Alexander Trigg – Quiet assurance at Temple Church
by Angela Ransley
The three composers in today’s recital, Elgar, Howells and Franck span almost two centuries: when Cesar Franck was born in 1822, Beethoven was still alive. Howells died in 1983, the world of the internet, space travel and minimalism. Both English composers came from the territory of the Three Choirs Festival in the west of England, and despite humble circumstances received support from its rich heritage, allowing both to achieve distinction. Elgar was knighted and appointed Master of the King’s Music in 1924; Howells became Professor of Organ at the Royal College of Music and was made a Companion of Honour.
Cesar Franck came from Belgium but was based in Paris after his ambitious father changed his nationality so that his two prodigies – Cesar and his brother Joseph – could enter the Paris Conservatoire. Pere Franck destined Cesar as a pianist and drove him inexorably until a rift between them opened up the possibility of the organ. A major influence was the new symphonic instrument of Aristide Cavaille-Coll, which Cesar demonstrated throughout France. His long tenure at Eglise St Clothilde and Professorship of Organ at the Paris Conservatoire secured his lasting reputation.
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