7 September 2007
The Remarkable Norman Kaye
Move Records has gathered together material from a wide variety of historical sources to produce a new recording to celebrate the life and work of this musc beloved Australian actor and musician.
Move Records has gathered together 30 tracks for this CD which pays tribute to the remarkable Norman Kaye. The main focus here is on the musician and organist, but not forgetting his acting career. Norman was born on 17 January 1927 and died on 28 May 2007.
Norman was not only a well known and highly regarded actor, winning the 1983 AFI best actor award, but he was also an exceptional organist. Having studied under Melbourne's legendary Dr AE Floyd, Norman went on to Study with Pierre Cochereau the organist of Notre Dame de Paris.
This recording comes from a wide variety of historical sources, from an LP recording of a recital on the Melbourne Town Hall organ in the 1950's (with an introduction by Dr Floyd himself) all the way through to 1997 when he gave the final recital on the JE Dodd organ which until that year resided in the Trinity College Chapel, Melbourne. This disc includes compositions by Norman, examples of him as accompanist and several excellent improvisations.
Produced to celebrate the life of the remarkable Norman Kaye, this recording is also an opportunity to hear several of Melbourne's organs that have now either been lost, or dramatically altered, such as the Melbourne Town Hall organ in it's original 1929 form (before it was greatly enlarged and altered in 1999-2000), and the organs of Caulfield Grammar Memorial Hall (destroyed by fire in 2000), and Scotch College's Littlejohn Chapel organ which was removed in 1993 to make way for an electronic organ.
Need an audio preview? We have FOUR samples to whet your appetite:
(1) Impromptu, by Louis Vierne, in mp3.
(2) O Little Town Of Bethlehem by Norman Kaye, in mp3.
(3) Postlude by Norman Kaye, in mp3.
(4) Chant de Paix by Jean Langlais, in mp3.
Disc Contents:
Prelude - Norman Kaye
Spoken Introduction by Dr. A. E. Floyd
Noel - Daquin
Scherzo - Whitlock
Improvisation on the Melbourne Town Hall organ (c.1950s)
A song of Courage - Norman Kaye
A song of Victory - Norman Kaye
Postlude - Norman Kaye (1963)
Communion Service in D minor - Norman Kaye
Improvisation (1968) - Norman Kaye
Fantasia super Komm heiliger Geist (Come Holy Ghost) BWV 651 - J.S. Bach
Impromptu - L. Vierne
Three Variations on the carol 'Lord Jesus hath a garden full of flowers gay' - Flor Peeters
3 hymns - 'O Praise ye the Lord', 'Christ is made the sure foundation', 'All creatures of our God and King' - Sung by Cantus Choro and accompanied by Norman Kaye
In the bleak mid-winter - Norman Kaye
O little town of Bethlehem - Norman Kaye
Postlude - Norman Kaye - (1982)
Preludium - John Bull
In Nomine - Richard Alwood
A Duo - Richard Farnaby
Praeludium - Giles Farnaby
Improvisation (1989) - Norman Kaye
Three Fanfares - Norman Kaye
Chant de Paix - Jean Langlais
Extemporisation - A. E. Floyd
Comment on improvising - Norman Kaye
Improvisation (1997)
Lonely Hearts (composed and arranged by Norman Kaye).
Catalogue Number MD 3316
