Maxine Thevenot presented an organ recital as part of the Atlanta Summer Organ Festival at the Cathedral of St. Philip. The sanctuary at St. Philip is in a beautiful neo-Gothic style. The church sits on a promontory on Peachtree St NW in Atlanta. The Aeolian-Skinner organ is from 1962 and it has a wondrous sonority in the warm and reverberant acoustical environment in which it is located. Pedal notes vibrate the chest like a train running through your living room. The grounds of the church are also impressive.
The recital included works by Sixten, Ager, Vierne, Widor, Wolf, Vaughn Williams, and Togni. Edmund Connolly was the baritone in Wolf’s Three Songs from the Spanish Lieder and in The Call by Vaughn Williams. He and Thevenot have teamed previously and they have managed to work out the perfect balance between the organ and the human voice. The recital was enjoyable if not particularly exciting.
There was a reception for the artists afterward and they served great pastries, including light crème éclairs and puffs. Who could complain?
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