Simon Johnson in Las Palmas

I’ve never been to St Paul’s Cathedral. Next time I’m in London I should drop in, knowing that Simon Johnson plays organ there. In the meantime, Timur and I went to see him in the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus. I was quite impressed by Johnson’s understated virtuosity and by the sheer diversity of the program. For me, A fancie by William Byrd, Bach’s Liebster Jesu, and Elegy by George Thalben-Ball were the highlights.

The acoustics and the organ here must be not as great as in St Paul’s, I’ll give you that. On the other hand, I can see the Atlantic ocean directly from the auditorium. I prefer that to whatever cathedral. With tickets as cheap (a bargain at €7), you’d expect the place to be packed, but no. In Canarias, there are other priorities, especially during the Carnival.

Simon Johnson, organ Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Sunday, 26 February 2017, 12:30

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685—1750) Prelude and Fugue in A minor (BWV 543) Johann Sebastian Bach From Orgelbüchlein: Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier (BWV 633) Simon Johnson (1975) From the Orgelbüchlein project: Wohl dem, der in Gottes Furcht steht (No 87) William Byrd (c. 1542—1623) A fancie (from My Ladye Nevell’s Booke) Herbert Howells (1892—1983) Master Tallis’s Testament (from Six Pieces) Charles Villiers Stanford (1852—1924) Fantasia and Toccata in D minor George Thalben-Ball (1896—1987) Elegy Julius Reubke (1834—1858) Introduction and Fugue (from the Sonata on the 94th Psalm in C minor)