If you need a high voltage shot of musical energy, through the spontaneous inspiration of improvisation, here's your chance!
David Briggs writes: "On 26th April 2003, my friend of nearly 40 years, the uniquely-talented Wayne Marshall and I joined forces for one of our epic 'Battle of the Organs' concerts, this time at Blackburn Cathedral, UK. The concert finished with a 19-minute improvised Concerto for Organ and Piano. The recording has remained under a bushel for 17 years, but last month Wayne remastered it and we're both very excited indeed to propose it to you here!
The sparks certainly flew that night, especially in this improv. on three well-known Easter Hymns ('Jesus Christ is risen today', 'Ye Choirs of New Jerusalem' and 'Thine be the Glory'). Listening back, it's marvelous to relive the sheer exhilaration of that concert - there's certainly an amazing energy, where we seem to spark immediate sonic reactions from the other! For me, this is 'real' music making. The sound world is perhaps rather like a wild Parisian party in the 1930's, with limitless Gauloises, garlic-drenched snails and freely-flowing Bordeaux, when Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Bartok, Rachmaninoff, Gershwin, Dupré and Cochereau all stayed out rather too late, with things getting just a tad animated 😎.
We prelude the improv. with a 14 min. Zoom interview, recorded at our relative abodes in New York City and Valetta, Malta, this morning, which we hope you will find entertaining and, maybe, mildly thought-provoking!
We both retain very close links indeed to the UK and have many cherished musician friends there, many of whom have had their lives completely overturned by the financial and emotional consequences of Covid-19. Wayne and I would like to do ALL WE CAN, right now, to help our colleagues during this unprecedented and unstable time. If (as we really hope) you are inspired by this Concerto, we hope you will consider making a donation to our appeal to raise at least £10,000 (over a two week period) to support musicians who have temporarily lost their livelihoods. If 1000 people were to donate £10, we would be home and dry. But no amount is too small (or, indeed too large!). We both thank you from the bottoms of our hearts for your generosity.
Please donate as generously as you are able, at: [ Ссылка ]
'Help Musicians' is an extraordinary charity with a unique history. Marking 100 years in operation in 2021, we are still hard at work providing help, support and opportunities to empower musicians at all stages of their lives.
We love music, and we aim to make a meaningful difference to the lives of musicians. The wide spectrum of support we offer includes an integrated programme combining Health & Welfare services with Creative development funding, ground-breaking research, a mental health helpline for the entire music industry and an incredibly popular hearing health scheme.
With a head office in London's Kings Cross and regional offices in Belfast and Glasgow, we continue reaching out to ensure we engage with the music profession right across the UK and amongst all genres of music.
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