mrkniz wrote:Heartiest congratulations to Drew and company on this very successful Hauptwerk installation. It's incredible how much a Hauptwerk organ can do, do it so well, and for such a relatively small amount of money. Of course, as Drew pointed out to me after the concert, most of the labor is free (as we all know well
.)
I sat in the first row next to Ed who I really enjoyed meeting. I've been reading his posts for years, and I was so happy to find out he wasn't a dog
! Seriously, we had a great conversation and I gained great insights from him in just those few minutes.
As to the concert itself, the players were superb. Like Ed, I had trouble hearing some of the very soft passages, and in general, I thought the organ could have been louder. This could have been because of the full church, or it could have been my hearing, which at 79 isn't what it used to be. I did take issue with the Fugue in G Minor (the Great) which I thought was treated more like a chamber music piece than the massive work it is. On the other hand, it was played flawlessly.
I'm now on my way back to my home in NJ. I'm so glad I made the trip--it was well worth the effort! Ken Zink
Thank you, Ken. I appreciate the comments. And just to clarify,
ALL of the labor was free.
As for the softness, I have noticed when the church is full, it's hard to hear the softer voices - such as the lovely 4' flute in the Dupre, and the soft strings on the Reuter during the Sowerby and Hebbel pieces. When I'm in there alone, it's lovely as is. This was the first time I had a "full house" to play soft music for. I notice the same effect on hymn accompaniments, though it's still quite filling. When you add 250+ people, the ambient noise goes up considerably. I have several "take away" notes from this experience that I will be working through.
As for your comments regarding the "Great" Fugue, I must point out that Marko (organist) is, as I eluded to when I introduced him, a phenomenal player who's
never, and I do mean NEVER interested in flamboyance or showmanship over musical integrity. He tried fuller registrations and the like, but settled on this. To his quite highly-developed ear, having played this actual Silbermann instrument before, as well as the Freiberg cathedral on a few occasions, he preferred the lighter registrations. Perhaps if the samples were a little drier, he would have preferred a fuller registration. His main critiques of the instrument was in the articulation and responsiveness of the console. (A valid point that I happen to agree with. Perhaps a dryer sample (the dry Freiberg is TOO dry), and more responsive touch from the console) and a fuller registration would no doubt have been used. All great learning points for me in this process. I attend as many of his performances as I can in Indy - on both organ and bayan - and, I swear, in the 8 or so years I've known the man, I don't think I've heard a
single note he's played be out of place. Always masterfully done. His registration choice also reflects his personality - brilliant yet understated.
I am very glad everyone made it and, perhaps more importantly, seem to have made it home safe and sound! I encourage you all to join the mailing list on our music department website and check this forum thread regularly for new concert announcements.
I have some great things I'm working on for the near future.