Organ Recital Series: Erik Suter

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Organ Recital Series: Erik Suter ORGAN RECITAL SERIES ERIK WM. SUTER, ORGANIST SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2016 · 5:00PM DUKE UNIVERSITY CHAPEL THE ORGAN WORKS OF MAURICE DURUFLÉ (1902-1986) Fugue sur le Thème du Carillon des Heures de la Cathédral de Soissons, Op. 12 Scherzo, Op. 2 Suite pour Orgue, Op. 5 I. Prélude ii. Sicilienne III. Toccata Méditation pour Orgue Prélude et Fugue sur le nom d’Alain, Op. 7 Prélude sur l’Introit de l’Épiphanie, Op. 13 Prélude, Adagio et Choral Varié sur le thème du “Veni Creator,” Op. 4 The Kathleen Upton Byrns McClendon Organ (Aeolian, 1932) Please reserve applause until the end of the program. • • • • • This concert is made possible through the support of Duke Health, the Office of the President of Duke University, and friends of Duke University Chapel. BIOGR APHY RIK WM. SUTER, A NATIVE OF CHICAGO, Mr. Suter won first prize in the Chicago Amer- is a musician of international acclaim. For ican Guild of Organists Young Organist’s Com- nearly ten years, he served as Organist at petition in 1993, first prize in the 1995 National EWashington National Cathedral in Washington, Undergraduate Organ Competition in Iowa, the DC. He holds degrees from Oberlin Conservato- gold medal of the mayor of Musashino/Tokyo in ry and Yale University, where his teachers were the 1996 International Organ Competition in Haskell Thomson, Thomas Murray, and Gerre Japan, and first prize in the 1997 Yale Bienni- Hancock. Previously, he held positions at Trin- al Organ Competition. He was twice a finalist ity Church (Copley Square) and at the Parish of in the prestigious AGO National Young Artists All Saints, both in Boston, as well as at Trinity Competition in Organ Playing. Mr. Suter has been Church-on-the-Green in New Haven, CT. featured numerous times on the nationally syn- dicated American Public Media show Pipedreams. Mr. Suter has performed extensively through- His recordings, including five solo CDs, can be out North America as well as in many Asian and found on the JAV, Gothic, and Pro Organo labels. European countries. He has performed at national conventions of the American Guild of Organists Erik Suter is also a commercial pilot and flight and the Organ Historical Society. As a continuo instructor. Based at Washington National Airport, artist, he has appeared with The Philadelphia he is a captain on the Canadair Regional Jet for Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra. American Eagle. He lives in Gaithersburg, MD, Mr. Suter was formerly under the exclusive concert with his wife and son. management of Karen McFarlane Artists, Inc. PROGRAM NOTES S ONE LOOKS BACK UPON THE PAST 100 Duruflé was not merely fascinated by the shapes years of music and its composition, there and textures embodied in plainsong. His relation- were few composers, if any, who made such ship with Gregorian chant was far deeper than a Aa lasting impression or inspired so many with so simple interest in its mechanics. He felt an inner, few works as Maurice-Gustave Duruflé. Though his spiritual connection to everything that plainsong complete oeuvre is fewer than 15 published works, represents: from the cerebral nature of its shapes and his seven compositions for organ are firmly in the patterns to the centuries of history and liturgical standard repertoire, with nearly every organist play- service encompassed within. As a very young boy, ing at least one of his pieces. His Requiem (Op. 9) is his initial time at the choir school in Rouen was an known and beloved by virtually every conductor and emotionally traumatic experience. Referring to the choir. However, as much as Duruflé was inspired to school as a “prison,” he was sick for the gentle and compose, he was equally frustrated by his efforts. loving home from which he came. This experience His compositional process consisted of extensive undoubtedly helped shape what would be a reserved revision, but the result revealed impeccable work- and sometimes brooding personality. While he manship. He was nowhere as prolific as Johann harbored disdain for aspects of his daily life in the Sebastian Bach, but their respective compositional school, he was increasingly thrilled by the experience legacies share this attribute: for all of the perfection of participating in the great feasts of the Church. in harmony, counterpoint, structure, melody, and He wrote, “The extraordinary environment of this texture, the overall effect is purely beautiful and cathedral . this splendor that was evoked as the inspiring. The whole is far greater than the sum of liturgy unfolded, profoundly impressed me. These the individual parts. were, I can say, the best moments of my life as a chorister. I looked forward to feast days with impa- Impressionist? Classicist? Traditionalist? Neoro- tient joy . it is there, in this display of grandeur, manticist? Many terms have been used to describe in the midst of such great liturgical and musical the compositional style of Duruflé. Try as we might riches, that I felt my vocation as an organist.” He to define and classify his music, Duruflé found a clearly took solace in the liturgy of the Church, and unique place in the 20th-century compositional thus the foundation for his compositional style was canon. This is particularly ironic since his goal was born out of the resulting love for and devotion to never to establish his own niche among celebrated the traditions of centuries past. 20th-century composers. Nevertheless, for all the inspiration he drew from those who came before Encouraged to study in Paris following his years him, he did exactly that. He had little use for the in the Rouen Cathedral choir school, Duruflé began experimentation that was so prevalent in the early to training with Charles Tournemire of Sainte Clothilde middle part of the last century. Instead of searching and later Louis Vierne of Notre Dame Cathedral. for a new musical language like his colleague and His time with these two giants had a formative lifelong friend Olivier Messiaen, Duruflé looked to influence, preparing him for admission to the Paris the plainsong that he was first regularly exposed to Conservatoire. It was during his studies with Eu- as a chorister in the choir school at Rouen Cathe- gène Gigout and Paul Dukas at the Conservatoire dral. As a testament to his method, he wrote of the that his love of plainsong became fused with more Requiem, “As a general rule, I have above all tried mature compositional technique. However, despite to feel deeply the particular style of the Gregorian winning numerous awards in composition, Duruflé’s themes; and I have done my best to reconcile as far quest for perfection increasingly became a source of as possible the Gregorian rhythmic patterns, as fixed obsession as well as frustration. It is estimated that by the Benedictines of Solesmes, with the demands he destroyed nearly 90% of his works, refusing to of the modern bar-structure.” This approach can let anything less than his best efforts become public. aptly be used to describe nearly all of his works. In 1962, in honor of the 25th anniversary of and rhythmic lines, evokes the harmonic and tonal the death of Louis Vierne, Duruflé published his ingenuity of Maurice Ravel. Duruflé explores unique Fugue sur le Thème du Carillon des Heures de sonorities by calling for some relatively unusual la Cathédrale de Soissons. The subject, taken from combinations of colors in registration. He masterfully the carillon at Soissons Cathedral, is shown below. uses hemiola to great effect to add rhythmic variety to the continuous triple-meter feel. The Toccata is one of the finest examples of its genre found in the French organ repertoire. It combines the dazzling The dedication is to Henri Doyen, organist of the technical demands expected of any toccata with cathedral, who is believed to have commissioned long, lyrical melodies that give unusual warmth to the work. Doyen wrote of the work, “. lively and a technician’s ultimate challenge. In his 1938 visit sprightly, in a minor mode that sometimes resembles to London, Duruflé offered the following note for Gregorian melody . always moving forward with a performance of the work: seeming simplicity, always singing and responding with the ringing of joyous, numerous bells, in turn “The Prélude, which is somber in character, is crystalline and shimmering, until the masterful composed in the form of a diptych. A single theme, ending on full organ.” presented in three successive expositions, gradually accumulates the power of the organ. The second part Dedicated to Charles Tournemire, the Scherzo consists of a recitative, developing the first notes of mixes the playful mood so often found in this genre the theme. The Sicilienne is of classic construction, with beautifully shaped melodies supported by comprising three statements of the main theme and sumptuous harmonies. The main theme – heard at two episodes. The contrasting of timbres and a quest the outset – undergoes a variety of treatments in for color were the composer’s aim, as well as putting various keys and rhythmic patterns. It follows the into relief the evocative character of this genre. The traditional scherzo form, utilizing an A-B-A-C-A Toccata, in ternary form, begins with a short intro- structure. A coda concludes the piece in serenity, duction, preparatory to the entry of the rhythmic bringing to mind the tonal idiom of Maurice Ravel. and vigorous principal theme, given to the pedals. The piece was first written in 1926 and was subject In the middle section, a second theme appears and to later revisions when it was published in 1928, is later combined with the first. Finally, a return becoming Duruflé’s debut publication for organ.
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