“Vibraphon, Orgel-Skulptur und Schlagwerk” = BACH: Präludium & Fuge G-Dur für Orgel; 3 Schübler-Choräle für Orgel; VIVALDI: Concerto in C for Vibraphone & Organ; MILAN: Pavane for Vibraphone; SorOR: Andantino, Andante & Dance in C for Vibraphone; COCHEREAU: Suite de Danse for Organ & Percussion; LEFEBURE-WELY: Andante in F for Organ; GLENTWORTH: Blues for Gilbert”; RIETHMULLER: Toccata in A for Organ; GENZMER: Concerto for Organ & Percussion – Albrecht Volz, vibraphone & percussion) / Ulrich Weissert, organ – Cornetto COR20012; 74:42 ****:
The organ as Art; this fine recent instrument installed in the Abbey Church of Alpirsbach in the Black Forest was designed by Claudius Winterhalter and in addition to producing very fine sounds is also an imposing piece of modern sculpture. With its untreated oak facing decorated with the help of a chainsaw, it stands 36 feet tall and weighs 17 tons, a compact size for a large instrument but an enormous one to move around the building.
And that is exactly what it can do, this flexibility adding to its multi-purpose use. Positioned on a platform with 12 air cushions, it acts as a hovercraft the compressors lifting the whole instrument off the ground and it glides on a cushion of air 1mm high, and as the informative booklet note puts it, with “the speed at which a hungry cow grazes”.
This mixture and combination of works for organ, vibraphone and percussion has been put together by Albrecht Volz and Ulrich Weissert to celebrate not only the building of this instrument, but also their performing together for twenty years, and the overall result is a rewarding and entertaining recital.
From Bach’s BWV 541, very tidily played with a range of stops to demonstrate the variety of sounds the organ can produce to Mark Glentworth’s Blues for Gilbert for vibraphone solo, written in response to the death of the composer’s teacher, Gilbert Webster, there is much to interest the listener. A flute concerto by Vivaldi transcribes very nicely indeed for vibraphone and organ.
Lefébure-Wély is represented not by one of his fairground inspired pieces, but the much gentler Andante in F, highlighting the organ’s beautiful Alp Flute stop. Heinrich Riethmüller’s light and effervescent Toccata is impressive with its nod to jazz. The recital ends with a concerto for percussion and organ by Harald Genzmer (1909-2007) one of the doyens of German 20th century music, an easily approachable work. In addition to two concertos for Trautonium for Oskar Sala, well worth investigating, he wrote during his very lifetime quite a collection of concertante works and the concerto for organ and percussion has a fine dreamy middle movement and an energetic and rhythmic last movement which brings this recital to a rousing conclusion.
The recorded sound is superb – what a shame this isn’t a multichannel SACD release. The booklet, in colour and well illustrated, has the full specification and history of the instrument. Samples can be heard at jpc.de and the disc is easily obtainable from usual sources. This sort of release is easily overlooked but really is well worth further investigation.
— Peter Joelson
