The Organ Recital Series 2023
The Organ Recital series for 2023 will begin this Friday, 17 March, and I’ll be giving the opening recital with music by Mendelssohn, Alain and Bach. We are extremely fortunate to attract recitalists of a very high calibre so keep an eye on the choir’s social media and the cathedral What's On page to see who is playing and when.
About the Father Willis organ
For 136 years, Truro Cathedral has resounded to the majestic sound of the famous “Father” Henry Willis organ. Consisting of nearly 3000 pipes, this instrument has attracted listeners and organists from far and wide. What is quite amazing is that the Truro Willis sounds exactly as it did 136 years ago, so it is a perfectly preserved snapshot of a Victorian organ building in its prime.
Willis is considered one of the greatest organ builders there has ever been. At Truro, we are most fortunate that the instrument has survived tonally intact. The ideal position of the instrument, in its own fan-vaulted chamber, allows the instrument to speak beautifully into the building and the resonant cathedral acoustic perfectly. It is worth noting that the nave of the cathedral was not constructed until the first decade of the 20th century, so Willis voiced the perfect organ for a building that did not actually exist in its entirety.
The Truro Organ possess all the usual Willis hallmarks of its time: Rich foundations, tierce mixtures on Great and Swell, characterful gedackts on the Choir, powerful reads and a small but telling pedal division. On paper, the organ looks relatively small, certainly smaller than many other cathedral organs. What it lacks is a number of stops, but it more than makes up for in sheer quality, power, character and fullness of tone – not one stop is wasted.
We hope to see as many of you here as possible to hear this magnificent instrument being put through its paces. Many of the recitals in the series will also be live-streamed on the cathedral’s YouTube page, perfect if you can't make it in person.
Andrew Wyatt
Assistant Director of Music
Get info about the first organ recital and tune into the live stream