Christ Church Cathedral’s fulsome offering of online concerts continues this summer with its popular series showcasing the cathedral’s magnificent Hellmuth Wolff organ. The 3-concert series features three of Canada’s finest organists: Donald Hunt, and Mark McDonald (resident organists at Christ Church Cathedral), as well as Vancouver-based Christina Hutten, well known to Victoria’s early music audiences for her work with Victoria Baroque and the highly-acclaimed Music for the Pause series.
The Art of “Impossible” (Mark McDonald, organ) – Saturday, June 26, 7.00pm
Composed in the early part of his career, Dupré’s Three Preludes and Fugues, opus 7 are among his most often-performed works. The first and third prelude in particular, with their relentless tempo and four-note chords played by the feet, were pronounced "unplayable" by his teacher Charles-Marie Widor. Mark McDonald shows his mastery of Dupré's opus 7 alongside virtuosic selections by Vierne, Duruflé, Grigny and Alain.
Watch the livestreams online at the Christ Church Cathedral website, or on the cathedral Facebook page and YouTube channel. Donations are appreciated and help support the artists and the ongoing musical programming at the cathedral.
Donation link: https://givepoint.com/christchurchcathedral/summer-recital-series-donation
Program
Prelude and Fugue in B major, Op. 7, No. 1
Marcel Dupré (1886-1971)
Hymne: Veni creator spiritus
Nicolas de Grigny (1672-1703)
Variations sur une thème de Clément Jannequin
Jéhan Alain (1911-1940)
Prélude from Suite, Op. 5
Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986)
Étoile du soir, Op. 54, No. 3
Louis Vierne (1870-1937)
Prelude and Fugue in G minor, Op. 7, No. 3
Marcel Dupré (1886-1971)
About the performer
Mark McDonald is recognized for his sensitive interpretations of a wide range of organ and harpsichord repertoire from early music to the avant garde. He has participated in several international organ competitions including Musashino-Tokyo (2017) and the Arp Schnitger (3rd prize, 2014) and has been featured as a soloist at several international festivals and series including the Royal Canadian College of Organists’ annual festival, the nouvellegeneration.orgue series at St. Joseph’s Oratory (Montreal), and the Redpath Hall series at McGill University. Notable collaborations include performances and recordings with Cirque du Soleil, NYO Canada, Victoria Baroque, and the highly-acclaimed Music for the Pause series. He holds degrees and diplomas in organ and harpsichord performance from McGill University, Queen’s University and the University of the Arts Bremen. He moved to Victoria in 2019 to serve as Assistant Director of Music and Communications Officer at Christ Church Cathedral.