A concert commemorating the installation of one of Western Australia’s most historical organs took place at St Anne’s Church in Belmont on 5 October.
The instrument, built by the Swan River Colony’s first organ builder, Robert Cecil Clifton (1854-1931), was played by Dr Andrew Cichy before a capacity audience, including ten of Clifton’s descendants.
Dr Cichy, who was a consultant on the purchase and installation of the Clifton organ, had been invited to perform the inaugural recital and was extremely pleased with the result.
“I am very happy to see such an interest in Catholic communities, especially from young people and the clergy, in promoting the use of the pipe organ as a liturgical instrument,” he said.
“The interest and enthusiasm that I experienced for organ music… indicate to me that the future of sacred music in Perth is bright.”
The organ, which was refurbished and installed in St Anne’s in September this year, is the largest and most intact of the six Clifton-built organs surviving. It is also the one most closely associated with Robert Clifton as he spent a decade building it for his house in Adelaide Terrace over a century ago.
The afternoon’s program consisted of 18th-century works by composers from Italy, Spain, England and North and South Germany, including Bohm, Pachelbel, Bach, Buxtehude, Couperin and Zipoli, and showcased the versatility and wide range of styles the Clifton organ is capable of playing.
Dr Cichy, a former UWA Honours student in Music and currently undertaking postdoctoral studies in Bremen, Germany, said he was impressed not only by the full tonal variety of the instrument, but the fine craftsmanship which made it suitable for repertoires and styles Robert Clifton would never have encountered within his lifetime.
“What strikes me about the organ is that there is not a single stop in the entire instrument that is in any way superfluous or of less than the highest quality,” he said.
“The range of individual and blended sounds that can be achieved is absolutely delightful, and the instrument can be used for a good deal more music than its modest stoplist would suggest.”
He is also excited by the design of the St Anne’s organ, which has a very sensitive playing action, making it ideal for teaching.
“This is an extremely important addition to the Archdiocese as it can be used to encourage the next generation of players,” he shared.
“Furthermore, it is the first organ with mechanical action to be installed in a Catholic church in WA in 25 years.”
Dr Cichy said he had enjoyed his return to Perth and involvement in the St Anne’s project and, in the future, hoped he would be able to assist other parishes in the Archdiocese who wanted to install organs within their churches.