David Briggs improvises on world class organs in France, the United States and Italy Chestnut 006
1. Variations on Alouette, gentile Alouette (14:22)
Eglise St Vincent, Roquevaire, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
17th October 2008
Four Concert Improvisations
Luther College, Decorah, Iowa
2nd March 2008
Improvisations in the style of:
2. J S Bach (6:53)
3. Felix Mendelssohn (4:30)
4. Maurice Ravel (10:00)
5. David Briggs (3:30)
6. Improvisation on My Old Kentucky Home (9:15)
Danville Presbyterian Church, Kentucky, USA
Tuesday 8th April 2008
7. Improvisation: Homage à Jean Langlais (5:00)
Basilica Santa Maggiore, Bergamo, Italy
Bergamo International Organ Festival, Italy
10th October 2007
Three Liturgical Improvisations from St Sulpice, Paris
September 2002
New Delos CD Recording on the Largest Church Organ in the World!
First Congregational Church, Los Angeles, California DELOS 3241
Improvisation: Prelude, Adagio and Chorale Variations 'Ein feste burg ist unser Gott'
Coronation March 'Orb and Sceptre', Walton
Nocturne (from 'Shylock'), Faure
Will o' the Wisp, Nevin
Carillon de Westminster, Vierne
Sonata on the 94th Psalm, Reubke
(with nearly 300 stops, including 8 32s, 81 ranks of strings, 6 ranks of Chamades [one of which is on 35 inches wind!], 2 five-manual consoles, etc, it's hardly surprising that they have earthquake problems in Los Angeles...)
"You are an absolute champagne ... creative, exciting and of a hugely high musical level ... "
(Amelia Heygood, President, Delos International, LA)
"An outstanding job... I am particularly impressed with the smoothness of this effort; every improviser pulls out practised routines, but here it seems natural and fitting. And the Cochereau legacy is unmistakable... Briggs does it proud"
(American Record Guide)
"Your reading of the 94th Psalm is frankly the best I think we will ever get - I contacted Delos and asked them 'more, please' ..."
(John Lumb, Music Critic, Washington D.C.)
The First Commercial Recording of The Rebuilt Organ of Gloucester Cathedral PRCD 685
Variations de Concert, Bonnet
Priere, Franck
Scherzo, Durufle
Four movements from 'Messe pour les Paroisses' Couperin
Fantasia and Fugue in G minor, J S Bach
Chorale Prelude on 'Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier'
Chorale Prelude 'Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend', J S Bach
Fantaisie in E flat, Saint-Saens
Litanies, Alain
Variations on "A la venue de Noel", Pierre Cochereau
"...Briggs is on cracking form: don't pigeon-hole him as a player of French repertoire or a modern French-type improviser: his Bach playing is up with the best, and his romantic British legato style quite delicious... The programme shows how effective this Downes-designed organ can be in a broad range of repertoire..."
(Organists' Review, August 2000)
"David Briggs has already established a reputation as a fine recitalist and transcriber of orchestral scores for organ, as witnessed on previous Priory releases. As the title of the disc suggests, here he is given free reign to display his considerable versatility in a programme designed to show off the 4 manual HNB organ recently rebuilt by Nicholson and Co.
Judging by the thoroughly authentic voice given to works as diverse as Couperin's Messe pour les paroisses, featuring a combination of reeds which I can hardly believe do not originate from France, and a transcription of Cochereau's breathtaking Variations on "A la venue de Noel", Gloucester should be feeling a city duly proud of its revitalised organ. Briggs introduces his enviable credentials in Bonnet's 'Variations de Concert', a work of fiendish difficulty for both hands and feet, but which for him holds no terrors. His mastery over orchestral splashes of colour comes to the fore in Durufle's 'Scherzo'... he delivers Bach's towering G minor Fantasia with exemplary style and articulation and is obviously in his element in the brilliant, feverishly rhythmic Cochereau Variations. In short, a splendid disc"
(Five-star rating, BBC Music Magazine, August 2000)
David Briggs Plays the Organ of Blackburn Cathedral LAMM 164D
Entrée Grand Orgue, Cochereau
Scherzo Symphonique, Cochereau
Choral No.1, Franck
Symphonie en Improvisation, Briggs
Messe Alme Pater, Langlais
Incantation pour un jour Saint, Langlais
Attende Domine, Demessieux
Allegro Deciso, Dupré
"...Unlike many improvisers (and certainly unlike his hero, Cochereau), Briggs is a self-effacing interpreter - his personality never gets in the way of the composer's. When it comes to his own improvisations it is quite a different story! The richly inventive and deeply satisfying 20-minute symphonic improvisation conceived on the spot at the end of the (single evening's) recording session is a case in point ... no-one else in the world sounds like this. What impresses almost the most is the sense that, like Dupré, Briggs can think in huge spans ... Only the greatest of improvisers can think in such perfectly structured forms; the rest of us can just gasp in admiration - and enjoy."
(Organists' Review, August 2004)
Including Final (from the Third Symphony), Saint-Saens (arr. DJB),
Lied Symphony, Flor Peeters,
Le Banquet Celeste, Messiaen,
Passacaglia and Fugue on BACH, Karg-Elert,
Improvisation on 'Salve Regina'
Available only from David Briggs
