VCH Organ Series: No Orchestra? No Problem

NO ORCHESTRA? NO PROBLEM Martin Setchell, organ HANDEL (arr. Martin Setchell) Overture to An Occasional Oratorio 10' Arr. J.G. WALTHER Concerto del Signor Giuseppe Meck 10' Selected music by J.S. BACH 15' (arr. Martin Setchell) WARLOCK (arr. Martin Setchell) From Capriol Suite 3'5 • Pieds-en-l'air • Basse-Danse WALTON (arr. Robert Gower) Popular Song from Façade 2'3 KHACHATURIAN (arr. Martin Setchell) Sabre Dance from Gayane 2'2

1 Apr 2019 | Victoria Concert Hall

Martin Setchell, organ

Martin Setchell, called 'New Zealand's most widely-travelled concert organist' is an international performer who believes in promoting entertaining organ music to a wide audience.

Over the last twenty years he has performed in Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Japan. He will give concerts in Singapore, Australia, Germany, Norway (Bergen Festival) and throughout New Zealand.

Born and educated in England where he was awarded his Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists, he studied with Pierre Cochereau, Marie-Claire Alain, Piet Kee, and Peter Hurford.

He is the curator of the Rieger pipe organ in the Christchurch Town Hall, New Zealand (city and University organist).

His latest CD is 'Resounding Aftershocks' recorded in January 2019 on the Rieger organ of Christchurch Town Hall, magnificently restored and expanded following the 2011 earthquakes.

Martin's CDs and books about the organ by his wife Jenny will be on sale after the concert. www.organist.co.nz

There will be a post-concert autograph session at Level 2 Concert Hall Foyer.

Go green. Digital programme booklets are available on www.sso.org.sg. Scan the QR code in the foyer to view a copy.

No orchestra? No problem!

The organ really is a one person orchestra!

Using the organ as a substitute for the orchestra is a long-established and time-honoured principle. Transcriptions of orchestral music for the organ ('appropriato all' organo') bring a range of different musical textures and orchestral colours under the control of two hands and two feet. It allowed 18th century German congregations to become acquainted with the vitality of Italian string composers like Vivaldi, and early 20th century English Town Hall audiences to hear orchestral repertoire, at a time when cost and mobility prohibited a full orchestra.

The 1987 Klais organ in the Victoria Concert Hall is a relatively small two-manual and pedal instrument with mechanical action, which is especially suited to eighteenth-century Baroque music, when it was common practice for composers to transcribe orchestral music for keyboard.

Handel scored his Occasional Oratorio Overture for strings, oboes, trumpets and drums.

This full Baroque orchestra is replaced by a Baroque organ tutti in the Maestoso and March, while solo organ flutes replace the original oboe solo of the Adagio.

Bach's cousin Walther made 14 transcriptions of concertos by Italian composers which Bach later emulated. His B minor concerto was originally a solo violin concerto in E minor by Vivaldi. The string orchestra tuttis sound from the Great division of the organ, the solo violin passages from the quieter Swell division.

Bach himself tirelessly transcribed his own and other composers' music (in those days considered an act of explicit homage to them). So I hope my three organ transcriptions of his music are adequate homage to Bach! His Sinfonia from Cantata 29 began life as the Partita for solo violin (BWV 1006), which he rescored for organ, trumpets, timpani, oboes and strings. In the Largo, instead of two violins weaving their counterpoint above a continuo bass part, we hear two hands, one on each keyboard and two feet, in a trio texture just like that of the organ 'trio' sonatas. In Nun danket alle Gott, the hymn phrases sung by a choir in Cantata 79 are heard as a solo on the organ's Trumpet stop.

The second half of the programme features twentieth century music in lighter mood.

In Pieds-en-l'air from Peter Warlock's Capriol Suite for string orchestra, we hear the organ's string stops (Gamba and Voix céleste), and in William Walton blues influenced Popular Song from Façade, organ flutes replace the original woodwind solo instruments.

Khachaturian's fiery Sabre Dance with its repetitive notes is especially effective on a fine mechanical action organ like this one in the Victoria Concert Hall.

Programme notes by Martin Setchell

Visit www.sso.org.sg/klaisorgan to learn more about Victoria Concert Hall’s Klais organ, Singapore’s only fully mechanical organ.

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