Tuesday, 25 October, 9.30, p.m.,
Igreja de São João Evangelista (Colégio - Funchal)
I - Dutch masters from the 17th to the 20th century
II – Louis Vierne: Messe Solennelle
Frank van Wijk, organ
Coro de Câmara da Madeira
João Vaz, organ
Halyna Stetsenko, choir organ
Zélia Gomes, direction
I - Dutch masters from the 17th to the 20th century
II – Louis Vierne: Messe Solennelle
A festive Ouverture (in fact a Prelude and Fugue) by the famous Alkmaar Town-organist Gerhardus Havingha opens this program dedicated to Dutch masters. Havingha’s North German orientation is reflected in this composition as well as in the controversial renovation he initiated of ‘his’ famous Alkmaar Van Hagerbeer-organ by organbuilder Schnitger in 1723-25. The Alkmaarborn violinist and composer Willem de Fesch worked in Amsterdam, Antwerp and London. His chamber music and Concerti were published in Amsterdam during his lifetime, where, according to the German musicographer Johann Mattheson, local organists used to play transcriptions of ‘the newest sonatas and concerti on their organs’. The Dutch pupil of Mendelssohn Johannes Gijsbertus Bastiaans was organist in Amsterdam (Zuiderkerk) and Haarlem (St. Bavo). He was the first Dutch organist daring to perform an ‘all Bach’ organ recital (1850) and the pioneering figure of the 19th century Bach revival in Holland. He was a fertile composer, especially for his instrument, the organ. In this chorale arrangement the atmosphere of the text is depicted in the interludes between the choral lines. The organist and composer Hendrik Andriessen was a key figure in Dutch musical life for many decades. His large output testifies of his orientation towards the French romantic esthetics of composers like César Franck and Louis Vierne. The Sonata da Chiesa (1927) is one his best-known organ compositions. The work consists of a theme with five variations followed by a free Finale, crowned by the return of the initial theme, played on full organ.
Frank van Wijk
Louis Vierne, partly blind since birth on account of cataracts, became one of the main figures of the French romantic organ school. A pupil of César Franck and Charles-Marie Widor, it was to this latter that he showed in 1899 a sketch for a Mass for choir and orchestra. Widor recommended that he write it for choir and two organs. The final result was performed for the first time in 1900 at the Church of Saint Sulpice, with the composer playing the choir organ and Widor at the great organ. In the same year, Vierne won the competition for the appointment as titular organist of the great organ of the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Like his teacher, Louis Vierne knew how to obtain the best from large instruments and the large spaces of which they were part. The Messe solenelle is splendidly conceived for the disposition of French cathedrals, where the choir, in the altar, accompanied by the choir organ, is in dialogue across the nave with the great organ. The problem of the distance between the two instruments, which could have caused great difficulties in performance, was skilfully avoided by the composer, who left the accompanying role to the choir organ, leaving space for the great organ to intervene as a soloist or to emphasize moments of greater intensity. An example of this procedure is the Kyrie, in which the antiphonal effects between the two organs reach their greatest intensity. In the final Agnus Dei, after each of the choir’s supplicatory interventions, there is a solo for the great organ, which ends the Mass in an atmosphere of complete serenity. On 2 June 1937, at the keyboard of his instrument in NotreDame, Vierne suffered a fit of apoplexy while giving a concert. More than a century after its first performance, the exciting sounds of the Messe solennelle will for the first time fill the space of the Igreja do Colégio in Funchal.
João Vaz
I - DUTCH MASTERS
Gerhardus Havingha (1696-1753)
¬ Ouverture octava in F
Willem de Fesch (1687-1861)
¬ Concerto in A minor op. 3 n.o 6
› Allegro
› Adagio
› Vivace
Johannes Gijsbertus Bastiaans (1812-1875)
¬ Chorale and variation on Nun ruhen alle Wälder
Hendrik Andriessen (1892-1981)
¬ Sonata da Chiesa (1927)
› Tema con Variazioni
› Finale
II - LOUIS VIERNE, MESSE SOLENNELLE
Louis Vierne (1870-1937)
¬ Solemn Mass in C sharp minor, for choir and two organs, op. 16 (1900)
› Kyrie
› Gloria
› Sanctus
› Benedictus
› Agnus Dei
KYRIE
Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison.
Lord have mercy upon us. Christ have mercy upon us. Lord have mercy upon us.
GLORIA
Glória in excélsis Deo
et in terra pax homínibus bonæ voluntátis.
