John Kitchen told us that the lunchtime recital was titled 'To absent friends: Music for Remembrance in the week of the Festival of Storytelling and Remembrance' because All Soul's Day was just past and Remembrance Day was just ahead of us. And because of this the music was going to be sombre but nevertheless interesting.
Of particular interest was Francis Jackson's Improvisation on 'Irish' composed in 2003 for Antje and Andrew Armstrong from a familiar hymn tune. He was a long standing organist in Edinburgh and Antje, his widow, was in the audience to hear it played.
John has a way of introducing what he is to play in such a cheerful and lighthearted way you can't fail to admire him. There's a strong feeling that some of his choice is harder to play that he lets on and, for sure, he loves to demonstrate some of the sophisticated twists and turns of the recently overhauled Usher Hall organ. Edinburgh is extremely fortunate to have such an enthusiastic and talented City Organist.
Several hundred people regularly pay their £3 to come off the street to hear organ music and it's a tribute to John Kitchen and the Usher Hall directorate - for this surely is a lot of what the building is about. Open to all without any fuss or bother.
Concert: Monday 3rd November 2014 at 1.10pm