With the support of St Monica Trust, Eric Tyson has organised a new series of matinée recitals on the recently refurbished Willis organ in the Chapel at St Monica’s. These recitals take place on the third Monday of each month, starting at 2pm.
This month the concert is given by Paul Walton, Organist of Bristol Cathedral. His programme is as follows:
- Prélude (from ‘Te Deum’) – Marc-Antoine Charpentier, arr. Paul Walton
- Organ Concerto in D minor (op.7, no.4) George Frederic Handel
Adagio – Allegro cosi cosi – Organo ad libitum – Allegro - A Fantasy (op.39) – Harold Darke
- Adagio – Mel Bonis
- Toccata – Théodore Dubois
Please click here to see the specification and brief history of the organ.
Paul Walton began his musical career as a chorister at Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare’s church), and studied at the Royal Northern College of Music, with Margaret Philips, Matthew Owens and Kevin Bowyer.
Since September 2001, Paul has been Assistant Organist of Bristol Cathedral. As well as accompanying and assisting in the training of the Cathedral Choir, he directs the Cathedral Consort. From 2001 to 2024 (when the Cathedral organ was refurbished), he gave 96 recitals at the Cathedral and other venues throughout Bristol without repeating a piece. Other solo recital venues have included St. Peter’s Church, Eaton Square, London (sponsored by the Keyboard Charitable Trust), cathedrals including St. Paul’s, Liverpool, Coventry and Hereford, Westminster Abbey, Tewkesbury Abbey, Rochdale Town Hall, Parr Hall, Warrington, and the Marktkirche, Hannover. He has been accompanist for Bristol Cathedral Choir’s tours to France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the USA. In summer 2019, he spent two months as Acting Master of the Choristers during Mark Lee’s sabbatical.
As well as performing the standard organ repertoire, Paul is a keen advocate of both rare and new music, and his four CD recordings on the Regent label include 20 first recordings of music by David Bednall, David Briggs, Paul Bryan, Paul Fisher, Nicolas Kingman, John Pickard, Philip Wilby and Elizabeth Winters, as well as the almost forgotten organist of Notre Dame, Léonce de Saint-Martin. These recordings have received widespread critical acclaim, including an Editor’s Choice in Organists’ Review, a Star Review in Choir & Organ, and two 4-star ratings in BBC Music Magazine. Paul has been described as ‘thoroughly musical and technically assured’, ‘committed performer’ and (his personal favourite) ‘young’.
Paul is also active as a composer and arranger. His recent work includes an organ piece in the Oxford Hymn Settings for Organists series, and a book of descants to 125 hymn tunes, Descants are for Life (not just for Christmas), released in 2024 by Quires and Places.
Projects in Bristol last year included a cycle of the complete organ symphonies of Louis Vierne, and an ongoing series of the Bach trio sonatas.
More information can be found at paul-walton.com