It was a hallelujah moment when St Paul’s Anglican Church was filled with music lovers for a pipe organ recital on Sunday, 15 September.
In a grand tradition believed to date back to the 1743 London opening performance of Handel’s Messiah when King George II allegedly stood up – perhaps because he was moved by the music or perhaps simply to stretch his legs during the very long performance – the Stanthorpe audience rose for the Hallelujah chorus which was performed on the organ by visiting organist Peter Stiller, with a tiny team of amateur singers from Hollytops and the East Street Singers filling in the stirring vocals.
The chorus made a fitting finale to the recital, aptly named Hallelujah.
Peter Stiller presented a number of other pieces including JS Bach’s well known Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.
Warwick musician Michael Lynch delighted the audience with his organ pieces, while two local groups, the Occasional Players and Hollytops, added music featuring strings and vocals to the mix.
The event was a fundraiser for maintenance work on the organ, which is the only pipe organ in Stanthorpe and has lived at St Paul’s Church for 60 of its 68 years.
Anyone who missed the concert but would like to donate to the organ fund can still do so by contacting the St Paul’s Anglican Church.
