Giles Swayne: Stations of the Cross

Giles Swayne: Stations of the Cross

£12.99
Total playing time [60:28]

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Simon Niemiński (organ)

Resonus Classics is proud to release the world premiere recording of Giles Swayne's epic organ work Stations of the Cross. Making his Resonus debut with Stations is the Edinburgh-based organist Simon Niemiński.

Recorded on the 2007 Matthew Copley organ of St Mary's Metropolitan Cathedral in Edinburgh - where Simon is the resident organist - this extensive solo work is at the pinnacle of virtuosic organ repertoire, with each of the fourteen movements representing an episode in the story of the Passion of Christ.

Composed during autumn 2004 and early 2005, and at one hour in length, Stations is one of the most significant and substantial organ works to have been commissioned in recent times. Focusing particularly on those human aspects of the Passion most important to Swayne, he has created an intensely powerful and descriptive work that surely ranks among the most important works of the organ repertoire.

Album Booklet (PDF)

Tracklist

Stations of the Cross

1. Jesus is sentenced to death
2. Jesus takes up the cross
3. The first fall
4. Jesus and his mother
5. Simon of Cyrene
6. Veronica
7. The second fall
8. The women of Jerusalem
9. The third fall
10. Jesus is stripped of his clothes
11. Jesus is nailed to the cross
12. Jesus dies on the cross
13. Jesus' body is laid in his mother's arms
14. Jesus' body is laid in the tomb

“

'Simon Nieminski is as dynamic an advocate as could be hoped for in music that requires the player to convey a narrative of emotional and technical complexity and his use of the organ is well judged'

- International Record Review

'Simon Nieminski is as dynamic an advocate as could be hoped for in music that requires the player to convey a narrative of emotional and technical complexity and his use of the organ is well judged [...] the fairly new organ in St Mary's Metroplitan Cathedral, Edinburgh, has been faithfully recorded, sounding punchy and articulate'
International Record Review

'[Nieminski] plays supremely well; the instrument is the 2007 Matthew Copley organ of St Mary's Metropolitan Cathedral in Edinburgh, where Nieminski is the resident organist, and the recording, produced, engineered and edited by Adam Binks, allows us to hear everything in superb detail. Collectors of organ music will find much to appreciate here.'
Cross Rhythms

'Nieminski gives a virtuoso performance, one that is admirable in every way, and he gets the best out of his organ as well as bringing out the dramatic subtlety of Swayne's work. Nieminski's pacing is very fine, allowing the piece to develop naturally with moments of contemplation and quiet, but still with an underlying dramatic flow.'
Planet Hugill

'This is another welcome first from Resonus [...] The performance sounds idiomatic - as with almost all Resonus Classics recordings, the repertoire is ground-breaking [...] and the (2007) organ of St Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral, Edinburgh, is well suited to the music.'
MusicWeb International

Credits
© 2013 Resonus Limited
Ⓟ 2013 Resonus Limited
Catalogue No. RES10118
Producer, Engineer & Editor: Adam Binks
EAN: 5060262792131
Cover image: The Gero Cross, Cologne Cathedral (c. 965–970)