O Filii et Filiæ - Organ Splendour from the (mostly) French Baroque
Date
Sunday 11th January, 6.00PM
Venue
St Paul’s Anglican Church, 5 Humffray St South, Bakery Hill 3350
Duration
60 minutes
French Classical organ tradition, where elegance, clarity, and expressive nuance shaped some of the era’s most captivating music. Works by François Couperin, Louis Marchand, Jean-François Dandrieu, and Nicolas de Grigny reveal a world of refined character pieces, majestic liturgical settings, and exquisite agréments — from intimate devotion to ceremonial splendour. Played on the historic St Paul’s organ, built int 1864 by J.W. Walker, expect a few surprises from Dieterich Buxtehude , to add a dash of fiery North German contrast – inventive, dramatic, and full of rhetorical power. Together, these works illuminate the diversity and artistry of the Baroque organ — and, at times, its thrilling, roof-shaking force.
Artists
Donald Nicolson – Organ
+
Expert in the music of 17th- and 18th-century Europe, Nicolson completed his PhD in Musicology at the University of Melbourne in 2018. He is also convenor of the Early Music Studio at Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and maintains a busy performing schedule in the early music scene and on orchestral platforms, with Genesis Baroque, Van Diemen’s Band, Pinchgut Opera, Latitude 37, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
Nicolson is also active in music outside the bounds of historically-informed performance, as a member of Anja & Zlatna, an ensemble which infuses the folk music of the Balkans with improvisational practices of the 17th century, and baroque/electronic duo Bronzewing with violist Katie Yap.
His 2022 commission from Van Diemen’s Band, Spirals, toured Australia and New Zealand, drawing on influences ranging from 17th-century Italy to video game music.
Nicolson is also active in music outside the bounds of historically-informed performance, as a member of Anja & Zlatna, an ensemble which infuses the folk music of the Balkans with improvisational practices of the 17th century, and baroque/electronic duo Bronzewing with violist Katie Yap.
His 2022 commission from Van Diemen’s Band, Spirals, toured Australia and New Zealand, drawing on influences ranging from 17th-century Italy to video game music.
