Wonderful organ battle by Ian Tracey and Shean Bowers

A large audience at the Beautiful Dorchester Abbey church in Oxfordshire enjoyed the fantastic musicianship of two organists at the top of their game on Saturday 17th May in a ‘Battle of the Organs’ concert with the rebuilt Collins organ in church and a Copeman Hart touring organ.

Battle of the organ events are popular not just for organists, but also none-organists who hear music that is perhaps much more approachable than they expect from the ‘King of Instruments’. In addition to tremendous virtuoso performances of Bach’s ‘Toccata and Fugue in F’ by Bowers and Edmundsen’s ‘Von Himmel Hoch’ by Tracey there were delightful lollipops such as Toccatina by Yon and Pavane by Elmore all of which were beautifully registered.

Although it is some time since they have played together in concert, the understanding of the two players in the duets was amazing to behold and clearly goes back to the days of Bowers being organ scholar at Liverpool Cathedral.

I hope this is the first of many such events … a nationwide tour should beckon!