Thomas Trotter - Organ
"The pièce de résistance, Gaston Litaize's "Prélude
et Dance fugée", is a dazzling riot of cross-rhythms ..... this
disc underlines what a supreme stylist Trotter is ...... here is another
distinguished addition to Trotter's discography courtesy of this enterprising
label."
Jeremy Nicholas: The Gramophone, July '09 / CD "Sounds of St Giles"
Thomas Trotter is one of Britain's most widely admired musicians. He is a recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society's prestigious Instrumentalist Award in recognition of his particular achievements 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, at the major new venues of Moscow's "International Performing Arts Centre" and Budapest's "Palace of Arts". He was consultant for the Marcussen organ in Manchester's newly-built Bridgewater Hall as well as for the new Klais organ in Birmingham at Symphony Hall and 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 alongside being 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. Alongside his regular recitals in Birmingham, Thomas Trotter performs throughout the USA and Europe. This season he returns to the USA, Australia and New Zealand, visits Korea and alongside many other appearances plays at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg and at inaugurations of organs in Karlsruhe, Llandaff Cathedral and Petersham as well as recording in Merseburg Cathedral, Germany.
Thomas Trotter made his first US appearance when he debuted with the San
Francisco Symphony Orchestra in 1987. Amongst many other highlights since
then have been several recitals at the Edinburgh International Festival
and as soloist at an opening concert there in Janacek's "Glagolitic
Mass" conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras, 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, playing the solo organ part of Poulenc's
Organ Concerto for the Royal Ballet in "Voluntaries" at Covent
Garden and in recital for the South Bank Centre's Messiaen Festival - From
the Canyons to the Stars - at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. He became
an exclusive recording artist for Decca in 1989. His four most recent recordings
- Elgar at Salisbury Cathedral, pieces or transcriptions by Handel, Lemare,
Bizet and Wagner on the Organ of the newly restored Birmingham Town Hall,
a collection ranging from Handel through to Litaize on a new instrument
in Cripplegate, London, called "Sounds of St Giles" and the organ
works of CPE Bach from Eton College - appear on the Regent label. Of his
many recordings releases of Messiaen and Mozart have been named "Critics
Choice" in The Gramophone magazine and he has received a Grand Prix
du Disque for his recording of music by Liszt.
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 in addition he is 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 Fellow in Organ
Studies at the Royal Northern 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.
February 2010
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 | |
| SOUNDS OF ST GILES Handel, Bach, Stanley, Vaughan Williams, Rogg, Litaize New Mander organ at St Giles Cripplegate, London (May 2009) |
REGCD302 | |
| C.P.E BACH | ORGAN WORKS 4 Sonatas, Fantasia & Fugue, Fugue on the name BACH, Adagio, Prelude in D major Mittereither/Flentrop Organ of Eton College School Hall(November 2009) |
REGCD314 |