Richard Walker

 

in an organ recital at

 

St. James Episcopal Church

 

Sunday,  March 25, 2007, 5:00 P.M.

 

 

Allegro maestoso from Sonata No 1 in G                                             Edward Elgar (1857-1934)

 

Chorale Prelude:

            Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder (the Passion Chorale)            Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707)

 

Fantasia and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542                                            J.S.Bach (1685-1750)

 

Chorale Prelude:

            Machs mit mir, Gott, nach deiner Güt                                   J.C.Oley (1738-1789)

 

Symphonic Chorale, Op 87, No 2                                                        Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877-1933)

            Jesu, meine Freude    

 

Offrande au Saint Sacrement                                                                 Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)

 

A Song of Sunshine                                                                              Alfred Hollins (1862-1942)

 

Chorale Prelude: St Anne                                                                     C.H.H.Parry (1848-1918)

 

 

Richard Walker, who lives in Shropshire, England, studied with David Willcocks, formerly of King’s College Cambridge, during which time he gained the ARCO and FRCO diplomas, both in the same year and both with prizes. He moved to Scotland to become Assistant Organist at St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh before being appointed Organist at St John’s, Princes St, Edinburgh in 1972.  In 1980 he returned to England to be Director of Music at the Leys School, Cambridge and was Director of Music at Harrow School for 20 years from 1985 until his recent retirement.  At Harrow he had overall responsibility for the music-making in this large and prestigious school, including looking after the 3-manual Walker and the 4-manual Harrison organs.

 

He found time during his teaching career to give organ recitals regularly all over the UK, in Germany and in the USA.  In the UK he has played at Westminster, St Paul’s, Southwark, Peterborough, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dunblane and Inverness Cathedrals, King’s and St John’s Colleges, Cambridge and many others.  He recently gave a recital on the huge 4-manual organ in Riga Cathedral, and will be playing at Hereford Cathedral shortly after returning home.

 

He specialises particularly in the music of J.S.Bach and Sigfrid Karg-Elert, and made a CD of the latter on the Harrison organ at Harrow School in 2004.  He is a Patron of the Karg-Elert Society, and was awarded their trophy for his contribution to publicising his music.