Ipswich Hibernation Improv 3: Elégie Romantique
This five-minute, improvised 'Elegy' is dedicated to each person who has lost someone very dear to their heart, to all who grieve, as a result of this global pandemic. There are many, many hundreds of thousands, world-wide, but this piece is dedicated to each individual whose life has been suddenly overturned. The benevolent presence of St Luke, in the beautiful Ascension Church stained glass, is as if to say thank you for the many thousands who have been saved, during these past weeks, through the wonders of modern medicine and the intense compassion and skill of doctors and nurses on the front lines.
I feel beyond grateful to have daily access to the fantastic 1973 C B Fisk organ (Opus 62), here in Ipswich, Massachusetts, where we are hiding away during these extraordinary and unprecedented times. This improvisation features the glorious combined 8fts of this instrument, which resonate with all the warmth and expressivity of the strings of the nearby Boston Symphony. Just think ... only four stops... it's unique! Thank you, Charles Fisk, for creating this masterpiece.
Ascension Memorial Church is a safe and deliciously calming environment, currently pervaded by limitless social distancing, loads of hot water, soap and wipes for the keys, not to mention hundreds of angels. I'm deeply grateful to be practicing there for 4-5 hours, each day. Paradise!
More in a couple of days: 'Prelude and Fugue in the style of J S Bach' - and please stay safe and well.
