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Christ Church Cathedral
July 9, 2007
In June of 2006, a conference and series of concerts were held at Christ Church Cathedral to celebrate the unveiling of the Cathedral's new organ. For some reason, the publicity for those concerts was rather poor. Even if one knew they were taking place, it was virtually impossible to find out who was performing what when. As a result, those 2006 performances took place below the normally acute radar of MiV and this is the first review of a performance on the new organ to appear on this site.
The instrument is certainly magnificent. It is a 61-stop baroque-style tracker organ with four manuals and pedal board. (To say that it is a tracker is to say that, like the organs of the baroque period, its mechanism is entirely mechanical.) While the organ itself is based on South German originals of the eighteenth century, the front end of the instrument is modern and user-friendly. The stops are controlled electronically and can be digitally recorded. For a full description of the instrument, see http://www.cathedralmusicfund.org/
Regular readers of MiV will be aware of my complaints about the acoustics of Christ Church Cathedral and their first question will be, "Yes, but can you hear this wonderful instrument?" I am pleased to say that the acoustic problems that plague performances in the chancel do not affect the organ. Located in the west gallery, the organ sounds very good where I was seated in the nave (which was nearly full for this performance). I can't say how the sound is in the adjacent aisles.
Of course, one cannot see the organist as he performs. On this occasion, a video camera was used to project the performer and the organ's console onto a screen at the front of the nave. Purists might complain about this on the grounds that it distracts attention from the music, but I enjoyed the opportunity to watch Gormley switching manuals and changing stops. It provided visual queues to changes in the music.
The recital began with what is almost certainly Bach's best-known organ work: the Toccata and Fugue in d minor (BWV 565). Gormley provided an authoritative performance. The Toccata was suitably imposing. The phrasing was clear and articulate: this was the very anti-thesis of E. Power Biggs school of organ playing. The Toccata segued straight into the Fugue without a hint of a pause. Here I found the rapid changes of stops a little fussy, but one can hardly blame Gormley for wanting to show off the instrument in all of its glory.
Next up was the Partita on the Chorale "Sei gegrüßet, Jesu gütig" (BWV 768). After the initial statement of the Chorale, we get six variations using the manuals, followed by five more with the addition of the pedals. In each of the first six variations, Gormley used different stops. Beginning on the second keyboard he used a rather nasal stop. Then up to the top keyboard for a mellifluous stop, to the third manual for a meditation using a quiet fluty stop, to the bottom manual as Gormley opened up more of the organ and then to the top again for a reedy sound. By the time that the pedals were introduced, I had become lost in the music and lost track of the changes of registration.
The first half of the performance ended with the Passacaglia in c minor (BWV 582), which was given a thoughtful, gimmick-free performance.
The second half began with the Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C Major (BWV 564). The Adagio was given a wistful reading. It was all the more so since one could hear each individual pipe. The Adagio contrasted nicely with the thick harmonic textures and multiple stops of the succeeding fugue.
Next we heard four chorale preludes from the Orgelbüchlein. Each was perfectly characterised. BWV 639 ("I call to you, Lord Jesus Christ") was plaintively rendered on a plaintive stop, 618 ("O Lamb of god, innocent") was given a childlike reading on a more neutral stop and 622 ("O man, weep for your great sin") was suitably resigned and dolorous. Finally, Gormley opened up lots of stops for a joyful performance of 615 ("In you is joy"). This part of the recital, with its responsiveness to the original texts, was really well done. Bach knew that everyone in his original audience knew the words of chorales and Gormley was similarly aware of their significance.
The Chorale Preludes "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" (BWV 645) and "Allein gott in der Höh' sei Ehr" (BWV 662) were up next. In the former Gormley made one of the few choices of stops that one might reasonably question. I was not entirely convinced by the extended combination of a reedy stop and clean one. BWV 662, however, was given a reflective, unfussy rendition that was almost completely beyond reproach. Occasionally the ornaments could have been a little more precisely executed.
The Prelude and Fuge "St. Anne" in E-flat Major (BWV 552) was a perfect way to end the recital. It gave Gormley the opportunity to show off the full resources of the organ. This finale really was grand.
This was a masterful performance on a wonderful instrument. It was an excellent way to begin a festival that, I hope, will be a great success. And I certainly look forward to hearing more recitals on the Christ Church Organ.
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