St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Chestnut Hill will host one of the most unusual events in the region’s musical season. Organist Richard Spotts will perform Charles Tournemire’s entire “L’Orgue Mystique” over the span of Feb. 23 through March 31, with recitals given every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday during those dates.

That St. Paul’s should have been chosen as the venue for this amazing feat comes as no surprise. The church’s 114–rank, 7,333–pipe restored Aeolian–Skinner pipe organ is the envy of virtually every parish or congregation in Greater Philadelphia. And not merely for its size. The plethora of available colors and timbers as well as their flawless blend make it a “dream–come–true” instrument for every organist in and out of town.

Explained Spotts, who previously has played St. Paul’s instrument during a pre–Choral Evensong recital, “Over the past 17 years, I have devoted my time to the study of the works of French organist, Charles Tournemire (1870-1939), with my particular focus being his ‘L’Orgue Mystique,’ which is a 15–hour, 253–movement magnum opus, composed between 1927 and 1932.

“I toured the United States and Canada,” Spotts continued, “performing portions of the work and, finally, performing the complete cycle in 2019, first in Bucks County and then in Pittsburgh for the Pittsburgh and Duquesne Chapters of the American Guild of Organists.

“Finally, this past year, my book on the subject “Charles Tournemire’s L’Orgue Mystique: La Haute Mission” — was published by the Leupold Foundation. The volume provides a comprehensive summation of the circumstance that led to the creation of this masterpiece.”

Spotts continued by saying that, armed with the book and two complete performances of the work, he is now ready to perform the entire work in Philadelphia at St. Paul’s Church, which is home to a culturally historic, newly restored Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ that is the largest church organ in the region. This will be done in a 17–part series on the Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays of Lent, from Feb. 23 through March 31.

“We are going to video and live–stream the event to reach a broader audience,” Spotts said. “Once the series has been completed, the recordings will be remastered and posted on my website, which aims to educate the public about the composer and his masterpiece. Together with the book and videos featuring lectures and musical performances, this site will form a comprehensive educational resource for the performance of ‘L’Orgue Mystique.’”

For more information, visit richspotts.com.

Philadelphia Bach Collective

The Philadelphia Bach Collective continues its inaugural concert series with Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Wedding” Cantata at 1 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 20, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 1625 Locust St. in Center City. The performance will feature local soprano Rebecca Myers and baroque oboist Geoffrey Burgess.

The “Wedding” Cantata begins in a misty, wintry sound world of shifting harmonies and intertwining soprano and oboe lines, then gradually brightens into spring with lighter, dance–like music, culminating in a joyful gavotte in which the soprano briefly adorns the melody with a blessing of happiness — just in time for St. Valentine’s Day.

Tickets are not required — pay what you wish. For more information, visit philadelphiabach collective.org.

Strauss at AVA

The Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St., in Center City, will present Richard Strauss’ “Capriccio” Jan. 17-25 in its intimate Helen Corning Warden Theater. Music director and piano accompanist Luke Housner is the music director of the production and Josh Miller is its stage director.

For ticket information call 215-735-1685 or visit avaopera.org.

You can contact NOTEWORTHY at Michael-caruso@comcast.net.