Thomas Trotter - Organ
" He makes the organ one of the most warmly Romantic of instruments. His technical and musical accomplishments have played a significant role in raising the profile of the organ…"
BBC Music Magazine, June '02
Thomas Trotter is one of Britain's most widely admired musicians. In May 2002 he received the Royal Philharmonic Society's prestigious Instrumentalist Award in recognition of his particular achievements in 2001 and as "one of the foremost exponents of the organist's art". The excellence of his musicianship has also long been recognised internationally in his musical partnerships. He performs as soloist with, amongst many others, the conductors Sir Simon Rattle, Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Chailly and Sir Charles Mackerras. He performs recitals in Berlin's "Philharmonie", the "Gewandhaus" in Leipzig, both the "Musikverein" and the "Konzerthaus" in Vienna and London's Royal Festival Hall and Royal Albert Hall and recently at the major new venues of Moscow's "International Performing Arts Centre" and Budapest's "Palace of Arts" with a recital as part of the South Bank Centre's Messiaen Festival - From the Canyons to the Stars - in London later during 2008 at St. Paul's Cathedral. He has given the opening recital on new or restored organs in places such as Cleveland's "Severance Hall" (Ohio), Princeton University Chapel (New Jersey), the "Concertgebouw" in Amsterdam and at St David's Hall in Cardiff and he is regularly asked to perform on major historic instruments such as those at St. Ouen in Rouen, St. Bavo's in Haarlem (Netherlands), Weingarten Abbey in Germany and Woolsey Hall at Yale University. He appears at the festivals of Salzburg, Berlin, Vienna, Edinburgh and London's BBC Proms. He performs with leading orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic orchestras and made his first US appearance with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in 1987. He became an exclusive recording artist for Decca in 1989. His two most recent recordings, Elgar at Salisbury Cathedral and pieces or transcriptions by Handel, Lemare, Bizet and Wagner on the Organ of the newly restored Birmingham Town Hall, appear on the Regent label.
Thomas Trotter's career is firmly founded on his relationship with the City of Birmingham in England. Here he was appointed City Organist in 1983, in succession to Sir George Thalben-Ball, based in Birmingham's recently renovated historic Town Hall and where he is now also Resident Organist of the magnificent new Klais organ at Symphony Hall. He is also Organist at St. Margaret's Church, Westminster Abbey in London and visiting Professor of Organ at London's Royal College of Music. Earlier in his career he was organ scholar at King's College, Cambridge, and he later continued his studies with Marie-Claire Alain in Paris where he took the Prix de Virtuosité in her class. He won First Prize at the St. Albans International Organ Competition in 1979 and made his début in London's Royal Festival Hall the following year.
Alongside his weekly recitals in Birmingham, Thomas Trotter regularly performs throughout the USA and Europe. He is an active recording artist and of his several recordings, releases of Messiaen and Mozart have been named "Critics Choice" in The Gramophone magazine alongside receiving a Grand Prix du Disque for his recording of music by Liszt in 1995. He was consultant for the Marcussen organ in Manchester's newly-built Bridgewater Hall and also for the new organ in Birmingham at Symphony Hall. Amongst some recent highlights are appearances at the Edinburgh International Festival in recital and as soloist at an opening concert there in Janacek's "Glagolitic Mass" conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras and performing at the 50th Anniversary Concert of the Organ at the Royal Festival Hall, the re-inauguration of the Organ at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
February '08
Discography
| COMPOSER | Work | Label / CD |
|---|---|---|
| THE GRAND ORGAN of Birmingham Town Hall Organ Transcriptions: Wagner, Saint-Saens, Mendelssohn |
HYPERION | |
| LISZT | Prelude and Fuge on Bach, Prometheus | ARGO |
| REUBKE | Sonata; | Ingolstadt Munster, Germany |
| ALAIN | Trois Danses, Deux Fantaisies, Litanies etc. Nieuwe Kerk, Karwijk an Zee, Netherlands |
ARGO |
| WIDOR | Symphonie Gothique, Trois Novelles Pieces etc. St François-de-Sales, Lyon, France |
ARGO |
| SOLER | Concertos for 2 Organs (with Peter Hurford) Salamanca Cathedral, Spain |
DECCA |
| MESSIAEN | L'Ascension, Messe de la Pentecôte, Diptyque St Pierre, Douai, France |
DECCA |
| POULENC | Organ Concerto cond. Haitink, E.C.Y.O. |
PHILIPS |
| JANACEK | Glagolitic Mass cond. Dutoit, Montreal Symphony |
DECCA |
| THE RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES Organ transcriptions from Birmingham Town Hall |
DECCA | |
| LISZT | Fantasia & Fugue on 'Ad nos, ad salutarem undam' Mersenburg Cathedral, Germany |
DECCA |
| MOZART ORGAN FANTASIA Fantasia in F, K.608, Andante K.616, Adagio & Allegro K.594 etc. Reformed Church, Farmsum, Netherlands |
DECCA | |
| MESSIAEN | Les Corps Glorieux, Le Banquet Céleste Münster Church, Bad Säckingen, Germany |
DECCA |
| DUPRE | Passion Symphony, 2nd Symphony etc. Princeton University Chapel, USA |
DECCA |
| JANACEK | Glagolitic Mass cond. Chailly, Vienna Philharmonic |
|
| ELGAR | CHANSON DE MATIN Works for Organ Organ of Salisbury Cathedral |
REGCD256 |
| RESTORED TO GLORY Transcriptions by Handel, Thalben-Ball, WT Best, Ireland, Lemare, Bizet and Wagner Organ of Birmingham Town Hall |
REGCD265 |