Laudámus te,
benedícimus te,
adorámus te,
glori cámus te,
grátias ágimus tibi propter magnam glóriam tuam,
Dómine Deus, Rex cæléstis,
Deus Pater omnípotens.
Dómine Fili unigénite, Jesu Christe, Dómine Deus, Agnus Dei, Fílius Patris,
qui tollis peccáta mundi, miserére nobis;
qui tollis peccáta mundi, súscipe deprecatiónem nostram.
Qui sedes ad déxteram Patris, miserére nobis.
Quóniam tu solus Sanctus, tu solus Dóminus, tu solus Altíssimus,
Jesu Christe, cum Sancto Spíritu: in glória Dei Patris. Amen.
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.
We praise Thee,
we bless Thee,
we adore Thee,
we glorify Thee,
we give Thee thanks
for your great glory,
Lord God, heavenly King,
O God, almighty Father.
Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God,
Son of the Father,
Thou takest away the sins
of the world, have mercy on us; Thou takest away the sins
of the world, receive our prayer. Thou art seated at the right hand
of the Father, have mercy on us.
For Thou alone art the Holy One, Thou alone art the Lord, Thou alone art the Most High,
Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
SANCTUS
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Pleni sunt cæli et terra gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis.
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of Hosts. Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna in the highest.
BENEDICTUS
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis.
Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
AGNUS DEI
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: dona nobis pacem.
Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, grant us peace.
Participants
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Frank van Wijk, born in Alkmaar in 1964, studied from 1983 to 1991 at the Amsterdam Conservatory. There he graduated in organ (with Piet Kee, Jacques van Oortmerssen and Hans van Nieuwkoop respectively), Harpsichord (with Bob van Asperen and Kees Rosenhart) and Church Music (with Klaas Bolt among others). He is active as teacher of organ, harpsichord and clavichord, as church musician (organist of the Ruïnekerk in Bergen NH and the Kapelkerk in Alkmaar with its 1762 Christian Müller organ) and per- forming musician with an extensive concert practice. Furthermore he is involved in the organ activities of the St Laurens Church in Alkmaar with its famous historic organs. With organist Pieter van Dijk he forms the artistic direction of Organ Festival Holland. He has made several CD and DVD recordings and regularly publishes articles, especially about organ history. In 2012 an 32 volume edition of the collected works of the Dutch composer, organist and Bach pioneer Johannes Gijsbertus Bastiaans (1812-1875) was published by Donemus, for which he took care of the organ works. |
Frank van Wijk|
The Madeira Chamber Choir was founded in 1971 at the former Academy of Music and Fine Arts of Madeira by the professor of singing Rennate von Schenkendorff. During its early years, it performed in the city of Funchal, appearing periodically in choral-instrumental concerts. On 17 April 1986 the Madeira Chamber Choir Cultural Association was formed, and in 1991 it acquired the status of Institution of Public Utility. It was a pioner in the organization of artistic exchanges between various cultural institutions, regularly taking part in choral festivals both in Portugal and abroad, as an ambassador for the Madeira Region. At present it gives concerts on its own and also in collaboration with various musicians and ensembles, performing a varied repertoire, ranging from arias and choruses from the great operas to lighter material. It regularly takes part in significant moments of the public life of Madeira, in official commemorations, by means of performances of the great choral-symphonic works by classical composers. It has also taken part in full performances of opera, operetta and musical theatre. Since its foundation its resident artistic directors have been Rufino da Silva, Amador Cortez, José Pereira Júnior, João Victor Costa, Agostinho Bettencourt and, presently, Zélia Ferreira Gomes. The Madeira Chamber Choir is also very active in the teaching and practice of choral singing for both youth and adults, of all levels of experience. |
Coro de Câmara da Madeira|
Born in Lisbon, João Vaz graduated in organ from the Higher School of Music in Lisbon, studying with Antoine Sibertin-Blanc, and from the Higher Conservatoire of Aragon, in Zaragoza, where he studies with José Luis González Uriol, on a scholarship from the Gulbenkian Foundation. He has a doctorate in music and musicology from the University of Évora, where his thesis, on Portuguese organ music from the end of the ancien regime was supervised by Rui Vieira Nery. He has been extremely active internationally, both as a performer and as a teacher on organ courses, and as a jury member in competitions. He has made more than ten solo recordings, significant among them those made on historical Portuguese organs. As performer and musicologist he has paid particular attention to Portuguese sacred music, founding in 2006 the ensemble Capella Patriarchal, which he directs. His work in transcribing and editing, which he has been published in Portugal and Spain, covers works preserved in various Portuguese libraries and archives. He currently teaches organ at the Higher School of Music in Lisbon. He is artistic director of the Madeira Organ Festival and of the concert series featuring the six organs of the Basilica of the National Palace of Mafra (for the restoration of which he was a permanent consultant) and of the historical organ of the Church of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, of which he became titular organist in 1997. |
