The Diapason an International Monthly Devoted to the Organ, the Harpsichord and Church Music
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THE DIAPASON AN INTERNATIONAL MONTHLY DEVOTED TO THE ORGAN, THE HARPSICHORD AND CHURCH MUSIC Sixty-Sixth Year, No. J2 - WilDie No. 792 NOVEMBER, 1975 The next .tOp on the itinerary was The two orpanists of St. Michael's. Munich. ather than opera. we did nOl Gnnter Jena and Gerhard Dickel. un· hear any concerts here. but a tour of Summer Church Music dertook a \fcckly recital series devoted churches revealed much musical acth" 10 the complete organ works or Bach. ilY. As in Vienna, organ recitals were c\'ery Saturday from May 24 through well-advertised, and the churches in this August 30. This paid.admissioll series predominantly Catholic city sremcd In Europe - Conclusion appeared well-planned, arranging the anxious to attract "isitOR to the sung chorale-based and free workli In rca.. masses. The "VicnnCie-dauic" maSSl."!i sonable groupings; periodicall)" (he were again the most popular (Mozart. choir was used to sing the chorales, and J~pb Haydn, Michael Haydn. evell by Arthur Lawrence Lhe orb'3nists alternatrd each wed" Beethoven in C). hut some I~r - known There was an attracth'e brochure (or composers were also mentioned; the (he series, and the individual programl Qthedrnl abo Iislec.I the organ postludn or pre-Bach) , a trio·sonata (Hach). and Nuremberg u a city without truly included dlOrale (ex~ and prognm (or the whole summer. a large twmtielh-century piet:e (Alain, ouutanding or hiSioric organs: Ihus, notes. This huge church, light and air). J)upn~ , l)urun~ . Hcillcr, or Reger). In it is not what might be considered an contains three organs, o( which the Arrh'ing in Nurelllberg. we found the :all the playing. I was strud:. b)' the "organ city" (although iI promising main rear-gallery one was used (or Twenty.Foprth Annuli Org:m We-ek in high dt'grce of :tccurac), and musician new organ is being planned (or 51. these recitals. It is a large Steinmeyer progre5S. This inlemalional Orge1wocllt!, ship. :and a general uo·nomense ap Sebald's Church). However, with mu· (5-manual, 8S-stop), built in 1960, with the oldest of its kind in Europe, had a proach. de\'Oid or pick) articul.:uions or nicipal support and t.nowledgeablc resi a handsome case; un(orltillately, it central theme or "The Chor.tle: Its Sct gimmicky registrations. The playing was dent organists, it sets an example in seems to be recessed deeply into the ling in the Past ;;lUd ]-rescnt." The ac of a much higher Ic\'el Ihan that of its Annual Organ Week of \rhat can wall. producing the "buried" sound too tivities included concerts, Iymposia, mas· man)' "name" recilalists, so 1 was dis· be done without the grcalC~t instru orten associated with many American terclasses. festival services. a visit to the appointed to have to lea"e Nuremberg ments. organs. Given ulill limitation, Mr. Jena instrument collection of the German bC£ore the final round. The winners "'roUi Nuremberg we wcnl to the performed musically and accurately, bill National Museum. and il performance selected at that lime werc Mr. Lflcker 5mall town of OUobcuren. where two could lIave benefited by more articula. competition. The competition was un, (first place) . Mr_ Viljon (second place) . (amous Ricpp organs are magnificent tion. Delpite a predilection for the use der the able direction or Werner Jacoh; and Mr. Haselblki: (third place) . in the Baroque splendor o( (he Bene o( tremolos (sometimes two in the the judges were Margartt Irwin-Bran. dictine Abbe)' Church. which was filled same piece) and unorthodox combina don (Portland, Oregon). Joser Bucher MARGARET IRWIN-BRANDON; for Sunday morning mass. An 2dequate tions o( pitdl levels. hill more lyric (Zurich), Hans Ouo (Freiberg, East June 12, 1975; St. Lorenz Kirc.hc. Nurem. mixed choir sang the ordiu3ry by Peter playing was the most attraclive. Germany), David Starke (Frankrurt), berg. Krenek: SOlla'a; J. S. Bach: Cho Griesbachcr (1864-1933) and pol)'phonic The next morning, we auended Rudol£ Zurtner (Nuremberg) . and In. rale preludes (Orgelbuchltin) "0 moteLs at the gTildual and offertory_ church at St. J:acobi, wbere Heinl Wun hann Kn5.bel (Cologne. replacing Egidio Memch. lJewei"," "CII,.·sle, du Lamm The congn-gation joillt'tl in the ch2nt derlich presided at the t ...