Feb. 2, 2002 – The organ recital to be presented by Kent Tritle on Wednesday evening at the St. Thomas Reformed Church promises to be one which will satisfy the tastes of the aficionado of organ music as well as introduce the neophyte to the riches of the music composed for the "King of Instruments."
Tritle, who is affiliated with the New York Philharmonic and American Symphony Orchestras, the Dessoff Choirs, the Juilliard School of Music and the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola on Park Avenue in Manhattan, will present a program of approximately two hours, the repertoire spanning from the baroque era to the present day.
(For more background on the organist, see the St. Thomas Source story "New York organist to perform at Reformed Church".)
As all who love organ music know, it is in the works of Johann Sebastian Bach that the possibilities of the organ as a solo instrument came to a first peak of glory. It is in the works of this master that the strictly idiomatic identity of the organ as a polyphonic instrument was fully explored. Tritle will begin his program with a selection of three works of the North German master.
The Prelude and Fugue in F Minor, BWV 534, will open the program. This very architectural work reflects the influence that the works of Dietrich Buxtehude, the master of Lubeck, had on Bach. In its clarity, it is a perfect program opener, calling the audience into the rewarding experience of "involved listening" to counterpoint.
The poetic, ornamented chorale prelude "O Mensch, bewein …, " BWV 622, will present the very expressive and introspective side of Bach, while reminding the audience that the recital is, in fact, but one week prior to Ash Wednesday. Closing the Bach portion of the program, Tritle will perform the dramatic and stunning Fantasie and Fugue in G Minor, known as "the Great." This monumental icon of the organ repertoire has become a signature piece to Tritle, whose recording of the work on the organ at St. Ignatius Loyola has won rave reviews.
The contemporary American composer Stephen Paulus (b. 1949) will be introduced to the audience by way of his "Triptych," which, although composed in response to a commission in 2000, will have been given its New York premiere in recital by Tritle just three days prior to his performance on St. Thomas.
Paulus has written over 200 works including more than 30 for orchestra, eight operas, dozens of choral works as well as works for solo voice and chamber ensembles. He received his Ph.D. in music theory and composition from the University of Minnesota in 1978 and since that time has held prestigious composer in residence posts with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Tucson Symphony, Annapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Dale Warland Singers. He has received both Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Arts Composer Fellowships. He is currently commissioned to write a three-act opera, "Heloise and Abelard," for the Juilliard Opera Center and a work for chorus and orchestra for the Westminster Choir College and New York Philharmonic.
Tritle plays the whole gamut of organ repertoire with style and great conviction, refusing to be limited or pigeon-holed to any one style of literature. His interpretations of Bach have been highly praised internationally, including his performances at Leipzig's Gewandhaus and the Tonhalle of Zurich. He has been a generous friend to contemporary composers, often putting his very considerable technical and musical skills at their service. Nonetheless, critics and audiences agree that Tritle has a special flair and feeling for the riches of what has become known as the French "Symphonic" school of organ, which originates with Cesar Franck, continues primarily through the works of Widor and Vierne, and culminates in the small but exquisite output of Maurice Durufle.
The first movement of the Symphony No. 6 in G Minor by Charles Marie Widor will bring the first major part of the program to a triumphant closure. This work, in sharp contrast to the aesthetic of Bach, unabashedly exploits the colors and moods of the instrument as an orchestral, rather than polyphonic, instrument. Like Bach, it evokes the majesty of the instrument, but with a virtuosity which reflects the influence that Franz Liszt had on composers for the organ in the late 19th century. This work also will prepare the audience for what is to come after intermission.
The French organ "symphonies" are major concert pieces. Because of their difficulty and secular nature, few organists who play primarily for the church are willing to go through the considerable rigor it takes to add more than an occasional stray movement, which can be snuck into church as well as used at recitals, to their repertoire. Tritle will treat his St. Thomas audience to a performance of the complete First Symphony in D minor, Opus 14, of Louis Vierne.
Often compared in his harmonic language to his contemporary, Claude Debussy, Vierne is clearly a successor to Franck and Wagner in this realm. He held the post of titular organist at Notre Dame de Paris for many years. This work, composed in 1898, is more a French "suite" in six movements than a symphony in strict form. Vierne was only 29 when this work was completed, and all his hopes were still before him. The majestic Prelude is followed by a Fugue which begins in what sounds like an academic style but offers the listener a few surprises, not the least of which is the improvisational cadenza which ends the movement.
Since the late Renaissance, composers for the organ have enjoyed writing pastorale movements. Bach and Zipoli contributed early examples to this genre. Vierne's third movement Pastorale is a discreetly charming example of the style, giving way to an Allegro vivace movement in which he joyously plays tricks on the ears of the listener through his harmonic cleverness and surprises. The meditative Andante reminds the listener of the warmth and profundity which the instrument can evoke, especially in vast, dark spaces like Notre Dame. This brings the work to a moment of repose before launching into the frolicking Final with its imitation of pealing bells and fireworks.
The recital begins at 8 p.m. There is no admission charge, but a free-will offering will be accepted. The church is located in downtown Charlotte Amalie on Nye Gade between Back Street and Crystal Gade. For more information, call 776-8255.
