Gembalski / Organ improvisations / From the baroque to the present day

From the Thames to Lake Wörthersee

From the Thames to Lake Wörthersee

What do the alpine horn and the organ have in common? / Torlontano / Di Lernia

Although the organ is traditionally associated with sacred music and grand concerts, it can also be a fascinating complement to less typical chamber settings. The untypical combinations in this year’s organ concert series provide unique sounds and new, unexpected combinations. The result? We become more open to new interpretational possibilities and free experimenting. True to its "geographical" name, the alpine horn was often used in the Alps as a shepherd's instrument, its sound echoing through mountain valleys, serving both as a means of communication and in folk music. Hence the presence of such pieces as the traditional melody In den Alpen in the programme. This will be completed by the pastoral compositions by Leopold Mozart and Anton Zimmermann, Arcangelo Corelli’s baroque concerto arranged by Francesco Di Lernia, and contemporary compositions by Arvo Pärt and Giovanni D’Aquila. This diverse repertoire will take listeners on a journey across eras and musical styles, towards discoveries of new, surprising sounds. Alexandra KozowiczConcert duration: approximately 80 minutes

Cinematic Symphony on Organ / Safety Last!

Organ improvisation complements old cinema exceptionally well, lending century-old films a new dimension. The concept is almost as old as cinematography itself. Harold Lloyd – the third geniusThis is one of the most easily recognisable shots in the history of cinema, and certainly in the history of slapstick comedy: a young man wearing a suit, a hat and horn-rimmed glasses is hanging off the minute hand bending away from the face of a street clock… Beneath him, a dozen storeys lower, there is the real bustling life of an American city. Safety Last! (1923, dir. F.C. Newmeyer, S. Taylor) is the most famous Harold Lloyd film, which enabled the American comedian to momentarily outshine Charlie Chaplin himself. Nevertheless, for posterity he remained “the third one” of comic geniuses, after Chaplin and Buster Keaton. He was characterised by a charming comicality rooted in his physique (the expressive body and... teeth) and laughter of the most spontaneous kind – one that stems from treating life as a game, approaching it in a purely comedic, slightly mad, fashion, with no need to fix the world (as opposed to Chaplin). In Safety Last!, the joyous madness, capable of infecting audiences with its laughter, has already survived for 101 years! The slapstick gags (panicky escapes, frantic chases, people slipping and falling over, falling ladders and comedy of errors) feel surprisingly fresh, as if the sense of humour had been preserved just for us. And one more thing: the American urge to go “higher still and at any cost, putting safety last” – does it still work? Anita SkwaraConcert duration: approximately 80 minutes

Daniel Roth's organ recital / Bach / Franck / Widor

Daniel Roth is currently one of the most exquisite organists of our time and a wonderful improviser. His talent and achievement inspire awe in both critics and melomaniacs the world over. Superficially calm and phlegmatic, at the keyboard he is transformed into a volcano of energy. He can bring any composition to life and render it moving for the contemporary listener as well. The coming organ recital is not just a musical event, but a true celebration of virtuosity for organ music aficionados. The programme of the recital includes works by Johann Sebastian Bach, but also those by lesser-known composers, such as Alexandre-Pierre-François Boëly and Jehan Alain. While Roth’s exceptional musical sensitivity can find its expression in interpretations of both romantic and contemporary works, the culmination of the concert will be his performance of Charles-Marie Widor’s Organ Symphony No. 10 in D major, “Romane”, considered one of the most important pieces in the composer’s entire oeuvre, and simultaneously one of the greatest achievements among all French organ compositions ever to have been created. Alexandra KozowiczConcert duration (intermission included): approximately 120 minutes

Cinematic Symphony on Organ / Buster Keaton's films with live music

Cinematic Symphony on Organ / Fritz Lang / Metropolis with live music

Cinematic Symphony on OrganOrgan improvisation complements old cinema exceptionally well, lending century-old films a new dimension. The concept is almost as old as cinematography itself. The first screening with an organ took place in 1908, at the Alcazar Theatre in Chicago. That was how silent movies – accompanied by the one-person orchestra at the manuals – would celebrate their triumphs for the next two decades, until talking movies were invented and popularised in the late 30s and early 40s. The purpose-built instruments even earned their own name: the film or theatre organ. If there was a thing they could not do! Among the sound effects they could imitate, one could find snoring, laughter, and even… kisses. The organ could yell for revenge, frantically pull at something or someone with sharp claws, cry bitter tears of sorrow, weep for love, moan at pangs of conscience, cry like a baby, giggle like a toddler, and even… bark like a dog. A musician who can improvise at the organ for film is a true rarity. They must be able to join melodies, harmonies and counterpoint together into a neat musical form. And simultaneously, to follow the picture being shown at the moment… Concert duration: approximately 150 minutes

The power of brass, the might of the manuals

Although the organ is traditionally associated with sacred music and grand concerts, it can also be a fascinating complement to less typical chamber settings. The untypical combinations in this year’s organ concert series provide unique sounds and new, unexpected combinations. The result? We become more open to new interpretational possibilities and free experimenting. The programme of the concert, including pieces by Petr Eben, Otto Hoser, Thierry Escaich and Craig Phillips, shows how well the organ can sound paired with brass instruments and percussion. Hear it for yourselves: a fascinating richness of new possibilities! [Alexandra Kozowicz] Concert duration: approximately 50 minutes

Organ concert at the turn of the year