News: a musical premiere in London by Catholic composer

Frederick Stocken, my favourite contemporary composer and one who definitely follows the via puchritundinis is giving an organ recital, which includes a premiere of sacred music composed by him. It is on  Wednesday 29 September 2010, 7.30pm, at St Mary and St Joseph’s Church, Poplar, London, E14 6EZ. The programme includes works by Bach, Sechter, Bruckner, Franck and Boellmann. It closes with the premiere of his own work, St Michael the Archangel. Here are his comments on the piece: ‘I first realised that I would write a collection of pieces for the organ based on the archangels on this very day, 29 September, the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael (otherwise known as Michaelmas) a couple of years ago; hence the idea of unveiling St Michael on this feast. I am still writing the other movements because other projects intervened, but am due to give the set its first complete performance next October at St Michael’s, Cornhill. I hope it will suffice to say that I have tried to capture, however imperfectly, something of the power and magnificence of this ‘Prince of the Heavenly Host’, as Pope Leo XIII described him in his famous prayer to the angel. I also had one practical consideration: that each of the pieces would not be so long that they could not also be played in due course after a mass or service as a useful voluntary.’ To read more, visit his site here.