Passacaglia on a theme of Benjamin Britten and other organ works Simon Passmore

• Richard Pantcheff (b. 1959):
• 1 Pantcheff: Passacaglia on a Theme of Benjamin Britten 09:58
• A Sequence for St George:
• 2 Pantcheff: A Sequence for St George I …for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven 03:27
• 3 Pantcheff: A Sequence for St George II ...for they shall inherit the earth 03:11
• 4 Pantcheff: A Sequence for St George III ...for they shall be comforted 03:09
• 5 Pantcheff: A Sequence for St George IV ...for they shall be filled 02:50
• 6 Pantcheff: A Sequence for St George V ...for they shall obtain mercy 03:11
• 7 Pantcheff: A Sequence for St George VI ...for they shall see God 02:21
• 8 Pantcheff: A Sequence for St George VII ...for they shall be called children of God 03:02
• 9 Pantcheff: A Sequence for St George VIII...for he is the Lord our God 02:41
• 10 Pantcheff: A Sequence for St George IX ...for they shall have joy 02:18
• 11 Pantcheff: A Sequence for St George X ...for great is your reward in heaven 02:40
• 12 Pantcheff: A Sequence for St George XI ...for thou shalt eat the labours of thine hands 03:17
• 13 Pantcheff: A Sequence for St George XII ...for his mercy endureth for ever 03:45
• Chorale Prelude:
• 14 Pantcheff: Chorale Prelude – ‘Werde munter, mein Gemuete’ 02:49
• Trio Sonata No. 1:
• 15 Pantcheff: Trio Sonata No. 1 - I 04:09
• 16 Pantcheff: Trio Sonata No. 1 - II 04:29
• 17 Pantcheff: Trio Sonanta No. 1 - III 03:41
• Voces Organi:
• 18 Pantcheff: Voces Organi - Advent 04:53
• 19 Pantcheff: Voces Organi - Christmas 03:48
• 20 Pantcheff: Voces Organi - Lent 05:47
• 21 Pantcheff: Voces Organi - Easter 03:12
• 22 Pantcheff: Voces Organi - Pentecost 03:28
• 23 Pantcheff: Voces Organi - Trinity 04:16
• Two Short Pieces for Organ:
• 24 Pantcheff: Two Short Pieces for Organ - I 02:12
• 25 Pantcheff: Two Short Pieces for Organ - II 03:17
• Total Runtime 01:31:51

Info for Passacaglia on a theme of Benjamin Britten and other organ works

The re-emergence of a fragment of manuscript in Britten's own handwriting (a theme written for Jean Langlais to improvise upon), unseen for over fifty years, prompted composer Richard Pantcheff to write a Passacaglia on a Theme of Benjamin Britten for organ, in honour of the composer. The work, based on the Langlais theme, was written also in response to a request from organist Jane Parker-Smith for a new organ work for the Britten 100 festival in 2013.

The highly successful premiere of the work was given by Jane Parker-Smith in Essen Cathedral on 11th September 2013. This in turn led the composer to suggest to Prima Facie Records that the work should be recorded. Other recent works for organ by Richard Pantcheff are also included on the resulting CD, amongst which is the composer's contribution to the outstanding Orgelbuechlein Project, in which contemporary composers complete the Chorale Preludes of the Orgelbuechlein left uncomposed by J.S.Bach at the time of his death. Richard Pantcheff's Chorale Prelude on 'Werde munter, mein Gemuete' was premiered by Jem Stephenson on the organ of Westminster Abbey in December 2018. Other recent works appearing on this release include A Sequence for St. George, written for the inauguration of the new Rieger organ at St. George's Anglican Church in Johannesburg, South Africa. This work, like the later Voces Organi (also included here) is a longer work comprising a number of shorter movements for use during the church's year. Voces Organi uses plainsong themes as its basis, and is written to allow the colours of the organ's timbre to be vividly heard. This aspect of the work is amply demonstrated in the performance on this release featuring organist Simon Passmore on the organ of St. Ann's Church, Manchester.

Given the untimely death of Jane Parker-Smith in June 2020, this two-disc set is dedicated to her memory. She gave a number of premieres of organ works by Richard Pantcheff, of which the Passacaglia on a Theme of Benjamin Britten is the foremost.

Simon Passmore, organ (St. Ann's Church, Manchester)

Simon Passmore
was born in Hexham in 1990 and began piano lessons at the age of seven, studying with Hexham Abbey’s then director of music Michael Haynes and then with Newcastle University’s head of keyboard David Murray.

He has given solo piano recitals at numerous festivals across the UK and has featured as a concerto soloist both in the UK and abroad with orchestras including Young Sinfonia (Northern Sinfonia’s youth counterpart), RNCM’s Brand New Orchestra and Vacation Chamber Orchestra (VaCO).

Simon is currently the Director of Music at St. Ann’s Church, Manchester, following in the footsteps of his mentor, Canon Ronald Frost, who held the post for 38 years and performed over 1000 free recitals.

After finishing a BMus at the RNCM, studying with Murray McLachlan, Simon completed the repetiteur course supported by a full scholarship. His awards whilst an undergraduate included the Alfred Clay Prize for the highest final recital mark, the Christopher Duke prize, the EPTA piano prize, the “Premier Prix Pianos Maene” in Brussels and the Prix Madonna.

Aside from music, Simon is a keen football fan and hopes to see Plymouth Argyle succeed beyond anybody’s reasonable expectations.

Simon works with Thomas Verity in The Verity / Passmore Duo which is dedicated to exploring the wealth of music written for clarinet and piano – as well as adding to it by unearthing lesser-known pieces, and through commissions and innovative transcriptions. They have a special interest in music from the British Isles, and have given world première performances of music by Simon Parkin, Martin Bussey and Peter Hope.

Thomas and Simon have been playing together since 2010, with performances to date including recitals in Manchester (St Ann’s Church, RNCM, Hallé St Peter’s), New Brighton, Burnley, Rochdale, Bury and Warrington. They have also played in Brantwood House (home of John Ruskin), the Williamson Art Gallery & Museum, Birkenhead, Didsbury Arts Festival and at the Swaledale and Northern Aldborough Festivals. The Duo has been shortlisted for the Park Lane Group’s Young Artists’ Concert Series in London.

This album contains no booklet.