Paul Jacobs, by many musical measures, is a remarkable young man. Head
of the Organ Department at Julliard School of Music, his reputation as
a virtuosic player preceded his visit to Jackson. In that regard none was
disappointed. But under girding that phenomenal technique is a deep,
probing and intelligent understanding of the music he is playing.
Therefore, in the end the music is served by his virtuosity rather than
the other way around, as is sometimes the case with such gifted players.
The fact that he played completely by memory was impressive in and of
itself. Because of that he was able to focus on the instrument and the
music he was playing to a greater degree. He began the concert with
Bach's Sinfonia from Cantata No. 29, a work one of his teachers,
Thomas Murray, often plays. As he played this with energy and polish, he
immediately set the pattern of playing that characterized the entire
program of the evening, i.e., nothing tossed off unthinkingly. The other
three Bach pieces that comprised the first half of the program all varied
in mood and registrational approach. Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu
Christ (BWV 639) was played charmingly on 4’ foot stops, a fresh sound. The
Trio Sonata in C (BWV 529) was beautifully executed with the sparse
stop selections that are not only considered appropriate to the genre but
also assist in the clarity of the individual voices. Then, in a somewhat
novel approach, he began the Prelude and Fugue in A Minor (BWV 543)
with just the 8’ Oboe and a 2’ stop, then built a fuller registration as he
progressed. This unconventional registration aided in keeping the piece from
becoming tiring to the ears and in no way detracted from the music.
The second half of the program featured the music of Handel, Brahms and
Durufle. Handel’s Concerto in G Minor, played with vigor, made good
use of the Northminster organ’s resources. The organ was not reduced to sound
like a limited 18th English house instrument, but was used to advantage to
suggest the contrasts that one would hear between the organ and orchestra, and
to convey the bravura Handel intended for this show piece. Next played, the two
choral preludes of Brahms (O wie seligseid ihr doch, ihr Frommen, and
Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen) were a gentle oasis between the Handel and
the Durufle that was to follow. Both pieces foment the emotion that Brahms
inculcated in them as he approached the end of his life. Jacobs brought this
out through the variety of registrations he used and through his elasticity
of phrasing and subtle rubato. He closed the program with two pieces from
Durufle’s Suite, Opus 5. The Sicilenne was played with the
thoughtfulness that we had by now come to expect. Needless to say, the
Toccata, with its angst-ridden propelling rhythm, its cascading
chords and its dazzling finger work was a great climax to the program. We
were treated to a buoyant rendition of Bach’s Fugue in D (BWV 532)
as an encore. Here, as elsewhere, he played with a clarity of articulation
and a solid rhythmic underpinning that drove the piece to its joyful end.
In all of his playing his goal was to communicate to us through the music
was evident. And, to that end he more than succeeded. This reviewer had
some several friends who do not know the organ music world who came away
from this concert both thrilled with Paul Jacob’s playing and with the
music.
- Bill Wymond
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