Heavenly sounds bring Lindenwood concerts to an end

Posted by The Memphis Appeal on 11th Mar 2011

A paying congregation heard a lot of hot air coming from the pulpit at Lindenwood Christian Church Friday night. Please take that in the most complimentary way.

To hear the kind of music played by trumpeter Ryan Anthony and pipe organist Gary Beard, there's gotta be deep lungs and ample bellows somewhere in the building.

Together, the two musicians gave one heck of a farewell recital, filling the church with sanctified notes from the Baroque to the present day.

While Lindenwood's concert series hasn't been around quite as long as the music, 26 years is an admirable milestone, particularly for Beard, who started the series back when Memphis's classical music options were fewer.

With more choices now, Beard brought his series to a close Friday. He's now keeping busy as a recitalist, director of music at Theatre Memphis and performing his regular duties as the church's choral director.

Anthony, a former member of the Canadian Brass, lives here in the city and attends Lindenwood, to the continued delight of Sunday parishioners.

He and Beard recently recorded a superb album of pipe organ and trumpet music simply titled "Ryan Anthony with Gary Beard."

The two church brethren were a perfect closing act for the series, showing the audience that repertoire for organ and trumpet is much wider ranging than oldies such as Vivaldi and Albinoni.

Alternating between five different Yamaha brass instruments -- a piccolo trumpet, fluegelhorn, cornet, rotary trumpet and a B-flat trumpet -- Anthony explored varying tones and textures with pieces such as Faure's "Apres un reve" (After a Dream), Jules Levy's "Grand Russian Fantasy" and three gospel hymns. His touching "Amazing Grace" was delivered via fluegelhorn from the rear balcony.

The duo has great onstage chemistry; Beard's comic timing is impeccable. "As in most cases with opera, it sounds better without singers," he joked before he and Anthony performed an elegant transcription of the "Queen of the Night" aria from Mozart's "The Magic Flute."

The last song before an encore of "How Great Thou Art" was one of the horn repertoire's flashiest pieces, "Carnival of Venice" by Herbert L. Clarke.

"Gary wanted to squeeze all the notes of the last 26 years into the last song," Anthony said. He delivered the piece with fluidity and finesse. On the final high note, he faked not being able to reach it. "26 years for this!" he shouted, breathlessly, before sending it through the roof.