Concordia Salus: A Fantasy for Organ (2017)

For solo organ; commissioned by the Royal Canadian College of Organists, The Northeast Region of the American Guild of Organists, and the Canadian International Organ Competition, for the 2017 Montréal Organ Festival; premiered on July 5, 2017 by organist Christian Lane.

Commissioned for the 2017 Montréal Organ Festival, Concordia Salus: A Fantasy for Organ receives its title from the motto of the city of Montréal, the Latin component of which translates as “salvation through harmony.”  Various parameters were agreed upon for the commission: it was to be between 6-10 minutes long; it was to be a ebullient work that explored the full range of sounds available on the instrument; and it was to intended that the work should be suitable for a wide range of organs.  The new work is to be premiered by organist Christian Lane on a concert performed on the Grand Orgue Pierre-Béique, the recently commissioned Casavant Frères instrument for Montréal’s Maison Symphonique.

The work divides roughly into 3 sections.  The first section introduces two main contrasting themes.  The second section develops the main material through a series of gestures that have an improvisatory feeling--something akin to an extended cadenza. The final section of the piece recapitulates the primary thematic material through bold, triumphant, and fanfare-like statements, culminating in a triple forte, full organ sound.