ORGEL ZEIT - yorkago.orgyorkago.org/orgel zeit mar2018.pdf · fiendishly difficult Six Etudes of...

ORGEL ZEIT Volume 16, Issue 2 March 2018

The York Chapter of The American Guild of Organists

Serving our community since 1935

The AGO National Convention At the 2018 AGO National Convention in Kansas City you will see and hear incredible performances by world-class organists and choirs, hear new music by some of the world’s best modern composers, be able to check out dozens of workshops and seminars, and enjoy creative worship services in some of the most beauti-ful and historic organ venues in the country. The members of the Greater Kansas City Chapter of The Ameri-can Guild of Organists look forward to sharing the grandeur of the city’s organs and performance venues with you from July 2 – 6, 2018.

We hope to see you there!

Registration Rates

Early: Jan. 1 – Mar. 31, 2018 Regular Member* $435 Senior (65+) $395 Spouse/Partner $350 Young Organist (under 30) $250 Non-member $550

Regular: Apr. 1 - May 31, 2018 Regular Member* $495 Senior (65+) $450 Spouse/Partner $350 Young Organist (under 30) $250 Non-member $595

Final: Jun. 1, 2018 through the convention All categories (except non-member) $545 Non-member $595

Daily $150 (Two day maximum)

*Regular Member rate is available to numerous sister organizations, listed on the registration site

http://kcago.com/http://kcago.com/

THE ST. MATTHEW LUTHERAN CHURCH CONCERT SERIES will present organist Adam Brakel in concert on Sunday, April 8, at 4:00 p.m. Free tickets are required for admission and can be ordered by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: April Concert, St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 30 W. Chestnut St., Hanover, PA 17331. A free-will offering will be taken to assist with the concert costs. Please note the number of tickets desired. The doors open at 3:30 p.m. A reception will follow the program.

The colorful program will include Meyerbeer’s Coronation March, Prae-ludium in e minor (The Great) by Bruhns, Toccata in D Major by Lanquetu-it, Jongen’s Sonata Eroica, Variations on Shenandoah arranged by Brakel, Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag, Stars and Stripes by Sousa, Bach’s Partita: Sei gegrusset, Jesu gutig, BWV 768, Etude Symphonique by Bossi, Chopin’s Etude in c-sharp minor, op.10, no 4, Demessieux’s Octaves, among others.

The spell-binding performances of concert organist Adam J. Brakel have led to his being compared to Liszt, Gould, Bernstein, and Paganini — proving that true musical prodigies continue to exist in the 21st century. National Public Radio in Florida hailed him as “An absolute organ prodigy, with the

technique and virtuosity that most concert pianists could only dream of, and having the potential to be the lead-ing organist of his generation. He is the Franz Liszt of the organ.” The Chicago Tribune proclaimed Brakel as "One of the most talented organists in the world." A graduate of the Peabody Conservatory, Adam J. Brakel has embarked on a highly successful concert career, playing from coast to coast in the United States, and in concert tours in England, Germany, and Hong Kong. Dame Gillian Weir, one of the foremost organists in the world, said of Brakel, “He is to be commended for his devotion to the art of performance and to music itself.” Brakel’s repertoire of organ literature is extensive and includes the entire spectrum of styles including the com-plete organ works of Bach, Bruhns, Buxtehude, Couperin, Liszt, de Grigny, Franck, Mozart, Mendelssohn and Duruflé – truly laudable for such a young performer. In addition to works of all periods, from 2010 through the present career highlights include performances of the complete works of César Franck and, more notably, the fiendishly difficult Six Etudes of Jeanne Demessieux, being one of very few concert organists in the world to perform and record the entire set. Mr. Brakel has also made a concentrated study of jazz music for the pipe organ and has premiered jazz pianist Dick Hyman's Shenandoah arranged for organ by Brakel, and the USA premier of Millennial Countdown at the request of Mr. Hyman, considered one of the best jazz pianists of this era.

