Co-Cathedral's Organ Sets the Bar for City's Music
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E2 HOUSTON CHRONICLE ¬¬¬ ON TWO Thursday, October 7, 2010 MUSIC Co-Cathedral’s organ sets the bar forcity’s music 9 Fridayrecital by Pasi in conjunction HEAR THE with the cathedral’smusi- INSTRUMENT to show offits cians and consultant Rob- ertBates of the University The neworgan at the exquisitesound of Houston. Co-Cathedral of the “It’s thrilling to play Sacred Heart, 1111 St. and hear,and it does ev- Joseph Parkway, will By CHARLES WARD erything one expects out be one of the largest in Like European cathe- of alarge organ, from a the city.Hereare some drals, the Co-Cathedral of gorgeous whisper to aglo- opportunities to hear the the Sacred Heartispoised rious wall of sound,”said newinstrument: to become the city’s heart MatthewDirst, prize-win- 9• Organ Recital: */Davi3IRd of great religious, liturgical ning organist at St. Philip @IMMHiggs72, TL/I:A/?chairman >Oof 5LPthe and organ music. Presbyterian Church and >:orgaM/?Rn departmenP</:5AP?5/t a5t With its long, tall shape artistic director of Ars 5LPthe C/Eastma75A/?n $TSchooL>>Dl >Oof (known as “shoe box” Lyrica Houston. 847ITMusic2<, performP:O>:A7s /5at H8 in sonic jargon), the co- Overall, the sound, or <0p.mA0. B:FridayIR/#0. "ITicketTFP57Ts cos>75t cathedral is blessed with tonal design, of Opus XIX WS$25N0. acoustics that allowsound is “eclectic,”Dirst said. to swirl robustlythrough- That is, the organ will be 9•CANTAREHouston: out the building. Such suitable formanytypes of "LThPMe grou:>4<p <P:Operform>:A7s asetting is perfect for works important forCath- &/TLA/?I?>Rachmaninoff'OOK7s VPVesper7<P:7s Martin Pasi’s5,499-pipe olic worship,particularly JAMES NIELSEN : STAFF /5at JE7:3Q.0 <0p.mA0. "4TuesdayP7R/#0. organ, which David Higgs key18th- to 20th-century STRUCTURAL CHALLENGE: Thenew pipe organatthe Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart "ITicketTFP57Ts cos>75t WS$25N0. will playFridayinarecital French music. That con- surrounds the massiveResurrection Window. The40-foot-tall, 20-foot-wide stained-glass 9• Philipe that caps aweek of dedica- trasts with the Fritz Noack windowisonthe facade of the Co-Cathedral. Organ recital: (LIDI<P ;PLefebvreOP-3:P2, >:organisM/?I75/t a5t tory activities. organ at Christ the King Notre Dame Cathedral Opus XIX, as the in- Lutheran Church, which 6>5:P*/AP +/5LPR:/D I?in (/Paris:I72<, performP:O>:A7s /5at strument is called because wasmodeled after instru- ule of musical events that wasgoing to be astrong pipes can frame the win- 8:30 p.m. Oct. 29. it’s Pasi’s19th, is the larg- ments J.S. Bach played. highlight the powerand room (acoustically) to dowwith the rest of the HEQ. <0A0 )T50SG0 est pipe organ in aRoman Music of the Protestant flexibility of the newin- work in,”Pasi said. pipes situated between 9• Organ recital: &>Rober-P:5t Catholic cathedral in Tex- German Baroque sounds strument. Aficionados like those the towers and belowthe ,/Bates5P72, >:orgaM/?<n professo:>OP77>:r as, saidCrista Miller,asso- best on it. “It should do much for coming to Houston in 2016 window. /5at 5LPthe !?I3UniversitP:7I5y#> oOf ciate director of music and Pasi’smajor inspira- not onlythe cathedral’s forthe national conven- But the co-cathedral @>47Houston'5>?Ks78 Moore>>:P7s cathedral organist. It also tion forOpus XIX wasa musical programs but for tionofthe American Guild features the large, rectan- $TSchooL>>Dl >Oof 847ITMusic2, is the first newpipe organ 1775 instrument in the the city’s organ scene in of Organists will undoubt- gular Resurrection Win- <P:Operform>:A7s /5at JE7:3Q.0 <0p.mA0. to be installed in aRoman Basilica at St. Maximin, general,”Dirst said. “We edlychatter and clash dow. Pasi had to find away *PT0Dec. J07. Catholic Church in Hous- Provence, France. It pro- nowhaveanamazing over the sound of Opus to place the organ pipes on ton since 1983, she said. vided ideas forpipes suit- collection of first-class XIX. (Organists arelike both sides of the window 9 Free lunch recitals: The last, by Houston’s able for“French classic” instruments here, and opera fans in their ability without using mechanical ):OrgaM/?7n student54RP?57s /5at 5LPthe Visser-Rowland, is at St. organ works of the 17th in wonderful acoustical to hold strong opinions action to link them. !?I3UniversitP:7I5y#> oO@f Housto>475>?n Anne’sCatholic Church. and 18th centuries. Pasi environments, from the about small matters.) But Around the time Pasi <P:Operfor>:Am freO:PPe :PrecitalTI5/D7s And, at 75 stops, or also drew on great instru- historicallyinspired to the theywill also be interested interviewedfor the project /5at /->45about ?