Thursday October 24, 9:30pm
Church of St. John the Evangelist (Colégio)
The organ in the XXI century
António Esteireiro, organ
Denis Bédard (1950)
Variations on "Christus vincit" (2003)
João Vaz (1963)
Theme and Variations for a historical
historical Portuguese organ (2010)
Bernhard Blitsch (1965)
Trumpet Tune (2012)
George Baker (1951)
Prière Grégorienne (2018)
Peter Planyavsky (1947)
Partita sopra Cantio Oenipontana (2007)
Martin Stacey (1975)
Icarus [2004] (9')
António Esteireiro (1971)
Improvisation on a given theme
Original repertoire for organ in the 21st century continues to be written mostly by composer-interpreters. The deep knowledge that performers have of the instrument for which they write is inversely proportional to a certain remoteness of most composers in relation to the organ. The repertoire chosen for this concert provides a short musical journey through several countries, presenting very varied aesthetic currents and differentiated sonorities that highlight the sound palette of the College's church instrument. The melody Christus vincit is one of the best known and most played melodies in the international liturgical repertoire, and the variations by the Canadian composer Denis Bédard are very popular for their easy melodic identification throughout the piece. João Vaz's Theme and Variations (built on an original modal melody) makes use of the typical sonorities of late 18th century Portuguese organs. The Trumpet Tune by German composer Bernhard Blitsch was written for the Cologne Cathedral organ. As its title suggests, the work is inspired by the English Trumpet Tunes and their use of high pressure reed soloist registers. The American composer George Baker dedicated his Prière Grégorienne to Stephen Tharp, the American organist also present at this festival, and the work was premiered at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Baker cites seven Gregorian melodies, Regina caeli, Salve regina in the modern and monastic version, Dies irae, Te Deum, Ubi caritas, and Ave maris stella, wrapped in harmonies typical of the French Impressionist tradition. The Partita sopra Cantio Oenipontana by Austrian composer Peter Planyavsky is inspired by a melody from the city of Innsbruck, whose Latin name is Oenipons. The structure of the partita follows the model of theme and variations typical of the German Baroque, with the composer assuming the influence of the partitas of Johann Gottfried Walther (1684-1748) in its construction. Greek mythology obviously inspired Martin Stacey in the composition of Icarus, and the work follows the various steps of the myth of Icarus in a very descriptive manner. The wax wings built by Icarus and his father Daedalus allowed him the freedom to fly. However, by not heeding his father's warnings that when flying he should not fly towards the sun, these too would eventually cause his death. Improvisation remains a fundamental element in the liturgical praxis of any organist. The need to create musical moments of adequate duration for ecclesial rites and ceremonies accompanies the history of Western liturgical music. In a concert context it is possible to explore even more freely the potentialities of creating original music in real time.
António Esteireiro
Participants
|
Born in Lisbon, António Manuel Esteireiro has a degree in Organ by the Superior School of Music and Theater of Munich, and in Sacred Music by the Superior School of Sacred Music of Regensburg (Organ and Improvisation with Franz Josef Stoiber). Such studies were only possible with the support of the Diocese of Regensburg and the Geiselberg Foundation in Munich. He later attended Hans-Ola Ericsson's organ class at the Bremen University of Music. He has given concerts both as a soloist and in various choral and orchestral formations in several European countries, Mexico and Brazil. Besides being a regular guest of the main concert cycles and national organ festivals, he also coordinated the Cycles of Organ Concerts in the Basílica dos Mártires in Lisbon, and the Integral of the Work for Organ by Olivier Messiaen, presented at the Sé Patriarcal in Lisbon, on the occasion of the centennial celebrations of this composer. Organ teacher in the National Courses of Liturgical Music organized by the Shrine of Fatima in collaboration with the National Secretariat of Liturgy, he is also a regular collaborator of the Sacred Music Service of the Parish of Santa Maria de Belém. Within the scope of this collaboration, he also took over the programming of the Organ Concert Cycles at the Jerónimos Monastery. Presently he teaches Organ and Improvisation at the Instituto Gregoriano and at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa. |
António EsteireiroNotes about organ
Church of São João Evangelista (Colégio), Funchal
This instrument, with its 1586 pipes, is part of a sacred space with very special characteristics. Since the architecture of the church is typical of Jesuit colleges, with a nave of admirable breadth and mild acoustics, the organ had to be designed with very special care, especially with regard to the size of the pipes. Thus, the entire tuba of this instrument, cut in wide measures, echoes with intense depth, and each register emits a sonority with its own personality, being part of a harmonic set based more on fundamental sounds and less on timbres resulting from harmonics. It was understood that it would be indispensable to endow this instrument with a certain sonic "Latinity" capable of favoring the performance of ancient music from the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese schools of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Another aspect taken into account was the need to complement the current and local organistic panorama: the new large organ is ideally suited for the performance of works from periods and technical-artistic requirements for which none of the 24 historic instruments in Madeira offer the adequate conditions, while also adding value to the entire organistic heritage of Madeira Island through its very existence in this particular sacred space, as well as through its coexistence with the historic specimens. The decision to place it in the Colégio Church took into account not only the acoustic, aesthetic, and liturgical space, but also the fact that it contains an important historical organ that is part of the list of instruments currently being restored.
I Manual - Main Organ (C-g''')
Open Flute 12 feet (8')
12 foot flute (8')
Royal octave (4')
6-fretted (4')
Fifteenth (2')
Decanovena and 22nd
Mixture III
Horn IV
Battle Horn* (left hand)
Bugle* (right hand)
Bassoon* (left hand)
Clarinet* (right hand)
II Manual - Positive Organ (C-g''')
Open Flute 12 inches (8')
12-fret open flute (8')
6-stroke open flute (4')
Dozen (2 2/3')
Fifteen (2')
10-seventeen (1 3/5')
Decanovena (1 1/3')
Cymbal III
Royal horn (8')
Pedal (C-f')
24-foot bridge (16')
12-fret cord (8')
6-fret flute (4')
16' (24') Contrabassoon
12-fret horn (8')
Couplings
II/I
I/Pedal
II/Pedal
* Horizontal reeds