Nolan takes New Zealand by storm

On his recent recital tour of New Zealand, St George's Organist Joseph Nolan enjoyed a standing ovation from his peers and superlative reviews.

Joseph at the Dunedin organ during his recent New Zealand tour

In May and June, Joseph performed in eight cities, gathering rave reviews, receiving a standing ovation from an audience of organists, and appearing in a fascinating 15-minute interview on Radio New Zealand.

The focus of the tour was a performance at the 2010 Queen’s Birthday ORGANZ National Congress* – an event that sees organists, organ builders and enthusiasts descend on Timaru for a full weekend.

Joseph was invited to give the Congress Recital at the Sacred Heart Basilica, to adjudicate the National Organ Performance awards, and to give a masterclass. He performed recitals in Christchurch, Dunedin, Timaru, Kaikoura, Wellington, Remuera, Auckland and Taranaki.

Despite the enormous challenge of presenting a varied repertoire to critical audiences on a wide range of organs, Joseph has reaped superb reviews and a standing ovation at the Congress Recital. As the Auckland Organ Trust newsletter stated, this was “no small accolade, given the presence of so many organists in the audience”.

ORGANZ painted a vivid picture in their review published online the same day:

Joseph Nolan wowed the audience in Timaru this afternoon... Nolan played with verve and passion, from the opening Passacaglia by JS Bach to the light-hearted Dance Suite by Noel Rawsthorne. Fantasia and Fugue on “Ad nos, ad salutarem undam” by Ferenc Liszt was virtuosic and emotional, and brought several audience members to their feet, even though it was not the final piece in the programme – for the final thunderous applause at the end of the concert, much of the audience stood as Nolan strode up the aisle.

Lennox Willett, Organist Emeritus at Christchurch Cathedral, commented:

At National Organists’ Congress, even before the final item, standing ovations reflected the high esteem in which Joseph is held. All repertoire was played with dazzling virtuosity leaving audiences gasping.

Reviewing his Taranaki Cathedral recital, the Taranaki Daily News described Joseph’s playing as “mind boggling”, “almost beyond human capability”.

Peter Stockwell, Chair of the Dunedin Organ Trust, wrote: “Joseph Nolan’s recital on the Dunedin Town Hall organ was a tour de force of virtuosic playing… A fantastic recital.”

Several reviews from Christchurch were peppered with adjectives like outstanding, scintillating, impeccable, exhilarating, stunning, imaginative, brilliant.

Joseph was immediately invited back to give a celebrity recital in June 2011 on Auckland Town Hall’s organ, recently rebuilt by renowned German organ specialists Orgelbau Klais to the tune of NZ$3.5 million.

Joseph will be giving many more concerts this year. One of exceptional note will see him perform at the Fugato Festival in Bad Homburg, Germany, with the famed Kings Singers, connecting Perth with more globally acclaimed musicians. Joseph will have racked up 50 solo performances by the end of the 2010.

Further information: Jane Hammond - (08) 9325 5766 - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

* The tour was supported by ORGANZ and the organ associations of Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland.