A journey through French and German music from the baroque to the 20th century is at the heart of the first St Albans International Organ Festival Saturday recital of 2016.

Performing the recital at 5.30pm this Saturday (16) in St Albans Cathedral is South Korean organist Dong-ill Shin, one of his country’s leading musicians.

Dong-ill Shin began studying the piano and it was only by chance that he heard the organ in the cathedral in Seoul. He was captivated by the fact that it sounded like an orchestra played by one person and from that moment there was no turning back.

His career took off when he won the prestigious organ competition, the Grand Prix des Chartres in 2006. Following a number of posts in the USA, he is currently professor of organ at Yonsei University in Seoul and enjoys an international career as a concert soloist.

The recital begins with Dietrich Buxtehude’s Magnificat, a sequence of five fugues which are based on a Lutheran psalm tune that can also be heard in the Kyrie of Mozart’s Requiem.

That will be followed by a Toccata by JS Bach and two pieces by Brahms - the Chorale Preludes, one of the last pieces he wrote, and the Prelude and Fugue which pays homage to the music of JS Bach.

Prelude, Fugue and Variations by Franck leads into the finale of the recital, two movements from Louis Vierne’s Organ Symphony No 3.

Entry to the recital is free with a retiring collection in aid of The International Organ Festival Society. After the recital the audience will have an opportunity to meet the soloist at a reception in the North Transept.

Full details of all the concerts in the 2015-16 recital series can be found here.