The Organ Music of Ronald Law Kevin Bowyer

• Ronald Law (b. 1947): 4 Voluntaries:
• 1 Law: 4 Voluntaries: No. 1, Et expecto 01:50
• 2 Law: 4 Voluntaries: No. 2, River Pastoral 01:34
• 3 Law: 4 Voluntaries: No. 3, Song 01:07
• 4 Law: 4 Voluntaries: No. 4, Paean & Air 02:19
• 3 Christmas Pieces:
• 5 Law: 3 Christmas Pieces: No. 1, Rocking 01:26
• 6 Law: 3 Christmas Pieces: No. 2, Es ist ein Ros 01:49
• 7 Law: 3 Christmas Pieces: No. 3, Piece on Four Legs 01:40
• Varied Pieces for Service Use:
• 8 Law: Varied Pieces for Service Use: No. 1, Chorale 01:29
• 9 Law: Varied Pieces for Service Use: No. 2, Recessional 01:16
• 10 Law: Varied Pieces for Service Use: No. 3, Blue Elegy 01:37
• 11 Law: Varied Pieces for Service Use: No. 4, Toccatina 01:17
• 12 Law: Varied Pieces for Service Use: No. 5, Lied 01:37
• 13 Law: Varied Pieces for Service Use: No. 6, Sortie 01:45
• Prelude, Interlude & Toccata:
• 14 Law: Prelude, Interlude & Toccata: I. Prelude 01:06
• 15 Law: Prelude, Interlude & Toccata: II. Interlude 02:16
• 16 Law: Prelude, Interlude & Toccata: III. Toccata 01:37
• Pedals ad lib:
• 17 Law: Pedals ad lib: I. Prelude & Short Fugue 01:45
• 18 Law: Pedals ad lib: II. Gradual 00:42
• 19 Law: Pedals ad lib: III. Scherzo on Tiptoe 00:46
• 20 Law: Pedals ad lib: IV. Recession 00:45
• 21 Law: Pedals ad lib: V. Offertoire 01:17
• 22 Law: Pedals ad lib: VI. Carillon 00:53
• 23 Law: Pedals ad lib: VII. Hymn 00:37
• Moods of the Mass:
• 24 Law: Moods of the Mass: I. Kyrie 01:11
• 25 Law: Moods of the Mass: II. Gloria 01:09
• 26 Law: Moods of the Mass: III. Credo 01:23
• 27 Law: Moods of the Mass: IV. Crucifixus 01:36
• 28 Law: Moods of the Mass: V. Et resurrexit 01:23
• 29 Law: Moods of the Mass: VI. Sanctus 01:22
• 30 Law: Moods of the Mass: VII. Agnus Dei 01:40
• 3 Variations on "Liebster Jesu":
• 31 Law: 3 Variations on "Liebster Jesu": Var. 1 01:08
• 32 Law: 3 Variations on "Liebster Jesu": Var. 2 01:11
• 33 Law: 3 Variations on "Liebster Jesu": Var. 3 00:47
• Recent Transcriptions from Ensemble Pieces:
• 34 Law: Recent Transcriptions from Ensemble Pieces: No. 1, Hard Road 02:03
• 35 Law: Recent Transcriptions from Ensemble Pieces: No. 2, Passacaglia of Time 02:42
• 36 Law: Recent Transcriptions from Ensemble Pieces: No. 3, Berceuse 02:00
• 37 Law: Recent Transcriptions from Ensemble Pieces: No. 4, Lullaby 02:22
• 38 Law: Recent Transcriptions from Ensemble Pieces: No. 5, Blue Dawn 01:18
• 39 Law: Recent Transcriptions from Ensemble Pieces: No. 6, Pastiche. Thomas's Measure 01:04
• Sad Piece for Fritz:
• 40 Law: Sad Piece for Fritz 03:20
• 2 Fusions:
• 41 Law: 2 Fusions: No. 1, Jazz Trio 01:28
• 42 Law: 2 Fusions: No. 2, Fugal Rag 01:28
• Chaconne & Celebration:
• 43 Law: Chaconne & Celebration: I. Chaconne 02:27
• 44 Law: Chaconne & Celebration: II. Celebration 01:35
• Total Runtime 01:07:07

Info for The Organ Music of Ronald Law

After graduating in Music at Birmingham University, Ronald Law embarked on an extremely varied musical career. He has been in charge of Music at two Secondary schools for thirty years, building up a wide range of orchestras, ensembles and choirs. He has been Organist and Choirmaster at two churches. He has undertaken Choral Conducting, latterly accompanying choirs ranging from a Madrigal Group which grew into a capable Chamber Choir to a Church Choir, a School Choir, two large Societies, and even a Male Voice Choir.

He has composed a large volume of music for all these choirs and ensembles in a variety of styles, and has always championed the amateur music maker, writing music in an approachable style, sometimes with a faint Jazz influence. A recording and a later performance of his Requiem Mass by Glasgow University Chapel Choir led to an enquiry from Kevin Bowyer asking for organ music, resulting in this Priory recording.

Kevin Bowyer, Willis organ of Glasgow University

Kevin Bowyer
was born in Southend-on-Sea (East Anglia) in 1961. He studied with Christopher Bowers-Broadbent, David Sanger, Virginia Black and Paul Steinitz. Fame came to the musician following wins at five international organ competitions. In 1987 after the world premiere of Kaikhosru Sorabji’s two-hour solo Symphony for Organ (1924) – a work considered “impossible to perform” ever since its publication in 1925 – Bowyer had established a strong reputation as a brilliant performer of contemporary music and music of extreme technical complexity. In 2010 he performed another work by Sorabji for the first time – Second Symphony for Organ (1929–1932). The premiere took place in Glasgow and Amsterdam and the concerts lasted almost nine hours. He recently completed a critical edition of Sorabji’s complete organ works, a thousand-page project that occupied him almost full time for six years (2008–2014).

At home the musician frequently performs at the most prestigious concert halls and appears at festivals, performing both recitals and together with orchestras. Tours have brought him acclaim in Europe, North America, Australia and Japan.

The organist has released a great number of recordings, many of which have won various awards. These include many landmark recordings of contemporary music as well as the complete organ music of Bach (on twenty-nine CDs) and music by Alkan, Brahms, Schumann, Reubke, Hindemith, Schoenberg, Messiaen and Alain. Jonathan Wearn, writing in MusicWeb International, described Bowyer as “one of the world’s hardiest and most formidable virtuosos” and Gramophone magazine described him as “unique”.

Kevin Bowyer lectures and gives masterclasses. He is staff organist of the University of Glasgow.

This album contains no booklet.