This concert is dedicated to important international composers, as well as those who have written for the 31-tone organ and who will celebrate milestone anniversaries in 2024. The result is a colourful memorial programme. In 2024, it will be exactly 100 years since the death of Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924). The illustrious Italian composer is one of the best-known figures in opera. The way he used sound to build atmosphere laid the foundations for later film music. Less well known is that he began his career as a church organist. Puccini’s Crisantemi fits the theme of this concert perfectly. The piece is itself an elegy in memory of a deceased friend. Originally composed for string quartet, it will be performed in an arrangement by Ere Lievonen on organ.
In 2024, it is also 200 years since the birth of Anton Bruckner (1824–1896) and 150 years since Arnold Schönberg (1874–1951), Gustav Holst (1874–1934) and Charles Ives (1874–1954) were born. The Austrian composer Bruckner is best known for his symphonies and sacred music. Although a phenomenal organist, few organ compositions by him exist. The impressive work to be performed is an arrangement of his Symphony No. 3. Austrian Arnold Schönberg, regarded as the founder of twelve-tone music, is considered one of the most influential composers of the twentieth century. Despite having little knowledge of the organ, in 1941 he composed his only two organ works, the perfectly rounded Rezitativ für Orgel and the unfinished Sonata for Organ, fragments of which are included in the programme.
British composer Gustav Holst also earned a living as a church organist. From his famous orchestral suite The Planets (1914–1916), the intriguing movement Saturn will be performed in a special arrangement featuring guest musician Melle Weijters on guitar. This movement is characterised by its slow tempo and contemplative, somber atmosphere. Holst captures the essence of Saturn, the astrological symbol of time and ageing, through a stately pace and rich orchestration. The music reflects a sense of the inevitability of time passing and the weight of the years. It begins with a mysterious, almost ominous atmosphere, gradually building to a powerful climax before withdrawing into a calm, reflective ending.
American composer and organist Charles Ives (1874–1954) was a true pioneer, embracing innovations before any other composer. He often experimented with microtones and sometimes placed melodies in unusual harmonic contexts, as in Adeste Fidelis in an Organ Prelude, which is on the programme. This famous Christmas carol, seemingly adrift, becomes a beautiful homage to Charles Ives.
Among composers who have written for the 31-tone organ is the relatively little-known violinist and microtonal thinker Leo de Vries (1924–2018). He encountered the 31-tone system as a student and composed, among other works, eight pieces for the 31-tone organ. As a loyal attendee of this concert series, he cannot be absent from today’s programme. Another milestone anniversary in 2024 is the 100th birthday of Anton de Beer (1924–2000), the former organist of the Fokker organ. Over his productive career, he wrote around 17 works in the 31-tone system, all playable on the Fokker organ. From him, Music for the Archiphone will be performed, originally written for the archiphone, an analogue electronic 31-tone instrument built in 1970 at the request of Adriaan Fokker and Anton de Beer. Thanks to the addition of digital organ stops, the Fokker organ can, where needed, be transformed into a grand romantic instrument, for example for Bruckner’s work.
The concert concludes with In a Sentimental Mood, with Melle Weijters again joining on organ. This timeless jazz classic was composed by the jazz legend Duke Ellington. The first version of the piece was purely instrumental. Later, Irving Mills, a music publisher, added lyrics written by Manny Kurtz. With the addition of lyrics, the instrumental composition became a vocal jazz standard. It was first recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra in 1935, featuring the vocals of Ivie Anderson. Over the years, In a Sentimental Mood has been recorded and performed by countless artists, securing its place as one of the enduring classics of jazz music.