Par ARCHER MALCOLM. With Sleigh Bells across the Snow, renowned recitalist and composer of popular church music Malcolm Archer reveals another facet of his talented musicianship ? namely, his love of light music and his mastery of the theatre organ. With this addition to Stainer and Bell?s stylish Light Organ Series, Sleigh Bells across the Snow was conceived in the spirit of Leroy Anderson, and joyfully follows the tradition of his and other notable sleigh rides. Bells and chimes feature prominently, ad libitum. But as the composer himself remarks, in true theatre-organ spirit, players should also feel free to add their own embellishments, glissandi, or whatever else takes their fancy!/ Répertoire / Orgue

Commissioned for the 26th International Organ Festival at St Albans 2011 and funded by the RVW Trust.Duration: 7.45 Performance notes Registration: the performer is free to determine the entire registration scheme except at bar 60 where a solo reed is mandatory.Pitch: manual passages at bars 25 32 38 are written for a solo 4' stop (s). The Pedal is at 16' (ad lib 32') unless otherwise indicated (bars 31 37 where a solo 8' is required).III - Sw.II - Gt.I - Pos/Ch Composer's note Esperanza is named after Camp Esperanza (Camp Hope) the location of the mission to rescue the thirty-three miners trappedunderground for seventy days in 2010 at the San Jose Mine in Chile a rescue that was televised live and was one of the most moving and inspiring things I have ever seen. By the most extraordinary coincidence I had already done a good deal of sketching for this Organ piece before this all happened and had determined on a 'darkness-to-light' kind of piece - so the coincidence as well as my feelings of elation were both too strong to ignore.The piece persues a course from a fairly knotty slow beginning (heralded by a few chords that recur at the very end) full of rising themes (another coincidence - the material had already been sketched before the miners were trapped underground) and reaching a loud climax the quick toccata-like second section bursting vigourously out of the tension which is created at the beginning of the work.