MICHAELLE HARRISON AT ST. PHILIP'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, JUNE 10, 2001

   The preconvention recital in Jackson, MS, was performed by Michaelle
Harrison, a native Mississippian and current resident of Ocean Springs. 
Harrison's program featured two composers from the Baroque
period: Samuel Scheidt and J. S. Bach, and two from the Romantic
period: Felix Mendelssohn and Cesar Franck. Also a factor in
this recital was the instrument itself,
a Moeller organ recently moved from St. James' Episcopal Church and
installed at St. Philip's.

  The opening selection was Sonate III by Mendelssohn. Harrison
demonstrated a solid playing technique which was calm and relaxed, along
with good articulation. The entrances of the fugue subject were very clean
and clear. There did seem to be some intonation problems with the flute
chorus when full crescendo was being used during the first movement;
however, the string registration in the Andante movement was nice. The
second selection was Sonata VI (BWV 530) by Bach. Here the registration
choices on this instrument seemed perfectly suited to the "silvery toned"
timbre of the Baroque pipe organ. Harrison appeared to struggle somewhat
with the technical demands of the first movement, but demonstrated good
phrasing and articulation in the final two movements.

  Probably the most interesting selection on the recital's program was the
theme and variation on a French song by Samuel Scheidt, which followed the
Bach sonata. The listener was almost thrown back in time to the Renaissance
by the compositional style employed by Scheidt and by the organ's
registrational options which alluded to the sounds of a recorder consort, a
krummhorn, and other instruments of that time. The final piece on this
recital was the Chorale No. 3 in a Minor by Franck. This was the best played
selection simply from an emotional standpoint. Harrison saved the best
for last! She played musically and achieved a wonderful flow. Unlike in the
Mendelssohn, the registration used for this masterpiece of the Romantic
organ repertoire worked well. Probably the only significant disappointment
of this recital worth mentioning would be its relatively short length of
less than an hour.

                                                           -Frank  T. Laney

Michaelle Harrison was sponsored by Jan Magee Evers, Karen, Julie,
and Gustav.




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