João Vaz|
Studied at the Tchaikovsky State Conservatory in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, where she studied between 1975 and 1980 with Galina Bulybenko and Mykola Sul, earning the higher diploma in organ and piano. Between 1980 and 1994 she taught at the Special Professional School for talented young musicians. She has worked as a soloist and with chambre ensembles, including the Stetsenko Trio, in various cities in Ukraine, as well as in Belgium and France. In 1998 she took part in the Organ Symposium in the Autonomous Region of the Azores. Between 1996 and 1999 she was the accompanist in various masterclasses given by Felix Andrievsky and Zakhar Bron in Spain and Portugal. In 2003 she took part in the International Conference “The Organ and the Liturgy Today” which took place in Fátima. In 2009 she participated in a masterclass given in Lisbon by the organist José Luis González Uriol. She has appeared in the Chamber Music Series organized by the Classical Orchestra of Madeira, and since 1995 has taught organ and piano at the Conservatory-Professional School of Arts of Madeira. |
Halyna Stetsenko|
Holds a doctorate in work sciences, in the area of social psychology, from the University of Cadiz, Spain, a masters in primary musical education, a licentiate in school administration and management from the Higher Institute of Educational Sciences in Odivelas, professional service qualifications from the University of Madeira (teachers’ training centre), and a higher diploma from the Madeira Conservatoire. From 2008 to 2011 she taught vocal technique on the licentiate course in musical education at the Higher Institute of Musical Education in Odivelas. Since 1990 she has been singing and choral singing teacher and Artistic Director of the Children’s, Youth and EVRP choirs at DSEAM; in 2001 she was appointed Artistic Director of the Madeira Chamber Choir; from 1990 2000 she was Artistic Director of the Choral Group of Estreito de Câmara de Lobos; from 1998-2002 she taught singing at the Madeira Conservatoire (CEPAM) and was Artistic Director of the CEPAM Youth Choir. She has given numerous concerts at RAM, in Porto Santo, mainland Portugal, Spain and Slovenia. |
Zélia GomesNotes about the Organ
Church of São João Evangelista (Colégio), Funchal
This instrument, with 1586 sounding pipes, is situated in a religious space with certain particularities. As a church typical of those belonging to Jesuit colleges, with a broad nave and quite a gentle acoustic, the organ had to be specially conceived, especially with regard to the measurements of the pipes. Thus all the pipework of the instrument has been specifically tailored to produce a full sound, and each stop produces a timbre with an individual personality, forming part of a harmonic ensemble based more on the sound of fundamentals and less on harmonics. It was also felt to be essential to give the instrument a certain ‘latin’ sonority that would favour performance of ancient music of the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese schools of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Another aspect to be taken into consideration was the need to complement the current range of organs available locally: the new organ responds in an ideal fashion to the performance of works of periods and of technical and artistic requirements that none of the 24 historic instruments of Madeira cater adequately for. It also enhances the range of organs that constitute the island’s heritage by being present in this particular religious space, as well as by existing side by side with other historical instruments. In the decision to build it for this church, not only were the issues of acoustic, aesthetic and liturgical space taken into account, but also the presence there of an important historic instrument which is currently on the list of instruments undergoing restoration.
I Manual - Órgão Principal (C-g’’’)
Flautado aberto de 12 palmos (8’)
Flautado tapado de 12 palmos (8’)
Oitava real (4’)
Tapado de 6 palmos (4’)
Quinzena (2’)
Dezanovena e 22ª
Mistura III
Corneta IV
Trompa de batalha* (bass)
Clarim* (treble)
Fagote* (bass)
Clarineta* (treble)
II Manual - Órgão Positivo (C-g’’’)
Flautado aberto de 12 palmos (8’)
Tapado de 12 palmos (8’)
Flautado aberto de 6 palmos (4’)
Dozena (2 2/3’)
Quinzena (2’)
Dezassetena (1 3/5’)
Dezanovena (1 1/3)
Címbala III
Trompa real (8’)
Pedal (C-f’)
Tapado de 24 palmos (16’)
Bordão de 12 palmos (8’)
Flautado de 6 palmos (4’)
Contrafagote de 24 palmos (16’)
Trompa de 12 palmos (8’)
Couplers
II/I
I/Pedal
II/Pedal
* horizontal reeds