Organ Recital: Raymond Nagem
Raymond Nagem, Minister of Music at Brick Presbyterian Church in NYC and organ faculty at Manhattan School of Music, presents an exemplary recital featuring the complete organ works of Maurice Duruflé on St. James’s magnificent Rosales/Parsons pipe organ. A Juilliard-trained DMA under Paul Jacobs, with degrees from Yale and Harvard’s prestigious cathedral choir school, Nagem brings scholarly insight and visceral artistry to each note. His tenure at St. John the Divine and acclaim for his “Divine Splendor” album underscore a mastery of French symphonic organ tradition that engages both mind and heart.
Maurice Duruflé’s organ oeuvre, distilled into six concise and deeply meditative works, marries Gregorian chant with impressionistic color and clarity. Spanning the meditative Prélude et Fugue sur le nom d’Alain to the elegant Suite, Op. 5, these pieces demand nuance and tonal sophistication—qualities ideally suited to St. James’s Rosales/Parsons instrument.