Andrew Forbes at the Caird Hall Organ, 11 May 2016
Review by James McKellican
Andrew first made himself known as organist of St. Matthew’s Church, Perth and as a pupil of the late Eoin Bennet. When still at school he gave a brilliant and relaxed performance as a participant at a masterclass with George McPhee in Dundee Parish Church (St. Mary’s) and the rest, as they say, is history.
Now Director of Music at Glasgow Cathedral, this was Andrew’s first appearance at the Harrison & Harrison console. People would be forgiven if they thought he had been in commend of it for years, such was his mastery of the instrument.
Opening with the Grand March from Aida (Verdi) the grandeur of the instrument was displayed in the stately format. Tempo was slow to add to the magnificence of the piece. The uplifting March by Guilmant on Handel’s “Lift up Your Heads” continued this majestic pace before merging in to the fugal phase with its demanding runs on manuals and pedals and returning to the grand finale.
Debussy’s Claire de Lune from Suite Bergamasque, written for piano, transcribed hauntingly to the solo reeds. How different was this for those of us who had in times gone by this as a piano exam piece!
The change in emphasis was continued with Ravel’s Bolero. Andrew explained that the piece was originally named a Fandango – giving it more meaning than its hijacking by the ubiquitous Torvill and Dean. The ice would have melted with this sensuous, teasing rendition full of Spanish flavour.
As a ‘see how you like it,’ Glass’s Mad Rush proved just that; a delightful scamper of notes with deep pedal input. Ironically, I found it relaxing.
Returning to greater things we had Mars and Venus (War and Peace) from Holst’s the Planets comprehensibly executed in their contrasting moods and again bringing the largeness of the organ to the fore.
But the pièce de resistance of the evening must be Andrew’s execution of the Saint-Saëns finale from the Organ Symphony (No. 3). The registration needed to play both the orchestral and the solo organ parts tested Andrew and the organ to full. Neither stuttered. This was a master in control. How Hollins would have rejoiced to have heard this young man using the organ to its full capability – it just the kind of thing he would have done himself. Brilliant.
It was good to see a fair amount of younger people in the audience. I look forward to Andrew’s return to Dundee.