Review of Robert Saxton's 'brilliantly imagined' Passacaglia in The Organ

Robert Saxton's commemorative solo organ work Passacaglia on the name John McCabe has garnered praise in the Summer 2016 edition of The Organ magazine. Robert Matthew-Walker describes the piece as 'a very impressive short work indeed; brilliantly imagined and written for the instrument, to the extent that one feels Saxton should essay a much larger organ piece. The growing sense of majesty, as the music builds to a thrilling final E major tutti chord, is irresistible.'

Passacaglia was commissioned by George Vass for a concert in celebration of the life and work of John McCabe CBE. Matthew-Walker remembers McCabe 's many talents, as 'a composer, first and foremost; a magnificent pianist with a wide repertoire; a gifted writer on music, a major contributor to musical education and someone who was always putting his great gifts at the service of fellow-composers.'

Matthew-Walker continues, 'regular readers of The Organ will know of McCabe’s notable contribution to the organ repertoire. Now, at his passing, fellow-composer Robert Saxton has commemorated McCabe in this impressive short (five-minutes) Passacaglia on McCabe’s name, the work commissioned by George Vass for a McCabe commemorative concert, and first played by Edward Kemp-Luck in Faversham Parish Church.

As the piece's title indicates, the passacaglia theme is based on the pitches H-CABE (in German nomenclature). The theme is heard 'initially on the pedals and throughout varying in 3/4 and 2/4 metre in the longer first section before breaking loose in a shorter fantasia-toccata passage until the initial idea is recalled with ever-greater freedom of expression (yet always held by the underlying pulse).'

'One can only urge this music on all recital organists – it is a splendid piece, and would surely make a counterpart to an original McCabe organ work in the same programme – the Johannes-Partita, especially.'