DAVID HIGGS AT ST. PETER'S CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL, JUNE 11, 2001

One of the most anticipated recitals of the Convention was performed by
David Higgs, a native of New York City and current Chair of the Organ
Department at the Eastman School of Music. Composers of the featured
selections on this evening's program were Dietrich Buxtehude, Jan Pieterszoon
Sweelinck, Louis-Nicolas Clerambault, Louis-James-A1fred Lefebure-Wely, Felix
Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Johann Christian Kittel, and Johann Sebastian Bach.

   Higgs' first selection was the Toccata in F Major (BuxWV 156) by Buxtehude.
This majestic piece
was the perfect choice to open the recital, and was performed smoothly and
solidly with good registration. The acoustics of the  sanctuary were bright
and "lively", yet Higgs' phrasing was always clear. The second piece was
Sweelinck's Variations on "Mein junges Leben hat ein End". Higgs again
displayed the same smooth, yet exacting playing that would be maintained
throughout the evening, along with excellent registrational choices.
Selections from the Suite on the Second Tone by Clerambault followed the
Sweelinck. The music seemed to flow from his hands, effortlessly and
extremely expressive - the movement entitled Flutes was hauntingly beautiful.
In the Caprice sur les Grands Jeux the trumpet stops were impressive, voiced
perfectly for the room. Higgs then, in an effort to possibly tease the
audience, used the Bolero de Concert by Lefebure-Wely to close the recital's
first half. His registration selections for this piece were reminiscent of
the great romantic organs of the late 19th century and the theater organs of
the 2Oth century. He played with a rhythmic swagger that was quite a crowd
pleaser.


   Higgs began the recital's second half with the Sonate I in F Major by
Mendelssohn. This was probably the best performance of this piece that this
reviewer has ever heard. The final movement was triumphant, glorious, and
rhapsodic - the entire room was "swimming" as the sound cascaded from the
organ loft! Two short Preludes by Kittel, which followed the Mendelssohn,
provided a "breather". The impression here was similar to listening to a
style galant calliope. The evening's final piece was the Passacaglia in
c Minor (BWV 582) by Bach. Just as in the piece by Buxtehude, Higgs
demonstrated a solid performance, displaying a crisp Baroque articulation,
maintaining a firm and steady tempo, and achieving an almost-note-perfect
accuracy throughout. This was, without question, one of the best recitals
of the convention.

                                                            -Frank T. Laney

David Higgs was sponsored by St. Dominic Health Services, Inc.




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