Adam Brakel's recital career was launched after being awarded an American Guild of Organists scholarship as a high school junior. He then enrolled at Duquesne University where he studied organ with John Walker and David Craighead and harpsichord with Rebecca Rollett. While at Duquesne he was appointed Associate Or-ganist at Saint Paul Roman Catholic Cathedral in Pittsburgh where he was featured weekly on television broadcasts throughout western Pennsylvania. He graduated from Duquesne University magna cum laude in 2006 and was accorded the André Marchal Award for Excellence in Performance. He then enrolled at The Juilliard School in New York City, receiving the John Dexter Bush Scholarship and the Alice Tully Award. In addition to his studies, Mr. Brakel was appointed Assistant Organist at the Church of Saint Ignatius Loyola on Park Avenue and was featured in solo recitals at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral and Central Synagogue among other Manhattan venues. In autumn 2007, Adam enrolled at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore where he com-pleted his master’s degree and was then awarded the Graduate Performance Diploma in 2011. At Peabody, he studied with Donald Sutherland and visiting guest professor, Dame Gillian Weir. During this time, he also served as assisting organist at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washing-ton, DC. Further studies in Toulouse, France resulted in his being presented with the prestigious “Oundle Award” in 2008.

As a fierce and exacting contender in numerous competitions, Adam Brakel took top prizes in the Albert Schweitzer Organ Competition, the Reuter/Augustana Arts Undergraduate Organ Competition, the Gruenstein Memorial Organ Competition, the John Rodland Memorial Scholarship Competition, the French Organ Music Seminar Competition, and the Carlene Neihart International Organ Competition all between the years of 2003-2006.

POSITIONS AVAILABLE

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Littlestown, Organist. St. Paul’s is seeking an organist to lead worship at the 10:15 Sunday morning service. (9 AM in the summer.) The service is a traditional service of Holy Commun-ion. Additional special services throughout the year are Christmas Eve, Ash Wednesday, mid-week Lenten services, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil and occasionally as many as two community services every few years. The organist would work under the Worship and Music committee with the choir director and would also accompany the Chancel Choir. Most of the accompaniment of the Chancel Choir would be on piano and rehearsals for the choir are Wednesdays from 7-8:30 PM. The Chancel Choir begins rehears-als the last Wed. in Aug. and concludes practices in late May. St. Paul’s has a very strong music program with about 16 members on the Chancel Choir. The organ is a Moller Pipe Organ opus 4961 and was original-ly installed in 1930. In 1963, the organ was rebuilt by Moller Organ Company and in 2012, SDG Organ Com-pany of Millersville rebuilt it and added some new features such as the trumpet stop. For more information please contact Ben Messinger at 717-359-4556 or [email protected]. The position is open begin-ning January, 2017.

In November 2017, Mr. Brakel was appointed Director of Music at St. James Cathedral and for the Diocese of Orlando, Florida. This appointment follows positions at Christ the King Catholic Church in Tampa, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Parish in the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Florida, and at St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Cathedral in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida - a position to which he was appointed at age 25, making him at the time one of the youngest directors appointed to a cathedral in the United States.

Adam J. Brakel is represented in North America exclusively by Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists, LLC.

Jardine Organ Concerts Cross Keys Village - TBHC at 2990 Carlisle Pike in New Oxford, PA is the (non-retirement) home of an 1869 one manual George Jardine (NY) tracker action organ rebuilt in 1983 by Brunner & Associates.

This year is the 15th annual concert series and features:

April 29th Adric, St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, Timonium, MD June 24th Victor Fields, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, York September 9th Brian Rotz, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Carlisle October 14th Michael Britt, Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church, Baltimore, MD

All recitals begin at 2:30 pm on the dates shown.

Free-will offerings will be accepted and refreshments will be served.

MAX REGER

“I consider him a genius.” Arnold Schoenberg on Max Reger.

We're lucky as organists to know quite a bit about Max Reger (1873 – 1916), whose music shows up in many organ recital programmes and re-cordings, but is largely absent from orchestral, chamber and instrumental programmes. I've been a fan of his music since discovering it as a teenager, but I'm aware that a lot of people, particularly non-organists, don't know much about him. Therefore making a Max Reger DVD will not only mark his centenary next year, but should bring much needed attention to this great composer.

This should be a most exciting set of films for a number of reasons. The musicians who will be performing are brilliant and should provide searing performances. Much of the music we will record, as well as being great, is unfamiliar, and our goal is to shine a light on a little known musical realm.

