What the press says

TOWER POWER REVIEWS

American Guild of Organists Jan 2010

William Saunders currently holds positions as assistant director of music at Ipswich School and St. Maryle-Tower Civic Church in Ipswich. He here presents a lively, colorful program, mostly transcriptions of English repertoire. These include the Capriol Suite of Peter Warlock, Symphony No. 4 by William Boyce, “Antiphon” from Five Mystical Songs and “Alia Sarabanda” from Phantasy Quintet for Strings by Vaughan Williams, Percy Grainger’s perky Handel in the Strand, Country Gardens, and Irish Tune from County Deny, Gerald Finzi’s elegiac Prelude, and an abridged arrangement of Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance No. 1. Abrief, polytonal Prelude on Dominus Regit Me was composed by Michael Nicholas (who also wrote the program notes) for William Saunders, particularly for this recording. Arthur Wills’s Etheldreda Rag, composed in the style of Scott Joplin, is based on a plainsong for St. Etheldreda. It provides a moment of humorous levity. Michael Nicholas joins Mr. Saunders in a brilliant, exciting performance of Rutter’s Variations on an Easter Theme. The program opens with a work only loosely connected to England: Guilmant’s March upon Handel’s Lift Up Your Heads. Saunders is a strong, technically proficient player whose performances are distinguished by a fine sense of style, lithe rhythmic gestures, and well-defined phrasing and articulation. The instrument, located in a generous acoustical environment, is voiced boldly, though its ensembles sometimes seeming rather strident. These energized, musically gratifying performances of appealing repertoire will delight the listener.

Organists’ Review May 2009

I have to admit to a moment of musical snobbery – when I first saw the programme of this CD, I dismissed it as lightweight with lots of arrangements. Then I looked again, and listened to the CD, and promptly corrected my opinion. True, this is not a programme for the organ highbrow, but it is an admirable advertisement for the organ as a musical instrument and for the player as a communicator. The Guilmant March is taken at about metronome 120 – a proper quick march tempo – and is played with precision and élan. The arrangement of the Capriol Suite is transcribed by the recitalist from the piano version by Maurice Jacobson: it combines all the charm of the original with imaginative use of the organ. The Boyce symphonies sit well on the organ and Arthur Hutchings’ arrangement preserves the bright idiom of the three movements, Allegro, Vivace ma non troppo and Gavot. The next eight tracks alternate between cheerful and thoughtful, then comes John Rutter’s set of seven variations on the Easter hymn O filii et filiae for organ duet, unfamiliar to me until now but an enjoyable showpiece for two organists. The recital ends with William McVicker’s transcription of the Land of Hope and Glory march, somewhat abbreviated, but a rousing finish to what Michael Nicholas aptly describes in his programme notes as an “unusually colourful and varied programme”.

The organ is a comprehensive three-manual, its history given in the booklet. William Saunders’ playing is excellent and the whole disc does what it sets out to do – give pleasure. I can think of few recitals which would more readily persuade the sceptic that listening to the organ can be really enjoyable.

Richard Popple

Choir and Organ March/April 2009

**** – Very good
The organ acquired its present character in 1964, under Henry Willis IV. One hopes that this engaging combination of colourful instrument and brilliant performer will soon be heard again, but in a programme of mainstream organ music. Most of the numbers are transcriptions (one by Saunders himself) of 20th-century English music (Elgar, Finzi, Grainger, Vaughan Williams and Warlock), Boyce’s Symphony in F being the delightful odd man out. Of the original works, the one by Michael Nicholas, a prelude on “Dominus regit me,” is the most arresting: it whets one’s appetite for a suite of such things.

Relf Clark

DIGNITY AND IMPUDENCE REVIEWS

Organists’ Review Editors Choice May 2008 – full review

This is a superlative CD that should be on every organ music lover’s shelf. William’s playing is quite astounding: musicality, flawless technique and mindboggling organ management come together in a diverse programme that shows both the dignity and impudence of composer, performer and the Redcliffe organ. Registrations are imaginative, often unusual, but always highly effective. He even managed to find something akin to the Kinura (theatre-organ speak)! The playing is inspired and inspiring and the literature both known and unknown. I suspect many of us will be searching out Lynnwood Farnham’s Toccata (Theodore Presser, $7.95, available from all good music shops (MDS)). The Steel Six Pieces of 1967 (dedicated to Basil Ramsey) were published by Novello in 1975 and have immediate appeal, harmonically, melodically and rhythmically. Intrada is an essay in sumptuous chords (he was a pupil of Hindemith), the catchy Flourish is based on syncopated rhythms and ‘blue’ notes, Nocturne echoes slow movements of Langlais, Dance is rich with chord shifts and false relations (a sort of 20th-century Purcell) and Postlude pure Malcolm Arnold! Perhaps less satisfying for me is a rather ‘ordinary’ Meditation. Hollins’s Maytime Gavotte is a definite ‘must’ for those of us who like ‘immediate appeal’ (i.e. ‘tacky’) encores – all those pieces we weren’t supposed to like or play when I was a lad. The Intermezzo in D flat is attractive but less significant. My love of Whitlock’s music is no secret, and it’s a great joy to have such a fine account of the Four Transcriptions by Malcolm Riley (Banks). While the pieces stand on their own, the opening five bars of Fanfare also introduce the emotive March ‘Dignity and Impudence’ which uses Pomp & Circumstance No.4 as its model (hence Dignity and Impudence!). These enclose the poignant song To Phoebe (shades of Elgar 2) and the moving “Elegy” from the Symphony in G minor. The Harwood First Sonata is very clean (especially impressive are those tricky broken chord flourishes in the first movement), though perhaps a little four-square for my tastes, and I was aching for the Great Reeds some time before they made their appearance in the coda of the third movement, but this is a minor quibble alongside the glories that abound! Congratulations, William, on a very fine and persuasive performance! Congratulations also to Gary Cole who has created a very integrated sound and produced a most readable and informative booklet.  

“It is great to hear the organ in St Mary’s Redcliffe. A complete history of the instrument and its specification are given in the CD booklet. William Saunders playing complements this fine instrument and the impressive ecclesiastical setting.This is a great CD that explores some little known repertoire.”

Andrew Fletcher

 

RSCM Church Music Quarterly June 2008

“William Saunders performs with fiery relish….clearly he is a young man with the drive and talent to go a long way.”

Association of Anglican Musicians Feb 2008

“Here is an absolutely delightful recital of genuine rarities…The very wide dynamic range is expertly captured by the always-reliable Gary Cole with never a trace of distortion.”