The Sound of the Universe Created by Soul and Breath: ‘Pipe Organ’

Master British Organist David Titterington Organ Recital
Will Showcase the Essence of British Music Through Pipe Organ

Master organist from the UK, David Titterington. Photo by Lotte Cultural Foundation

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] An instrument consisting of thousands of pipes and dozens of stops, with each stop connected to multiple groups of pipes producing dozens of sounds. French composer Charles-Marie Widor described this complex pipe organ as “playing the organ is an expression of a will imbued with a longing for eternity.” Due to its scale and grandeur, there are not many concert halls equipped with pipe organs, so world-renowned organists enjoy the privilege of performing on historic organs across continents.

David Titterington, a British maestro considered one of the busiest organists in the world, will meet Korean fans. After his 2020 Korea tour was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Titterington returns to Korea after two years, preparing a stage where audiences can experience the past, present, and future of the British pipe organ.

David Titterington, the chief organist at the Royal Academy of Music in the UK and a professor at the University of London, is not only the artistic director of the St Albans International Organ Festival but also curates the organ at St John Smith Square Church, located in Smith Square, Westminster, London.

Adding to this, his touring performances as a soloist around the world keep Titterington’s year fully booked without rest. Living up to his reputation as one of the busiest organists globally, he will take the stage at Lotte Concert Hall in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on May 10.

Already familiar to Korean fans through his previous guest professorship at Yonsei University, Korea tours, and masterclasses, Titterington has maintained a steady connection with Korea, including serving as a judge for the Korea International Organ Competition.

In this concert, he will perform “Fantasia” from William Byrd’s collection , recognizing Byrd as an outstanding composer of the British Renaissance. He will also play a hymn by Kenneth Leighton, a modern British composer and pianist, the first movement of Elgar’s Organ Sonata in G major, and a fantasia on the British sea song composed by Henry Wood in 1905 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.

Additionally, he will present Norman Cocker’s representative work Tuba Tune, Adagio in E major from Frank Bridge’s Three Pieces for Organ, and Judith Weir’s Ettrick Banks. Furthermore, through his frequent visits to the UK, he plans to perform the overture to Mendelssohn’s oratorio , which had a significant influence on 19th-century Romantic British organ music.

The pipe organ, created by the flow of air and the soul and breath of the performer, produces sounds resembling the universe. David Titterington’s performance, enriched by his diverse roles as soloist, artistic director, and professor, will offer a wide and infinite combination of tones. As his first organ recital in Korea since the pandemic, it will provide overwhelming emotion to many music fans who have longed for the organ’s mysterious timbre.

David Titterington’s organ recital will take place on May 10 at Lotte Concert Hall in Songpa-gu, Seoul.