Jean-Baptiste Robin at Northminster Baptist Church, September 24, 2009
For me, the centerpiece of this program was the opener: J.S. Bach's
monumental Passacaglia and Fugue in c minor, BWV 582. It was played with
a rare sensitivity, to phrase and tempo and harmonic progression, and when
it was over, there was thunderous applause that did not stop even when Robin
mounted the organ bench to play the following piece, forcing him to
dismount and give a second bow. I think the reasons for this were that
his command of the instrument and of the piece was such that he
could attend to more subtle aspects, most importantly dynamics; his
passion for the music was obvious in every note he played. This is
both a simple and highly complex piece, simple in the theme that recurs
throughout, and complicated in what Bach did with it. It began very softly
in the pedal, and built gradually in intensity over the 15 minutes playing
time it requires, basically from pp to ff. There is an explanation in
the physiology of acoustics: going from soft to loud increases the level
of excitement. Going abruptly from pp to ff changes from excitement to
astonishment, and, at ff, there is nowhere further to go (rock musicians
do try, with disastrous results to their hearing). The trick is to spread
out the increase in dynamic level so there is an overall constantly increasing
excitement, and that is not easy, but it is what Robin did with ease.
Music of another German, Felix Mendelssohn's Sonata VI in d minor,
followed, played with both delicacy and fire as appropriate. Then Robin
played the first French piece of his program, Jehan Alain's Litanies,
full of fire that blazed up at the end. Alain's death at age 29 in
World War I was not only a personal tragedy for him and his family, but
also for the musical world - one wonders what he might have accomplished
had he lived.
After the intermission, another German work - Franz Liszt's Prelude
and Fugue on BACH (that is, Bb-A-C-B). That theme is the main glue
that holds this episodic (and epic) piece together; Robin gave it a
robust performance that would - I suspect - have delighted its composer.
Next was a group of Romanian Dances by Béla Bartók that were light (except
for the last one), and provided welcome contrast. The formal program
closed with Duruflé's Prelude and Fugue on the Name of Alain, in
significance for me second only to the Bach. Here the dynamic level began
at p, and didn't rise to ff until near the end. But throughout it was
played with such attention to the emotional content as I have not heard
before. I had heard the piece, but could not connect it to the Duruflé
whom I knew as the composer of the moving Requiem Mass. Finally, in this
performance, I could hear the connection - a powerful moment. An
encore followed: a very effective transcription for organ of Albeñiz's
Iberia.
What more to say? It would be hard to top this program. I thank
Northminster Baptist Church for sharing their remarkable instrument
with the community.
- Glenn A. Gentry