James David Christie, Organist, at St. Peter's Catholic Cathedral, October 19, 2006
The first part of the program was "bookended" by two
Praeludiums in d minor, the first by Georg Böhm. It was bold
and dramatic, with lots of reeds, and played with enthusiasm. Indeed
everything was played with enthusiasm! Next were
three pieces from 16th century Holland: Almande la Nonette, and
Almande Brun Smeedlyn, both from the Susanne van Soldt manuscript(1599),
and 3 variations on Daphne, from the Camphuysen manuscript,
also from 16th century Holland. These featured flutes and reeds, and could
well have been termed "five variations", or perhaps "five variations
on similar themes". Next was Charles Piroye's Béatitudes, from
the early 1700s, with abundant contrasts, and with vitality. There
followed the Ciaconna in Bb Major, by Johann Bernhard Bach, Johann
Sebastian's 2nd cousin. This consisted of 22 short variations on a
harmonic progression. I was able to follow the variations closely, and
they were "all over the map" in both structure and registration.
Variations for organ can exploit the different sounds available,
and so it was with these. The overall result reminded of my
grandfather, a 1900s fiddler from rural middle Tennessee,
of whom it was said that "he could play all night and never play the
same tune twice". Variations are (or should be) like that, and these were.
The first part closed with the other bookend, Buxtehude's
Praeludium in D minor, also bold and dramatic. There was
therefore symmetry to the program thus far: A baroque praeludium in d,
a set of variations, a middle piece, another set of variations, and
another baroque praeludium in d. Ingenious!
After an intermission, there was yet another set of variations,
J.S. Bach's Partita on "Sei gegrüßet, Jesu gütig", a
chorale with 11 variations (each one somewhat longer than those
in his 2nd cousin's Ciaconne). Johann Heinrich Buttstedt's
Fugue in E Minor followed, with a theme consisting of
very rapidly repeated notes, reminescent of a bird's trill. There
didn't seem to be a pedal entrance of this theme, not surprising
given the very short response time required of the organ. The program
closed with J.S. Bach's athletic Praeludium (and Fugue) in G Major
(BWV 550), with dance-like fugal entrances in the pedal.
The audience's response brought an encore, an Italian Rondo
from the early 1800's, complete with imitations of bass drums and
birds.
To design and play a program that is Bach and pre-Bach and make it
work for a general audience is a daunting challenge for an organist,
but Christie brought it off with style. One member of the audience,
whose favorite organ idiom is French romantic (read Franck, Widor, &
Vierne), was skeptical about this program beforehand, but came
around enthusiastically afterwards. It did help, of course, that
this organ and this room are nearly ideal for this kind of music.
Christie's vitality produced a high level of excitement, and we
are grateful for that.
- Glenn A. Gentry
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