Organ recital: Alan Morrison

Tuesday, March 3, 2026, 8:30 PM

Estimated Run Time: 1 hour

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

This program, dedicated to music from the 20th and 21st centuries, weaves a golden thread between France and America, revealing the French influence on several composers from across the Atlantic. Each work has been carefully chosen to magnify the shimmering colors of the Notre-Dame organ.
The journey begins with a jazz-infused Toccata by Anne Wilson: a whirlwind of improvisation, rhythm, and virtuosity, in perpetual motion. Next, Mary Beth Bennett's Partita echoes the ancient chant Veni Creator Spiritus, varying it in ways that blend ancient traditions and modern harmonies, scented with French influences.
Florence Price takes over with a sonata imbued with depth and nobility. George Baker, a disciple of Pierre Cochereau, in turn explores the riches of the organ through a resolutely French and contemporary improvisational language. Thomas Kerr's Scherzo, a brief burst of wit and lightness, pays tribute to Louis Vierne, whose Romance and the Finale of Symphony No. 4 bring this musical journey to a grand close.

Photo by ©DR

Program

Anne Wilson
Toccata

Mary Beth Bennett
Partita on "Veni Creator Spiritus"

Florence Price
First organ sonata

George C. Baker
Prière grégorienne

Thomas Kerr
Frolicking Flutes : Tribute to Vierne

Louis Vierne
Symphonie n° 4 en sol mineur op. 32

Cast

Alan Morrison, grand organ