>>?noon 5LPthe OIfirs:75t types of sounds, Opus XIX ments of the Netherlands very eclectic.” in the wayPasi solvedan in 2006,hebecame aware B:FridaIR/#>y oOPf ever3P:#y A>?mont5Lh is among the largest pipe and Northern Germany, Acommitment to art— architectural problem that of anew electronic device 75/startin:5I?Mg I?in =/?4/:#January0. organs in the city. considered to the finest visual and musical —was a almost caused him to drop created by aCanadian 9• Organ recital:Co+>1- The instrument sits in examples of Baroque organ major focus when design- the project. company. The main part +/5CathedraLPR:/Dl >:organisM/?I75t the co-cathedral’shigh building. ing the newco-cathedral. In manycathedrals, of the organ, on the left +:I7Crist5/a 8IDDP:Miller <P:Operform>:A7s /5at rear balcony, which can The organ’s additional Making church officials the rear wall with the side as aviewerfaces the J<7 p.m0A0. =/?0Jan. UH018. hold 108 singers and 20 stops will accommodate awareofthe cost of an choir-and-organ balcony balcony, uses mechanical instrumentalists. That will the fabulous French music important instrument took features arose window. action, while the pipes 9 Information: '''0 allowperformances of cho- of the late-19th and early- “some educating,”Miller That’s aperfect shape for to the viewer’sright are ><47opusxix.or%I%0>:gM ral works with organ and/ to-mid 20th centuries, said, but the process organs like Pasi’s, which electricallyactivated by or instrumental accompa- such as the famous Toc- wassuccessful. Funding areconstructed according the device. niment fewchurches can cata from Charles-Marie came in partfromHous- to historicallyaccurate Crucially, the device Iprobablywouldn’t have easilyaccommodate. Widor’s SymphonyNo. 5 ton investment manager mechanical, or tracker, mimics the touch and feel taken the job,” Pasi said. Anton Bruckner’s Te fororgan, and the works FayezSarofim, the Brown action. (Organists push of the mechanical action Deum and Maurice Du- of Olivier Messiaen, to be Foundation and individual down akey on the key- as the organist plays the Charles Ward was the rufle’s Requiem arealready featured in survey of his donors, adiocesan repre- board, which mechanically keyboardfor those pipes. Chronicle’s classical music scheduled forlater this music beginning in 2011. sentative said. opens avalve that lets air The design is unusual, critic from 1975 to 2008. year.Such pieces illustrate The co-cathedral has “I waseager to build into apipe.) if not unique, in Houston. E-mail him at sirernest42@ the flexible sound created planned amassive sched- here, knowing the building The towers of pedal “Without the device, gmail.com. HBOgives asneak peek at Springsteen documentary have been nearlybroke calls his ownshots. with Darkness’completion By ANDREW DANSBY THE PROMISE: and frozen as to what to do It also includes an and some footage from the THE MAKING OF ENTERTAINMENT WRITER after it became ahit. The interesting segment on subsequent tour.Scanning Bruce Springsteen fans simple solution would’ve Springsteen’s productivity the credits, it doesn’t DARKNESS ON have known forsome time been to make another and the number of great appear anyofthat footage THE EDGE OF about the forthcoming Born to Run.Instead the songs that fall by the is from the Summit TOWN The Promise: Darkness on sessions for Darkness were wayside because of his concert. But who’d 9 When: H58 tonigh>?IML5t the Edge of Town boxset labored. Because acamera meticulous process, which knowbetter than those due on Nov. 15. Included wasinthe studio,the even he nowadmits can be whowerethere? Do you 9 Where: @,HB)O in the set (three CDs and film includes moments of obsessive.Tothat end the remember Springsteen’s three DVDs) is a26-song playful clowning between newbox set will contain Dec. 12 show? Please feel DVDtaken from aDec. Springsteen and guitarist 21 previouslyunreleased free to sharethoughts, my favorite Springsteen 12, 1978, Springsteen StevenVan Zandt as well songs he worked on memories, photos of ticket album, I’dlovetohear stop at the Summit. Also as other moments when between Born to Run and stubs or anything else at about the show. among the waresisThe Springsteen pulls rank on Darkness. andrew.dansby@chron. Promise: The Making of everyone in the studio and The film begins to close com. 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