Programme
Dietrich Buxtehude (c. 1637 – 1707)
Toccata & Fugue in F major, BuxWV 156
In memory of Dr John Birch – two gems of the English baroque
Maurice Greene (1696 – 1755)
Voluntary XIII in G major
William Boyce (1711 – 1779)
Voluntary I in D major
Max Reger (1873 – 1916)
Variations & Fugue on God save the King ("Heil unserm König, Heil")
Claude Debussy (1862 – 1918)
Clair de Lune (from the Suite Bergamasque for piano)
transcription by Jean-Baptiste Robin
Louis Vierne (1870 – 1937)
Carillon de Westminster, Op. 54 No. 6
Musician Biographies
David Hirst is one of the few British organists to have fully integrated into the French organ world. Based near Paris, he is Organiste Titulaire of the magnificent 12th-century Collegiate Church in Mantes-la-Jolie, where he oversees its three organs. He also serves as Artistic Director of the city’s International Organ Festival.
As a recitalist, David performs worldwide. Recent appearances include Westminster Abbey; the cathedrals of Versailles, Chartres, and Antwerp; the Laurenskerk in Rotterdam; and the Constantine Basilica in Trier. He has also played in South Africa, Singapore and Japan.
In 2024, he toured the United States, with performances at St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City—home to the world’s largest organ—and other venues in San Francisco, Maine, NYC and Washington, DC.
David was a chorister at Chichester Cathedral in the 1970s under Dr John Birch. He holds a master's degree in music from Cambridge University and a postgraduate diploma with distinction from the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied organ with Lionel Rogg. He has also studied with Nicolas Kynaston and Thomas Trotter.
Previous organist appointments include Emmanuel College, Cambridge; St Germain du Chesnay in Versailles; and St Martin-in-the-Fields, London’s royal parish church. There, he performed for royal and celebrity occasions, as well as concerts, recordings, and 30 BBC broadcasts.
David’s discography features the first recordings of the 1897 grand organ by Joseph Merklin in Mantes-la-Jolie, among them his critically acclaimed 2022 Priory CD: “These stylish performances are quite sublime” — Organists’ Review.
Website: www.davidhirst.org
YouTube: https://youtu.be/37M09j3q2hM
Donations
Chichester Cathedral's Lunchtime Concert series is self-supporting, and thrives through the generosity of its audiences. While there is no charge for admission, we suggest a minimum donation of £7 per person, with Gift Aid applied if possible. Donations can be made in the retiring collection, in the Cathedral, at our Visitor’s Desk or at various donation points, using cash, card and contactless or using the button below.
Can't make it this time?
Lunchtime Concerts take place every Tuesday at 1.10pm during term-time, our talented performers come from across the UK and occasionally overseas, to delight our audiences with music from Beethoven to Chopin, Elgar to Mozart and more.