· o organs Circclli of Rome, who retllmed home rI Calles," "Erschieuen isl der herrlidlf! at the Surs"", Corda and Pater Nos't!r which sit side-b),·side in Ihe rear pl. afler hill recilal). Some 47 COlllcslallts TIIg," and "Christ is' erslanden;" Prel aud sallg Ihe coml1lulliull h)'l1m. Thc lery: a recent Kern~r and Ihe faluous were hend in the first round. aud !;:s mit: nnd Fugue in C (9/8): Buxtehude: prolM!r was in German until the COli· Schnhger of 1689·93. Tbe Kelllper wa!l were &elected (or Ihe selui-finals; II! Chorale prelude "lVi~ schon 'tuclllet;" St..'f:ration , hUI there was little cerClllon,·. adrquate, bUI paled by comparison whh these six. three played a final timc. Lt.'Ctiy : Chorale prelude "Wie lchiiu making the sen ice less splendid thall the Schnitger, which has mudl more when firsl, second. and thint·place pril ~'S leuchtet" (1973); Castiglioni: Sin[onie the ornale surroundin.:s seemed to de ..."Cntle soumis th:a" man)' of his other were awarded. Except ror the (irst elimo Guerriere et Amorose (1967). mand. Only Ihe 195; Steinmeycr at the instruments; however, large portionl of ination. the cOntellt was open to the This was the only major program of rear of Ihe building was uk'd, and Ihe this organ. as well as the handsome public 35 a series of "'citals, which wcre the Nuremberg organ week my brief playing was :adcquale (or an impro\'iSt:d case, pre.date Schnitger, who Willi a well.attended. The nalUes o( the piaycis sta)' permitted me 10 hear. Other or. entrance and the "Iiltle" Prtlude in E lillcccssful rebuilder o( earlier work. remained anonymous, and the judges gan concerts were pla),ed by Rudolf Mi"or of Bach at the conclusion. This The service included lIlany chorales. appeared 10 make their choices quile Zartner (posith.-e), Hans Otto, Egidio "M:aricnorgcl" was loosely based on Ihe lach with prtlude, but the "ery 100all impanially. employing an elaborate Circelli. and Jose( Budler; there was original plans of Riepp and 011 ideas c.:mgregatioll liang without much en· grading I)'stem (or both technique and also a hatpsichord recital by Kenneth of Dom Redos, as a climax for Ihe two Ihusiasm. (We noticed in general that interpretation. The Judges duti(ully fol · Gilbert, :as well as programs by the Riepps in the chancel. It contains a church attendance is liparser in tllC lowed their scOrtll in publiC, and one 'Vindsbadler Knabenchor. the JC3n· cennal section, free-stallding and ex I'rOlCl5tant north than in the Catholic could question only a certaIn provina Fralu;ois PaiJIard Chamber Orchestra. posed, of 52 SlOpS on 3 manuals and south.) Professor Wunderlich used both ality. when tbe wrong music was con· the Adrian WilI:acrt Ensemllie of Frei. pedal. played (rom a tracker·action con organs during the course of the service, sistently produced (or the modern burg. the Nuremberg Jthilhannonic Or· sole; there arc 30 additional SlOpS (Re. hut playcd both the prelude and the Frencb workl, which seemed to be un· chestra, and the Munich Molet Choir. cit and Echo). cnclosed on either sidt·, pOlitllide on the Schllitger. These were the entire organ being pla),able also known (0 tile judges (the Dupr~ An Ms. Invin-Brandon's recilal was the Prelude a"d Fugue i" £ by Buxte tielwes /Jolfr Ie ,emps noil was conspic played to a packed church. which frollt a 5·mallual electric·action consolel hude, and the third lUO\'erncnt of Bach's uously disr.layed when the l'arial.lotu howell three organs: a 19S7 Sieinmcrcr Taken on ill5 OW" terms. thi! Org:lIl is "rr;o SmUll,. III. both superbly pt-r· on a Noel was actll:ally pla)ed, the of over ISO ranks (including 64' in adcqu:ate. lint it cannot compete with ronnccl. lhe two Riepp organs it is supposed tn Uurun~ Prf!lude arid Fugue on "Alaitl" the pedal) in Ihe rear pllery. a 2-m:1n ' was ,'ainly 50ughl in Ihe same com· ual, 59'llop Steinmeyer of 1962 on Ihe "cotuplcte:' either in sound or in sight. HANS JOCHEN SCHNOOR; June poser's Suite, and, ob\'iously. Ihe Alain side wall at Ihe (ront o( the nne (also E,'en a smaller instrumcnt housctl in 22, 1975; SL Michaelisldrchr. LUneburg. an ornate casc might ha,e )>I.'en morc C/loral Dorif!n could not ~ located in playable hom the 5' milllu:al console in 8uxtchude: Prelude aud Fugue iu g: the Leduc edition) . The organ was a the rear) . and a 1967 BeckcraOl posi appropriate for this setting. C. P. E. Bach; Smltlla i" g; Reubke: 'nle 2·manu:aI, 27'Slop "Hoi)' (..host " 3·manual, 54·slop Rieger lracker, built tive. The prognm was ralher strangel), Soullin Oil lilt: 94,,, PJalm; Reger: "Ad, in 1963, in St . Egidien's Church; it is assembled, paying homage both to the organ. on the gospel side of the chan· b1eib mit dei"e,. Guade," Op. 135a. an :adequate, but not outstanding. in chorale "theme" of the festival and to cel. and the 4-m:al1ual, 49·slop "Trinity" A trip the same afternoon to LOne· strument. which lu£fen (rom uneven much freer works. The Krenek SOPiata organ on Ihe epistle side. with match berg re\'eait'tl a Sunday e,'cnillg serit'& ing cases.