And the story itself is wild. Reger crammed an extraordinary amount into his 43 years. At the time he was one of Germany's most successful composers and was constantly touring and performing while also living a life of excess, going on drinking and eating binges that matched with a vast compositional output. But that's not the whole story. Reger was also a deeply spiritual man, a side that is reflected in his music. He was also described as a seismograph whose music reflected the major issues and struggles of his time. He lived through a period in which Europe struggled with decadence and ultimately marched into the abyss of the First World War. Reger's music, perhaps culminating in his ferocious Dies Irae, reflects this enormous cul-tural struggle. Therefore this film about Reger will also provide, from the fascinating viewpoint of a tor-mented and misunderstood genius who lived at double-speed, a vision of one of the most important periods of European history.

A great composer writing for the organ

Reger was like Franck in that early in his career he turned to the organ as a way of having music he wrote be performed – this was due to the gifted organist Karl Straube championing his compositions. Therefore Reger brought the ambitions and talents of a great composer to the organ, and in his organ music made a genuinely important contribution to the development of European classical music.

For instance, some people have argued that it is in his Opus 73 Variations for organ that Reger became the first composer to write atonal music.

Our main featured organist for this DVD will be Graham Barber, who will perform Opus 73, along with other great works such as the Chorale Fantasia and Fugue on Hallelujah, Gott zu Loben and the Fantasia and Fugue Opus 135b, or organs such as the Sauer organ in the Lutherkirche in Chemnitz, the new “Reger organ” at St Michael's, Weiden, and also the Schulze organ in Armley where he is organist.

Despite Opus 73, Reger was never heading towards atonality – he told Strauss he would never take that ulti-mate step. Reger ploughed a unique course for himself and created an unforgettable style that combines astonishing harmony with traditional forms such as the fugue and passacaglia.

In this sense his ne plus ultra is his “Inferno” Fantasia and Fugue in D minor, Opus 57. Surely this is the wildest, most virtuosic, most extraordinary fantasia and fugue ever written. It's never been filmed profes-sionally before and should be gripping to listen to and watch.

Bernhard Buttmann, a veteran who has recorded all of Reger's organ music, plays it brilliantly and will per-form it on the Link organ of the Pauluskirche in Ulm, alongside various other works.

With works such as Opus 57 and 73, it is no wonder that Reger has developed a fearsome reputation for dense chromaticism. But his Second Sonata, Opus 60, presents another side of him – clear, transparent, to the point, concise. This will be played by Bernhard Haas.

What if you don't like Reger's music?

Max Reger has always divided critics, audiences and musicians, on the one hand winning the most extraor-dinary loyalty and praise, and on the other being dismissed out of hand. Therefore Reger is ripe for reap-praisal. What if you just don't like his music?

We feel that his story is so compelling and touches on so many fascinating themes and concerns that even if you decide you don't like his music you will enjoy the story and acknowledge reger's interest and importance. So we relish the opportunity to establish convincingly that he deserves recognition and awareness and should stand alongside Mahler and Strauss as one of the most important composers of his time, worthy of a place in the mainstream of musical life.

Documentary

The documentary about Reger's life, to be presented on DVD in three 52-minute episodes, will serve as both a biography and also an in-depth survey of his music. Presented by singer Frauke May and conductor Ira Levin, two stories will be told – the past story of Reger's life, with his many struggles but also his extraordinary ac-complishments, and the present story of Levin preparing to conduct a performance of his new arrangement for orchestra of Reger's famous piano work, the Bach Variations. Therefore the film will cover both the hugely compelling narrative of Reger's life as well as showing how his music is performed and received today.

May and Levin will interview, in either German or English, all the major Reger scholars and performers, from Susanne Popp and her colleagues at the Reger Institute to performers such as Julius Berger, Bernhardt Butt-mann and Graham Barber. We will take advantage of one Reger-performer's extraordinary resemblance to Re-ger – Rudolf Meister – who will “stand” in for Reger in scenes about his life. We will use the piano and organ rolls at the Max Reger Institute to recreate Reger's own performances using an original mechanical player-piano and player-organ.

