Bluesday

Iain Farrington's Bluesday for solo Organ. Composed in 2010. Dedicated to Robert Houssart.

'Judging by this bunch of new public­ations, the year 2010 was a busy one for British composersof organ music, though quite why it has taken six or seven years for almost all of this music to appear remains unexplained. And if one were asked to guess the most recent work, in terms of 'modem language' it would be this studyfrom Iain Farrington. Dedicated to Robert Houssart, this short piece combines - as one might infer from the title - certain phraseology from musical worlds not often encountered on a concert organ, whether in a church orcivicbuilding, but it is not merely the thematic line (such as it is) that snakes in an un­certain manner but also the impacted sense of occasional harmony that speaks in a more modem musical language. None the less, thisintriguing composition would work best on a small instrument, and is a fascinating piece to study at home.' - James Palmer