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Simon Preston has died.

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IainStinson

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Simon Preston has died.

PostTue May 17, 2022 8:26 am

Simon John Preston CBE (4 August 1938 – 13 May 2022)[1] was an English organist, conductor, and composer.

“”Simon Preston made his debut at the Royal Festival Hall, London, in 1962; was shortly afterwards appointed Sub-Organist of Westminster Abbey; and in 1970 became Organist of the Cathedral and Tutor in Music at Christ Church, Oxford, where his work with the choir won high praise. In 1981, he was appointed Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey, where again his work with the choir received great acclaim.

After leaving the Abbey in 1987, he continued to pursue an active career as a highly sought-after and acclaimed concert organist and award-winning recording artist. Classic CD named him in its list, ‘The Greatest Players of the Century’, which included the entire classical music world. The recording of Handel’s Coronation Anthems with the Westminster Abbey Choir conducted by Simon Preston was awarded a ‘Grand Prix du Disque’ in 1983. In addition to his activities as a performer, Simon Preston is known as an organ and choral composer. In 2009, Simon Preston was made a CBE in the New Year’s Honours List, and in 2011 he was made an honorary Student at Christ Church, Oxford University, and awarded an honorary doctorate by Mount Royal University, Calgary, Canada.

He also composed works for the organ, the best-known of which is probably his Alleluyas, written in the style of Olivier Messiaen. Recordings of his organ works originally made in the 1960s on the Argo label were re-issued by Eloquence in November 2017. His recordings include the complete organ works of Johann Sebastian Bach and the Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony. He recorded Handel's complete organ concertos twice. “”

Simon Preston was awarded a RCO medal in 2014.

May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
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Romanos

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Re: Simon Preston has died.

PostMon May 23, 2022 2:37 pm

Amen.
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M. Qualley

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Re: Simon Preston has died.

PostMon May 23, 2022 6:03 pm

So sorry to hear. What a great loss.

Thank you Iain for this nice tribute to him.

Best,
Michelle
Michelle Qualley
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pat17

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Re: Simon Preston has died.

PostSun May 29, 2022 8:43 am

Rest In Peace.

I was listening to his version of the Bach Concertos this morning itself, not aware of his demise. A completely different vision of these master pieces from what is played usually. I also like a lot his interpretation of Haendel concertos.

Sad to hear this great artist is no longer there.

Thanks Iain to share this news…

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