Reviews

Organ Prom: Victoria Hall, Hanley Saturday 13th January 2007

Review from The Sentinel Monday 15th January 2007




TEACHER'S MASTERCLASS
Paul Carr is a full-time classroom teacher at a Dudley Primary School who travels the world giving organ concerts. And Carr, who played Saturday's Organ Prom in Hanley, made a thoroughly good job of it. He not only put the Victoria Hall's magnificent instrument - built in 1888 and enlarged by the formidable Henry Willis in 1922 - through its paces, but he chose a most interesting programme and spoke just enough about it to keep the recital interesting.

Carr's opener was strong and noisy as he caught and exploited all the tunes and colours of Johann Strauss the Younger's Die Fledermaus overture in an arrangement that Carr had made himself.

Then three of the numerous pieces for musical clocks composed by Haydn helped restore the audience's adrenalin flow to more reasonable proportions.

Another arrangement, this time by WT Best of the Rakoczi Match from Berlioz's cantata La Damnation de Faust, set the pulses running again and curiously made an appropriate prelude to Five Short Pieces by the British composer Percy Whitlock.

These, especially Folk Tune, were charming, and the concluding Paean showed off an electrifying Tuba Mirabilis. Whitlock is an unjustly neglected composer; we should hear more of his music.

Fantasie on two English Melodies - written by that doyen of Parisian organists, Alexandre Guilmant - was pleasing to the ear, particularly the part themed on Home Sweet Home.

There followed another Paul Carr arrangement, this one of Rachmaninov's Vocalise, a piece composed, as the title implies, for voice without words.

A sprightly performance of Dvorak's Hungarian Dance No 1, in the David Briggs arrangement, rang down the curtain save for the encore, which ushered out the recital as it had been ushered in - by another bright sample of music from Vienna, this time the Radetzky March.

Eric Snape (The Sentinel)

Sunday Afternoon Organ Music
at Holy Trinity Parish Church, Wordsley

April 2007

A good-sized audience enjoyed another excellent programme on Sunday 1^st April. Paul Carr, as always, was on top form with his performance of Vierne's sublime fourth symphony. Also included in the afternoon concert was the Fanfare in D by Lemmens, expertly accomplished. (Stourbridge News) 

September 2006

Paul's skilled and masterly transcriptions for organ bring absolute delight to all that are privileged to see and listen.     
                                                                                                                                                (Stourbridge News)

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Midlands' virtuoso organist Paul Carr will celebrate a musical milestone on Sunday 4^th November, when he plays his 50^th concert of Sunday Afternoon Organ Music at Holy Trinity Parish Church, Wordsley.

Since 2003 Paul has thrilled audiences on the first Sunday of each month with his 45-minute concerts of organ music ranging from well-known orchestral transcriptions, such as the William Tell Overture, to complete organ symphonies by Widor.  A large video image is projected showing Paul in action at the 3-keyboard, 44-stop console.

Paul, whose 2008 engagements include concerts at Blenheim Palace, Rochdale Town Hall and Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, said "I was delighted to be invited to start my series in Wordsley four years ago. Playing the organ is the best thing in the world and it is fabulous to be able to share this each month. Our audience has grown, often including people who have travelled from miles around. Holy Trinity Church is blessed with a fine instrument which is bracing itself for the next 50 concerts!"

The concert, entitled 'Organ Fireworks' kicks off at 3.00pm with the American March by Widor and will include a jazzy Blues Chorale by Kiefer and other pieces by Reger, Duruflé and Langlais. Admission is free.