Organ loner flouts convention

reviews, news & interviews

Performing on the organ is, if you will, a lofty pursuit. Its repertoire calls for devotional focus. And then there’s this bloke.

CarpenterCameron Cameron Carpenter (pictured), who is not yet 30, is unlike other organists. He designs his own clothes, for example, including the flamboyant stack heels that skitter across the pedals. He wears eyeliner. He expands the repertoire as far and wide as transcriptions of Chopin, Mahler and movie music. No wonder his debut release was called Revolutionary. And, in a notable departure from other classical musicians trained at the Juilliard in New York, he does rockstar things like not announce what he’ll be playing in concerts.

So anyone turning up to Bridgewater Hall later this month, where Carpenter will make his debut on the venue’s £1 million Marcussen organ, will just have to wait and see. With a forthcoming CD entitled Cameron Live! featuring the work of Bach, Toccata is a reasonable bet. Audiences love the showmanship. The snittier critics deplore it. Which corner will his Manchester audience be in?

Cameron Carpenter performs at Bridgewater Hall on Friday 21 May.
Find Revolutionary on Amazon

Watch Cameron Carpenter perform Chopin

Add comment

Help secure the future of arts journalism

In this era of algorithmic recommendation, opaquely sponsored content and AI slop, theartsdesk’s mission to preserve real journalistic and critical values has never been more important.

If you like what you see here, please join us
in this mission.

Subscribing to the site will help us in our coming
redesign and expansion.

If you do this before the 31st August this will be at our guaranteed founder’s rate:
your subs will never increase again.

Subscribe now for £5 per month.
or yearly for just £40.

Or if you simply want to support us with a one-off donation, you can do so here.