David Briggs
David Briggs is one of the world's foremost concert organists, with an unusual specialty in the French improvisatory tradition. He began his career in cathedral posts and then became mostly a concert organist.
Briggs was born on November 1, 1962, in Bromsgrove, near Birmingham, England. His grandfather, Lawrence Briggs, had been a longtime Birmingham church organist, and his parents met while playing in a Birmingham orchestra. David's first formal musical experiences came as a chorister at Birmingham Cathedral, and it was there that he first became interested in the organ; an assistant let him improvise on the organ when the regular organist was not present. In 1973, Briggs earned a full scholarship to the Solihull School, studying piano, violin, viola, counterpoint, harmony, and organ. He won many honors during this period and also traveled to London for lessons with David Popplewell. He also played the viola in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain from 1977 to 1981. From 1981 to 1984, Briggs studied organ at King's College, Cambridge. In 1982 and 1983, he performed in the annual Festival of Lessons and Carols before a worldwide audience of 35 million. Briggs also traveled to Paris for lessons in repertoire and improvisation with Jean Langlais, and there, he became interested in the organ improvisations of Pierre Cochereau. He transcribed Cochereau's improvisations from cassette recordings, a task that took 11 years.
From 1985 to 2002, Briggs held organist posts at Hereford, Truro, and Gloucester Cathedrals. At the latter two institutions, he served as a consultant for the refurbishing of the cathedral organs, and at Gloucester, he also served as conductor for the venerable Three Choirs Festival. In 1994, he made his recording debut on the Priory Records label with the album Improvisation, The Illusionist's Art. Since then, he has also recorded for Delos, Pro Organo, Analekta, and other labels. On Analekta, he recorded a complete cycle of his transcriptions of Mahler's symphonies for organ; he is prolific as an arranger, often of orchestral works. Briggs moved to the U.S. in 2003 and has stayed on in North America, living in New York, Ipswich, Massachusetts, and Toronto. He tours internationally, giving some 65 concerts annually. Since 2017, Briggs has been artist-in-residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. By 2022, his recording catalog numbered some 30 items, and that year, he released the album Vaughan Williams: Transcriptions from Truro on the Albion label.
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Transcriptions from Truro
David Briggs, Rupert Marshall-Luck
Classique - Paru chez Albion le 4 mars 2022
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mahler: Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor (Arr. for Organ by David Briggs)
Classique - Paru chez Priory Records le 10 févr. 1998
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Popular Organ Music, Vol. 2
Classique - Paru chez Priory Records le 1 nov. 1996
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Vierne & Langlais: Messe solennelle
Gloucester Cathedral Choir, Mark Lee, David Briggs
Classique - Paru chez Priory Records le 23 mars 1997
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Organ Recital: Briggs, David - BRIGGS, D. / WALTON, W. / FAURE, G. / NEVIN, G.B. / VIERNE, L. / REUBKE, J. (Organ Spectacular) (David Paul Briggs - William Walton - William Mackie)
Classique - Paru chez Delos le 1 janv. 1999
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Sounds French - David Briggs Plays the Organ of Blackburn Cathedral
Classique - Paru chez Lammas le 1 oct. 2007
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The Complete New English Hymnal, Vol. 4
Gloucester Cathedral Choir, Ian Ball, David Briggs
Classique - Paru chez Priory Records le 30 juin 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bursts of Acclamation
Classique - Paru chez Albion le 1 juin 2015
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The World of Organ Transcription
Classique - Paru chez Priory Records le 11 avr. 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Organ Kaleidoscope
Classique - Paru chez Priory Records le 13 juin 2000
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Bach, Liszt & Others: Works & Transcriptions for Organ (Live)
Classique - Paru chez Pro Organo le 1 janv. 2005
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Great European Organs, Vol. 57: Church of St. John the Evangelist, London
Classique - Paru chez Priory Records le 13 juin 2000
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Musique chorale
Vasari Singers, David Briggs, Jeremy Filsell, Jeremy Backhouse
Classique - Paru chez Naxos le 30 sept. 2013
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Great European Organs, Vol. 16: St. George's Hall, Liverpool
Classique - Paru chez Priory Records le 12 déc. 1989
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Great Cathedral Anthems, Vol. 5
Truro Cathedral Choir, David Briggs, Simon Morley
Classique - Paru chez Priory Records le 23 nov. 1992
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Choral Evensong from Truro Cathedral
Henry Doughty, Truro Cathedral Choir, Priory Records, David Briggs, Unknown Aritst
Classique - Paru chez Priory Records le 29 juin 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Improvisation: The Illusionist's Art
Classique - Paru chez Priory Records le 23 nov. 1992
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Cafe of the Cartoon Moon
Pop - Paru chez David Briggs le 15 mai 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo