Broadening the Repertoire, Anna Lapwood: Gregoriana

Embracing a project close to her heart, trailblazing organist, conductor, and broadcaster Anna Lapwood has commissioned and curated a collection of outstanding original pieces by women composers. Following the example of Jeanne Demessieux’s classic Twelve Chorale Preludes on Gregorian Chant Themes, Gregoriana unites fresh currents of musical imagination with the timeless qualities of plainsong.

Spanning the church year from Advent through to All Souls’ Day, but equally suited to liturgical use or recital programming, these works cast new light on much-loved melodies, refracting a bright spectrum of modern styles from established and emerging voices through the prism of traditional chant. With items ranging in difficulty from intermediate to advanced level, Gregoriana will inspire young players especially, its breadth of idiom presenting a wide range of technical discoveries too. Notes on the individual titles, and Anna Lapwood’s thoughts on performance, provide timely practical guidance. Above all, Gregoriana invites organists to explore a treasury of uniquely stimulating repertoire, while also encouraging composers to enrich it further by writing for this most magnificent of instruments.