CAROL WlLLIAMS AT "SANFILlPPO"
AND FOURTH PRESBYTERIAN
"I have an extra ticket for a recital
sponsored by the Windy City Organ Club at "Sanfilippo" on June 6. Do
you want to go with me?" Dean Dennis Northway called to ask. Neither of
us had heard of Carol Williams but, since we always enjoy going there,
it seemed like a good idea-good, bad, or indifferent program. Little
did we realize at the time what a great surprise lay in store for us!
Miss Williams, who I was told is in her
mid-thirties but who appears to be much younger, proved herself to be a
terrific organist, a real musician, and one of those rare performers
who can switch from "classical" to "theatre" with consummate ease.
Beginning with the recapitulation of the hokey-but-fun-to-play Festival
Toccata by Percy Fletcher, she continued with some "theatre"
selections, the Boellmann Toccata, more "theatre"
selections, and then wrapped-up the program with a fire-breathing,
clean-as-a-whistle performance-played at a reasonable tempo-of the
"Wedding" Toccata by
Widor. During her comments between the numbers, she established a
wonderful
rapport with the audience who responded enthusiastically to her
exceptional
playing and personality. We were very happy we went to her program.
The following Friday, Miss Williams
played at Fourth Presbyterian, Chicago. Here she played a conveneional
"classical" program which she interspersed with two selections from her
"Sanfilippo' recital: The Maple Leaf Rag and the Washington Post
March-both of which were enthusiastically received by the goodly-sized
audience. (The rousing march sounded tremendous on the 4th Church
organ.) Her performances of the Bossi ...tude and the Vierne Impromptu
and Toccata in B-Flat Minor were
characterized by exceptional virtuoso playing of the highest order! If
you
have a chance to hear this fine British-American organist, do so. You
won't
be disappointed I promise.
Text taken from the July/August
newsletter "The Console Crier" produced by the Chicago chapter of the
American Guild of Organists.
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