Klaus Sonnleitner, organ; Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Lorin Maazel

The fact that Anton Bruckner was an organist all his life, as well as being a composer, was presumably the idea which lay behind the planning for this concert. In the first half we heard a number of Bach’s organ compositions played by Klaus Sonnleitner, who is the resident organist at St Florian’s where Bruckner once resided, and in the second the Vienna Phil played his Eighth symphony.

Unfortunately, the link between the two was musically somewhat tenuous. The vast spaces of St Florian’s lend themselves to a highly charged resonance and that wonderful falling off of tone which Bruckner uses to stunning effect in his symphonies. Time and again the orchestra span a line into the vast space of the Royal Albert Hall and then gave it time to resonate and die.

Klaus Sonnleitner’s Bach did nothing of the kind. The opening Sinfonia from BWV 29 in Guilmant’s arrangement was pleasant but unconvincing. Three Chorale Preludes brought interesting tonal colour where registration was more convincing that articulation or phrasing. There were times when I wondered if Klaus Sonnleitner had had enough time to practise on the instrument, given the strange variations in phrasing and timing.

The Prelude and Fugue in A minor BWV 543 fared rather better though the most interesting item was the gentle encore which emerged from deep in the soul of the organ.

No such concerns in the second half where Lorin Maazel brought us an heroic vision of struggle and ultimate transcendent victory. The first movement found real sweetness in the strings and smooth transitions. The brass cascades were breath-taking and the whole had a sense of inevitability and purposeful direction. The fluidity of the Scherzo included some almost Mahlerian harp and flute passages. After the Tristanesque pain of the slow movement, the finale had a glorious richness – a sense of joyous seriousness leading to an exultant climax.

For the penultimate night of what has been an outstanding season this could hardly have been better. BH

Orchestre de Paris, Paavo Jarvi

1 September 2013

A wonderful concert of contrasts and connections with a good measure of French flavour was enjoyed by a large and enthusiastic audience.

Whereas so many musical presentations begin in stirring fashion, this Prom opened with the strings section of the orchestra and a lone tubular bell in the meditative Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten by Arvo Part. The audience was immediately drawn into the haunting soundworld of the Estonian composer in this performance under the baton of an Estonian conductor. There was something magical about the intensity and intimacy of this sparse music heard in such grand surroundings and by so many people. As the piece ended and before the conductor’s baton fell the silence from the audience was almost tangible.

This piece was paired with a brilliant performance of Britten’s Violin Concerto. The work moves through different moods and styles. There are moments of calm and of excitement as the violin dialogues with various sections of the orchestra. The soloist’s technique is tested to the limit with rapid changes of pitch and style. A tremendously spirited and committed performance was given throughout by Dutch violinist, Janine Jansen.

The second half coupled two French Romantic works. The first, Berlioz’ Overture: Le corsair, was full of energy and particularly gave the brass players a chance to enjoy themselves. The culmination of the evening was a very enjoyable performance of Saint-Saens’ (“Organ”) Symphony No 3 in C minor.

There was an amusing start to the performance as organist Thierry Escaich appeared by the organ to great applause but was then unable to gain entry to the console. After disappearing he then reappeared on the opposite side of the console to even greater applause before taking his position on the bench!

This piece has long been a favourite of mine, being one of the first pieces of “classical” music I ever heard performed live. I was not to be disappointed by this performance. The orchestral playing was superb, the piece allowing various sounds to emerge from the whole. The appearance of the piano still surprises! The organ complemented the other forces with its presence felt (literally) even in the quietest passages. The thrilling contribution from the Hall’s organ as the piece moved towards the climax highlighted again for me what a magnificent instrument this is – now in excellent condition and on this occasion again in the hands (and feet) of a master.

Formidable! SP

Richard Hills’ Light organ prom was a triumph!

Last year Cameron Carpenter gave a pair of highly entertaining Bach related concerts on “The Voice of Jupiter” as part of the Proms Season. This year’s organ Prom saw further imaginative use of the Hall’s grand organ by another entertaining and highly skilled organist.

From the start it was clear that this concert was intended to highlight a different side of organ music, and in doing so, developing a longstanding tradition of lighter music at the Proms and celebrating the Town Hall and Theatre Organ genres. There were other pointers to this being a different sort of organ concert. There was a female assistant and the most mixed audience in terms of age, ethnicity and gender that I have ever been a part of at an organ event! It was clear that as well as the die-hard promenaders this concert had also attracted many music lovers including some families taking advantage of the timing of a Bank Holiday Monday afternoon.

Eric Coates’  Sound & Vision- a march written as a signature tune for ATV – got the proceedings off to a rousing start with  fanfare introduction, breezy pace and stirring conclusion.  Richard’s own selection of music from Sullivan’s Mikado gave a chance to highlight some of the more subtle stops. This was a roller-coaster ride combining wit and pathos as well as some more martial moments.

The point was made that the organ here in the Hall was a concert organ and not a theatre organ. The programme reflected this with most pieces being drawn from the light orchestral repertoire. Two pieces originally written as piano solos were the exception where Richard’s fine theatre stylings shone through –  Billy Mayerl’s  Ace of Hearts and “Fats” Waller’s A Handful of keys. The first featured some beautifully delicate echo effects as well as selective use of tuned percussion and the second a brilliant dancing bassline. German’s Three dances from ‘Nell Gwyn’ saw a return to the light orchestral repertoire and again employed a wide range of colours.

A wonderfully restrained performance of Ireland’s Villanella was the only piece of music originally written for the organ and made the point that many players and composers in the past have been comfortable in more than one genre.

The programme ended with an inventive rendition of Quilter’s A Children’s Overture, itself a highly entertaining piece drawing on familiar (and less so) nursery rhymes. The myriad resources of the organ were expertly drawn upon once again and certain sections sounded particularly organ-esque in their own right, notably the gigue-like A frog he would a-wooing go!

This would have been a satisfying ending but it was topped by Mr Hills’ highly entertaining encore Tiger Rag. This was a skilfull rendition beginning with a fast tempo but otherwise understated. The music built throughout as it moved through various guises including some humorous effects and interesting registration. There were brief cameos of Widor’s Toccata & Elgar’s Pomp & Circumstance (what else, in a Prom encore?).

Richard’s keen musicianship, dexterous technique and ability to entertain were to the fore. Encore! SP