Sanger, and obtained his Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists in 2008. In addition to his duties at the Cathedral, John is active as an organ teacher and recitalist. Between January and March 2017, John acted as Director of Music at St John's College, Cambridge, during the sabbatical of the College's full-time Director of Music, Andrew Nethsingha. During this time, the world-famous choir undertook numerous high-profile engagements, including a BBC Radio 3 live broadcast of Choral Evensong on Ash Wednesday.

In April 2015, John’s début solo organ CD, ‘Elgar from Salisbury’, was released under the Regent label, and features transcriptions of Elgar’s orchestral and instrumental works on the Father Willis Organ, including John’s own transcription of Elgar’s Prelude to ‘The Kingdom’. The recording was awarded five stars by Choir & Organ Magazine, and received enthusiastic reviews in the American Record Review, Hi-Fi Plus, Church Music Quarterly, and on Classic FM. Roger Judd, writing for FCM’s Cathedral Music wrote that ‘it would be difficult to imagine a more auspicious début CD’, whilst Andrew Fletcher wrote for Organists’ Review: ‘there is nothing I can say that can begin to convey the technical brilliance, artistry, musicality and seemingly effortless organ management of John Challenger. If you love the Salisbury organ (and who wouldn’t?) and adore Elgar (and who doesn’t?), here is a match made in heaven. Flawless! Phenomenal!’

Tracklist:
01. Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068: II. Air (Arr. for Organ)
02. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, BWV 147 (Arr. for Organ)
03. Chanson de Matin, Op. 15 No. 2 (Arr. for Organ)
04. Adagio for Strings & Organ in G Minor (Arr. for Organ)
05. Sheep May Safely Graze, BWV 208 (Arr. for Organ)
06. Berenice, HWV 38: Minuet
07. Sicilienne
08. Water Music Suite No. 1 in F Major, HWV 348: VI. Air
09. Carnival of the Animals, R. 125: XIII. The Swan (Arr. for Organ)
10. Salut d'Amour, Op. 12 (Arr. for Organ)
11. Chanson de Nuit, Op. 15 No. 1 (Arr. for Organ)
12. Three Preludes on Welsh Hymn Tunes: II. Rhosymedre
13. Ten Woodland Sketches, Op. 51: No. 1. To A Wild Rose (Arr. for Organ)
14. Sonata in A Major, Op. 56 No. 3: II. Andante tranquillo
15. Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen
16. Suite Gothique, Op. 25: III. Prière à Notre-Dame


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