Tom Winpenny, the organist on this album, is the Assistant Master of the Music at St Albans Cathedral and was previously the sub-organist at St Paul's Cathedral, London.
Instruments
The organ used for this recording, at St John the Evangelist in Islington, was a radical English instrument when built in 1962-63, incorporating North German, Dutch, and French-style elements.
Composer Biography
Malcolm Williamson, one of Australia's most distinguished musicians, settled in London in 1953 and became known as 'the most commissioned composer in Britain' in the 1960s.
Compositional Technique
Malcolm Williamson's organ works are technically demanding and may offer a glimpse into the thrilling liturgical improvisations for which he was known in the 1950s.
Composer Biography
In 1975, Malcolm Williamson was appointed Master of the Queen's Music, becoming the first non-Briton to hold this life-tenure post.
Composer's Artistic Vision
After converting to Catholicism in 1952, Malcolm Williamson immersed himself in religious music, perfecting his organ technique to study the works of Olivier Messiaen, a French composer known for his explicitly religious music.
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