Christmas Bells: Organ Music from Belfast Cathedral Matthew Owens

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): Canonic Variations on ‘Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her’, BWV 769a:
• 1 Bach: Canonic Variations on ‘Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her’, BWV 769a: I. Variation I 01:50
• 2 Bach: Canonic Variations on ‘Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her’, BWV 769a: II. Variation II 01:33
• 3 Bach: Canonic Variations on ‘Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her’, BWV 769a: III. Variation III 03:02
• 4 Bach: Canonic Variations on ‘Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her’, BWV 769a: IV. Variation IV 02:57
• 5 Bach: Canonic Variations on ‘Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her’, BWV 769a: V. Variation V 03:27
• Alexandre Guilmant (1937 - 1911):
• 6 Guilmant: Livre de Noëls, Op. 60: II. Introduction et Variations sur un Ancien Noël Polonais 04:16
• Philip Moore (b. 1943):
• 7 Moore: A Fugal Flourish on Personent Hodie 03:52
• Louis-Claude Daquin (1694 - 1772):
• 8 Daquin: Nouveau Livre de Noëls: XII. Noël Suisse 04:50
• Matthew Owens (b. 1971):
• 9 Owens: Prelude on ‘Yorkshire’ 03:58
• Johann Gottfried Walther (1684 - 1748): Partita ‘Lobt Gott, ihr Christen, allzugleich’:
• 10 Walther: Partita ‘Lobt Gott, ihr Christen, allzugleich’: I. Partita I 00:51
• 11 Walther: Partita ‘Lobt Gott, ihr Christen, allzugleich’: II. Partita II 01:07
• 12 Walther: Partita ‘Lobt Gott, ihr Christen, allzugleich’: III. Partita III 01:02
• 13 Walther: Partita ‘Lobt Gott, ihr Christen, allzugleich’: IV. Partita IV 00:50
• 14 Walther: Partita ‘Lobt Gott, ihr Christen, allzugleich’: V. Partita V 00:55
• 15 Walther: Partita ‘Lobt Gott, ihr Christen, allzugleich’: VI. Partita VI 01:24
• 16 Walther: Partita ‘Lobt Gott, ihr Christen, allzugleich’: VII. Partita VII 01:16
• 17 Walther: Partita ‘Lobt Gott, ihr Christen, allzugleich’: VIII. Partita VIII 00:56
• Flor Peeters (1903 - 1986):
• 18 Peeters: 30 Chorale Preludes, Op. 70: III. Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her 02:16
• Philip Moore:
• 19 Moore: Prelude on Irby 03:20
• Philip Wilby (b. 1949):
• 20 Wilby: Ding Dong! Merrily on High 02:02
• Gary Davison (b. 1961): Seven Versets on Divinum Mysterium:
• 21 Davison: Seven Versets on Divinum Mysterium: I. Verset I 00:55
• 22 Davison: Seven Versets on Divinum Mysterium: II. Verset II 01:19
• 23 Davison: Seven Versets on Divinum Mysterium: III. Verset III 02:34
• 24 Davison: Seven Versets on Divinum Mysterium: IV. Verset IV 01:32
• 25 Davison: Seven Versets on Divinum Mysterium: V. Verset V 00:51
• 26 Davison: Seven Versets on Divinum Mysterium: Verset VI 03:56
• 27 Davison: Seven Versets on Divinum Mysterium: VII. Verset VII 02:23
• Alexandre Guilmant:
• 28 Guilmant: Livre de Noëls, Op. 60: I. Noël Écossais 04:24
• Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886):
• 29 Liszt: Weinnachtsbaum, S.186: III. Die Hirten an der Krippe (In dulci jubilo) 03:48
• Flor Peeters:
• 30 Peeters: Ten Chorale Preludes, Op. 68: VII. Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern 03:39
• Howard Skempton (b. 1947):
• 31 Skempton: Christmas Bells 02:13
• Garth Edmundson (1892 - 1971):
• 32 Edmundson: Christus Advenit (Second Christmas Suite): IV. Toccata on Vom Himmel hoch 04:53
• Total Runtime 01:18:11

Info for Christmas Bells: Organ Music from Belfast Cathedral

For this recording Organist Matthew Owens presents a diverse recital of some of the greatest Christmas music ever written for the instrument. Traditional tunes, whether Lutheran chorales, plainchant, French noëls, or medieval carols, have provided the inspiration for much Christmas organ music throughout the years, with much of this programme made up of pieces based on such tunes, from J.S. Bach’s Canonic variations on Vom Himmel hoch to Louis-Claude Daquin’s Noël Suisse.

This recital also draws on more contemporary sources and presents several world premiere recordings including Howard Skempton’s Christmas Bells and Gary Davison’s Seven Versets on Divinum Mysterium, both of which were written specially for this recording.

Matthew Owens, organ

Matthew Owens
became Organist and Master of the Choristers of Wells Cathedral in January 2005, having previously been Organist and Master of the Music at St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh, and Sub Organist of Manchester Cathedral. In addition to being responsible for the 1100 year old tradition of daily sung worship at Wells Cathedral, Matthew has toured, broadcast, and recorded extensively with Wells Cathedral Choir. Matthew is the Founder Artistic Director of three initiatives at Wells: Cathedral Commissions, a scheme which commissions new works from pre-eminent British composers; the cathedral’s innovative festival, new music wells; and its counterpart, Early Music Wells.

Matthew was educated at Chetham’s School of Music; The Queen’s College, Oxford; the Royal Northern College of Music; and the Sweelinck Conservatorium, Amsterdam. His major organ studies were with Gordon Stewart, Margaret Phillips, and Jacques van Oortmerssen. From 1994-99, he was Tutor in Organ Studies at the RNCM and Chetham’s, and worked for BBC Religious Broadcasting; he was Conductor of The Exon Singers from 1997-2011, and President of the Cathedral Organists' Association from 2010-13.

He is Musical Director of the Wells Cathedral Oratorio Society, a chorus of over 150 singers with which he has performed many major works by J.S. Bach, Brahms, Britten, Elgar, Fauré, Handel, Purcell, Rutter, Vaughan Williams, Verdi and Vivaldi, with some of the south of England’s leading professional orchestras. Matthew has directed choral workshops and summer schools throughout the UK and abroad – including recent visits to Australia, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, New Zealand, and the USA – and has made over thirty recordings as a conductor with major labels including Hyperion, Signum, and Resonus Classics.

As an organist, Matthew has given recitals in Australia, France, Ireland, Spain, Switzerland, New Zealand, the USA, and throughout the UK, including many festival appearances, and at venues such as St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Cathedral, and St John’s Smith Square, and is currently performing the complete works of Bach at Wells Cathedral over a series of thirty-six recitals. He has championed new music, particularly of British composers, conducting over 180 world premieres, including works by leading composers ranging from Jools Holland to Sir James MacMillan, and John Rutter to Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. As a composer himself, he is published by Oxford University Press and Novello.

Booklet for Christmas Bells: Organ Music from Belfast Cathedral