Prima Facie Records

Duncan Honeybourne plays the 1873 Bevington organ at Holy Trinity Parish Church, Bincombe, Dorset (PFCD220)

Compositions by Byrd, J. S. Bach, Joubert & others

1. John Bull (1562-1628) Galliard (from Parthenia) [02:16]
2. William Byrd (c1540-1623) Fantasy (from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book) [05:15]
3. Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707) Fugue in C [03:01]
4-7. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Pastorella [02:44, 03:26, 02:43 & 03:40]
8. Kate Boundy (1863-1913) Andante grazioso [02:26]
9-10. John Stanley (1712-1786) Voluntary in G minor [02:19 & 03:38]
11-16. Kate Loder (1825-1904) Voluntaries [01:46, 02:55, 03:07, 02:53, 01:42, 02:06]
17. Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986) Chant Donné: Hommage a Jean Gallon [02:17]
18. Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876) arr. Richard Francis (b.1946) Choral Song [02:20]
19. Greville Cooke (1894-1989) Threnody [04:58]
20. John Joubert (1927-2019) Short Prelude on Picardy, op.125 no.1 (from the Six Short Preludes on English Hymn Tunes) [01:59]

This release features Duncan Honeybourne playing the Bevington chamber organ in the parish church at Bincombe, Dorset. Honeybourne writes that Bincombe is “a tiny place, comprising a few cottages, fields, farms and an ancient church nestled against a verdant hillside in sight of the sea. The lush meadows provide an inviting backdrop whilst, on the sightline, the English channel sparkles in the summer sunshine and shimmers mysteriously at night.” Part of the church dates from the twelfth century, with most of the remainder having been constructed in the fifteenth. The single manual organ was built by the London firm of Bevington and Sons in 1873 and supplied at a cost of £105 to the neighbouring parish of Broadwey. It was moved to Bincombe in 1903.

Honeybourne, whose 3x great grandparents were married in the church in 1831, writes that he has chosen a recital programme “to show the strengths of this tiny instrument and to evoke its rustic and timeless setting.” The recording opens with some vivacious and masterly early English keyboard writing by Bull and Byrd: “an obvious choice for the Bincombe organ”, comments Honeybourne. Bach’s charming Pastorella also works well, as do pieces by Buxtehude, John Stanley and Maurice Durufle. There is a nod towards several West Country composers, notably Exeter-born Kate Boundy and Kate Loder of Bath, whose six voluntaries receive their premiere recording. Also recorded for the first time is Greville Cooke’s tranquil Threnody. Cooke, a pianist, composer, poet, priest and professor at the RAM, lived in Dorset in his last years but this piece was written during his time as Rector of Buxted, East Sussex. The recital ends with one of Joubert’s Short Preludes on English Hymn Tunes, composed for the new chamber organ at Peterborough Cathedral in 1990. Honeybourne notes that “this incisive ramble around a familiar French carol lends itself to an organ of the proportions and sonority of the Bincombe instrument.”

Credits

Recorded by Steve Plews, 26th July 2021
Mastered by Simon Crosby Buttle
Album Artwork by Simon Crosby Buttle

Duncan Honeybourne enjoys a diverse profile as a pianist and in music education, and in recent years has developed a parallel career as a harpsichord, virginals and clavichord recitalist. Following his concerto debuts at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, and the National Concert Hall, Dublin, he made recital debuts in London, Paris, and at international festivals in Belgium and Switzerland. Commended for his "gripping performances" (The Times), "glittering performances" (International Piano) and "great technical facility and unfailing imagination" (Musical Opinion), Duncan has toured extensively as soloist and chamber musician, broadcasting frequently on BBC Radio 3 and radio networks worldwide. His many recordings reflect his long association with 20th and 21st century British piano music and he has premiered more than 70 new piano works written for him by composers including John Joubert, John Casken and Cecilia McDowall. Duncan’s organ recitals in the UK, Belgium and Switzerland have included Brecon and Truro Cathedrals and Ieper (Ypres) Cathedral in Belgium. Duncan teaches at the Royal Academy of Music Junior Academy, the University of Southampton and Sherborne School, and is Founder/Artistic Director of the Weymouth Lunchtime Chamber Concerts near his home in Dorset.