Thomas Trotter at First Presbyterian Church, October 20, 2009
The program opened with an arrangement of Handel's Organ Concerto
in Bb major, Op. 4 no. 2, played with great precision. One of the delights
of hearing a series of different organists play the same instrument is
in listening for new sounds that many manage to get from an organ, even
one you have heard often. In this respect Trotter did not disappoint -
the Handel opened with a baroque registration that I had not heard before
from this organ and that was very appropriate. The exploration of the
organ's capabilities continued with four short pieces from the 16th
century that featured the Krummhorn (a relative of the clarinet) and
the Oboe d'Amore in echo mode, and with flute stops as well as trumpets.
Next was a piece by Ligeti (1923-2006), Hungarian Rock, which was in
the form of a chaconne (or passacaglia), with a repeated motif in the
left hand; in this case in a syncopated pop-rock style, with an equally
lively melody in the right hand, often in a high range, but occasionally
"tumbling" all the way to the bottom of the keyboard ("tumbling" strains
are often heard in primitive music, with a few notes in high pitches,
abruptly descending to a much lower range - the opening of Gershwin's
"Summertime" in Porgy and Bess is a modern example). After this was
Bach's monumental Passacaglia and Fugue in c minor, played with vitality.
There is a "trap" in this piece that gives many organists problems, and
it occurs in measures 138-145. The problem is that the 8 measure theme
is repeated over and over in the pedal, and the tempo must be maintained
throughout, which includes not just the feet but also both the hands, no
matter how many notes there are to play for any given beat. In the trap
the notes per beat go from 4 to 6, for both hands. Sometimes organ
students set the tempo of the whole piece depending on how fast
they can get through these 8 measures. Trotter got through the trap as
if it weren't there, with his fingers a blur.
After a brief intermission the program continued with Stanford's Fantasia
and Toccata in D major, in typical English style of Victorian times. It
was here that we got to hear a few pedal solo passages that had a lighter
sound than in the Bach Passacaglia. Then Trotter played two selections -
the canzona and the scherzo - from Percy Whitlock's Sonata (from the
1930s). These were appropriately light and lively. The program closed
with transrcriptions of Mendelssohn's Scherzo (Midsummer Night's Dream)
and War March of the Priests (Athalie), played with accuracy and
style, and, where called for, bombast! The later recalled the recessionals
at the University Medical Center graduations in the old days, played at
First Baptist Church by Hazel Chisholm.
There was a light and pleasant encore, Scherzo, by Frederick Holloway,
like a light dessert after a major feast.
What more to say? Two things were especially helpful: first, Trotter's
spoken program notes, and second, the video camera & projectors that
gave the audience a good view of the manuals on two large screens.
Although I sometimes close my eyes at concerts in order to concentrate
on the music, it is also important for the audience to engage with the
performer, because much can be communicated visually, and so it was
here. Finally we are grateful for Trotter's fine program, to First
Presbyterian Church for graciously sharing their instrument,
and to host Bill Wymond who arranged the recital.
- Glenn A. Gentry