The Wondrous Machine: Tristan Russcher

It was the Irish poet, Nicholas Brady who coined the phrase “The Wondrous Machine” to describe the organ, and with over 4,000 pipes, 80 speaking stops spread over 4 manuals and pedals, the organ in St Patrick’s is no exception.

This autumn there will be plenty of opportunity to hear this wondrous machine for yourselves with a series of 5 recitals given by St Patrick’s Cathedral Organists and guests from across Ireland as well.

Admission is free, and programmes will be published in the not too distant future.

Tristan is a freelance keyboard player and is in high demand as a collaborative pianist, organist and harpsichordist. Born in Australia, he moved to England to read music as an organ scholar at Worcester College, Oxford and study the organ with David Goode. He moved to Dublin in 2003 to take up the organ scholarship at Christ Church and St Patrick’s Cathedral’s. Now living in Belfast, he enjoys a freelance career working with the best musical ensembles on the island of Ireland. As an organist Tristan has worked extensively in the Anglican cathedrals in Dublin and Belfast and was Assistant Director of Music at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin from 2007 to 2010. He has performed as organ soloist in major orchestral works by Duruflé, Handel, Leighton, Poulenc, Rheinberger, Saint-Saens and Widor. In 2008 he performed the complete organ works of Olivier Messiaen in a week-long joint recital series with David Leigh. In 2012 he became only the seventh person to perform Francis Pott’s epic two-hour organ symphony Christus, considered by many to be the ‘Everest’ of the organ repertoire. He has broadcast with RTÉ Lyric FM and BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4 and recorded with numerous CD labels including Hyperion, Oxrecs, Priory and Signum.