Vital Organ
After last week's epic choral journey through the powerful Carmina Burana, this week's Classics concerts take aim at another glorious orchestral addition: the pipe organ. Often referred to as "The King of Instruments", the organ is a veritable orchestra in itself with an amazing range and wide palette of tone colorsIn an ironic twist, The Phoenix Symphony will open the concert by first paying homage to one of the most iconic organ pieces ever composed by J.S. Bach, Toccata and Fugue in D minor, as transcribed for orchestra by Stokowski (also known for its infamous use as the opening of Disney's Fantasia).
We'll then welcome organist Paul Jacobs to the stage. Jacobs is the chair of the organ department at Julliard and has performed with major orchestras across the country and abroad. He brings an artistic flair to organ performance most often only seen by the great concert pianists of the world. And if you ask him to sit down and play a tune from memory, you'll have to be more specific as he has memorized the complete works of J. S. Bach as well as the organ works of Olivier Messiaen. If you'd like to see for yourself, check out this clip of him giving the massive organ at California's Crystal Cathedral a work out.
Mr. Jacobs will be performing two of the orchestral repertoire's most famous pieces for organ and orchestra: Poulenc's Organ Concerto, and Saint-Saëns' Symphony No. 3 (otherwise known as the Organ Symphony). Along with Carnival of the Animals, Symphony No. 3 stands as Saint-Saëns' seminal work - something he himself realized when he said upon its completion "I have given everything to it I was able to give." The main theme of the Organ Symphony's Maestoso movement was even later adapted into the popular song "If I Had Words" by Scott Fitzgerald and F. Ivonne Keely.
So put on your organ shoes and grab your tickets for Symphony Hall. After the concert, let us know what you think of the combination of organ and orchestra and the organ's ability to virtually double the amount of sonic color the ensemble can produce.
5 Comments:
The rehearsal with Paul Jacobs today was wonderful. What a gracious man. What chops!!
I'll be very interested to hear what patrons think of the interpretation of the Bach/Stokowski Toccata and Fugue. I decided to substantially reimagine the transcription. The text remains the same but like any Toccata, it is meant to be spontaneous. I've listened to too many great organ virtuosos play this work to leave it alone.
By the way, as performers we are asked to be relatively faithful to the text and yet interpret it in a personally convincing way. If that is the case, why restrict oneself to only what Stokowski indicated. I can't imagine he would have been so dogmatic about it.
Anyway, see what you think!
Well, with Stokie "relatively faithful" was relative indeed. What a character. Did anyone else notice the Stokowski parody in the cartoon "Long-Haired Hare" that played during the "Bugs Bunny on Broadway" concert in January? Spot on (I especially liked the part where they brought out the baton and Bugs broke it and conducted by wiggling his fingers -- just like Stokowski.)
One thing has me confused. Pipe organ? I guess I'll find out in a few hours.
Wonderful concert, but I am still wondering about what kind of organ that was. I didn't see it mentioned in the program. I also have to give a shout out to Bruce Pulk, who rose to the occasion in every work; he's one of the reasons I sit in the balcony.
A comment about the website in general; it's better than many orchestra sites, but I wish it wouldn't disappear past concerts. I often want to look up programs and artist info after the concert, not before.
No Sir. Sonny didn’t like it. Don’t care how many stops it has or what kind of action it gets. The electronic organ has no place in the concert hall. Nice try, though, putting the gigantic stereo speakers in back of the stage.
But, the moment the “machine” started the Poulenc Concerto it sounded like the “Phantom of the Opera.” And Professor Jacobs, what was that warbling tone supposed to be at the end of the second movement of the Saint-Saens Symphony? Two Cats were whispering “Shut it off!” to each other and giggling in Row 10.
Please rent Gammage Auditorium or Pinnacle Presbyterian for future organ gigs. Of course, nothing beats the giant pipes at Walt Disney Hall.
Dear Richard,
Glad you enjoyed the concert.
The organ was a Rodgers 968 Trillium Masterpiece™ Organ (http://www.rodgersinstruments.com/organ968).
Kimberly Koniecki
Operation Manager
The Phoenix Symphony
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