This is my entry for the Secrets of Organ Playing Contest Week 70.
I'm playing Master Tallis's Testament by Herbert Howells. Howells was an English composer who wrote many works for the Anglican church. He is no stranger to the standard English organ repertory and I think it's kind of expected of you to play his works if you are an organist from the UK or USA. So being Australian and a Catholic, it's quite odd for me to be playing repertoire like this. I do believe this is Howell's most well-known organ work and it's probably the reason I learned it years ago—that being to play repertoire from as many different schools and genres as possible. I'm not sure what my actual taste in organ repertoire is...I can be playing Buxtehude one day to playing Bédard then back to playing Howells. Perhaps my taste is 'ecletic'.
Hiveian @michaelcalabris recently performed this in a recital and it inspired me to brush this piece of music up and record it for the contest. I have recorded it in the past, but not via Hauptwerk, and on a genuine English cathedral instrument (Hereford Cathedral). So this was the perfect opportunity to make it happen!
Note: I use jump cuts to focus on the swell pedal (in the pedal camera) but the main angle is shot continuously as per the contest rules.