The documentary will include excerpts from Reger's most important works for orchestra, piano, chamber en-semble and organ (these works will be included in their entirety on the other CDs and DVDs of the boxed set – never before have all the key works of Reger for whatever instrument been available in one set).

Our aim is nothing less than to establish Reger among the pantheon of great composers, and we will devote all our resources to accomplishing this through making an extraordinary set of films and recordings in exquisite packaging that will bring the attention of the classical music world onto the genius and importance of Max Reger.

Congratulations to York Chapter member Todd Davis, Director of Music &

Organist at Christ Lutheran Church in downtown York.

Todd successfully passed the Colleague CAGO examination of the Guild.

I was the proctor for Todd’s examination which was held last November.

The examination was in several sections which requires the candidate to

perform required organ literature plus transposition of hymns, anthem ac-

companiment, solo accompaniment, sight reading among others.

This month, the Guild will begin a 3 part DVD series on the life and music

of the great German composer Max Reger. Our March, April and May

meetings will be devoted to seeing over 3 hours of documentary about the

life and musical works of this composer whom most organists don’t know very well.

Please plan to attend the series at the various church locations starting with St. John Catholic Church in

New Freedom. The meetings begin at 2:00pm.

We extend our sympathy to the family of Ivan Spahr who died last month. Ivan was not a member of AGO but was a local organist and organ music lover.

Allen organ needs a new home.

Contact Victor for more information.

York Chapter, American Guild of Organists

Substitute Organists

Funerals (Monday-Friday)

Wicky Barnes 717-870-4505 [email protected]

Rodney Barnett 717-244-5020 [email protected]

Jeffrey Cogan 717-386-9647 [email protected]

Victor Fields 717-858-4982 [email protected]

Richard Frey 717-476-3226 [email protected]

Beth Gross 717-767-4518 [email protected]

Cheryl Huber 717-840-9707 [email protected]

Christine Kates 717-741-9534 [email protected]

Marie Melusky 717-292-5758 [email protected]

Mary Loyer 717-246-9866 Cell: 717-424-8507

Tom Shelley 717-428-3600 [email protected].

Weddings & Funerals (Saturday & Sunday)


Rodney Barnett 717-244-5020 [email protected]







Karl Mincemoyer 717-817-4802 [email protected]

Saturday funerals only

Mary Loyer 717-246-9866 Cell: 717-424-8507 Saturday only

Tom Shelley 717-428-3600 [email protected]. Saturday

only

Sunday Services (Liturgical and non-liturgical)



Beth Gross 717-767-4518 [email protected]


No Catholic Masses



Karl Mincemoyer 717-817-4802 [email protected]

Carolyn Smith 410-374-8311 [email protected]

Saturday Catholic Mass




Publication Information

Orgel Zeit is published monthly, September through

June. All material is due to the Editor by the 18th day

of the month preceding publication. Whenever possi-

ble, articles, photos and graphics should be submitted

in electronic format. The Editor reserves the right to

make editorial changes and to shorten articles to fit

space limitations.

Editor: Patee Pizzirusso, 38 Stonewyck Hill Rd.,

Wrightsville, PA 17368

(717) 252-1400 text or [email protected]

Send inquires and correspondence to York Chapter,

AGO, Attn: Victor Fields, 7194 Seneca Ridge Dr.,

York, PA 17403

1929 Cunningham player piano available to a good home. Contact: Ed Briercheck at [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

ORGEL ZEIT The York Chapter of

The American Guild of

Organists

www.yorkago.org

York Chapter American Guild of Organists 2017-2018 Officers Dean Victor Fields Sub Dean Carolyn Smith Treasurer/Registrar Ronald Calhoun Secretary Victor Fields, pro tem Executive Board Class of 2018 Ashley Horner, Elizabeth Pugliese Class of 2019 Nelle Bailey, Carol Moscony Class of 2020 Carol Downs Brady

Chapter Personnel Newsletter Editor Patee Pizzirusso Webmaster Rodney Barnett Chaplain Rev. Stanley Reep Job Placement Victor Fields, Patee Pizzirusso

York Chapter, AGO,

Attn: Victor Fields,

7194 Seneca Ridge Dr.,

York, PA 17403

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