Live at Southbank Centre 24.03.14- Thomas Trotter (organ)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Live at Southbank Centre: Thomas Trotter - Bach, Schuman, Weir, Mozart, Reubke

Live from Royal Festival Hall, London

Continuing Radio 3's month-long South Bank Centre residency, and celebrating the re-opening of the restored Royal Festival Hall organ, Thomas Trotter plays a selection of music from Bach to today.

Johann Sebastian Bach: Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C (BWV 564)
Robert Schumann: Three Studies: No.3 in E; No.4 in A flat; No.5 in B minor (Studies for Pedal Piano, Op.56)
Judith Weir: The Wild Reeds (London premiere)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Fantasie in F minor K608
Julius Reubke: Sonata in C minor on Psalm 94

Thomas Trotter (organ)

When first opened in 1953 the organ of the Royal Festival Hall, 8000-pipes strong, was revolutionary for attempting to accommodate in a single instrument the timbres and sonorities for every period of the organ repertoire - from the Renaissance to the present day. Tonight the English organ virtuoso Thomas Trotter shows off the RFH organ in 300 years of organ literature. His programme ranges from one of Bach's masterworks for the instrument to a recent piece by Scottish composer Judith Weir. En route, he plays the Fantasia in F minor by a composer who was an enthusiast for the organ and christened it 'The King of Instruments': Mozart; three studies by Schumann; and - to conclude - one of the 19th century's mightiest works for the instrument: Julius Reubke's Sonata - acknowledged since its premiere in 1857 as a virtuoso pinnacle of the organ repertoire.

[Sir Velo]

Looking forward to hearing old "Job" Trotter. His CD of Elgar's works for organ is a favourite chez nous.

[MrGongGong]

"Look mum no hands" ?

Top Trotter indeed (and he's a posh scouser from Heswall'n'all )

[Mattbod]

Not a very charismatic or friendly man (attended a recital and he was very offhand with people afterwards at the reception: compare and contrast Ian Tracey, the late Carlo Curley who will talk the instrument all evening) but he is a very fine player indeed so he is forgiven. He does a fine line in transcriptions and I would love to get a chance to hear him at Birmingham City Hall but will be tuning into this :)

[BBMmk2]

I will definitely be hearing this, by hell or high water! the DoM at the school and Deputy DoM(wherew I work), will be too hearing this. The DoM has recorded the Julius Reubke. Very good it is too, so I will be hearing this, no doubt about that! :)

[MrGongGong]

Not a very charismatic or friendly man

My experience is the opposite of this.
You obviously didn't meet him on a good day.

[mercia]

what did he do with the end of the Bach adagio ? we seemed to go into strange harmonic territory

[edashtav]

what did he do with the end of the Bach adagio ? we seemed to go into strange harmonic territory

Yes,mercs, it was strange but affecting too, after an adagio that, for me, was a bit on the quick side. I interpreted it as ann optional cadenza. The fugue, too , was pedestrian needing more forward momentum and urgency . The Schumann I found to be acceptable.

I was very impressed with the Reubke, a work that I know well. Pacing, registration and dynamics were excellent and the sense of forward momentum never faltered, in a work which can descend into lugubrious stasis. I found the interpretation was all I could have desired. Overall, I felt this was the best of the half a dozen live performances that I've encountered.

I missed the Weir and Mozart but hope to catch-up, later.

The Moszkowski encore irritated me - its trite and all-pervasive tune proved to be an earworm.

On my equipment, the BBC engineers' work capturing the sound of the organ scored very highly.

[gedsmk]

On my equipment, the BBC engineers' work capturing the sound of the organ scored very highly.

And also the coughs at some of the quietest points
I thoroughly enjoyed the Reubke, a piece I've adored since hearing it back in 1979 on the Hradetzky in St Andrews. Works very well on this instrument (as did the Liszt "Ad Nos" the other day). Wonderful to hear so much of the pedal department through the loudspeakers now. Can't wait till Wednesday when I can hear it live.

[Vile Consort]

what did he do with the end of the Bach adagio ? we seemed to go into strange harmonic territory

Indeed we did, and it was very horrible. The final C major chord had B's and D's in it, and sounded more like Ravel than Bach.

The problem seems to be a quint stop that is as loud as or even slightly louder than the other stops he has drawn.

Was it left out by accident? Or did it sound OK from the console? Several people have commented that it is difficult to hear the balance from the console - although organists are pretty used to dealing with that. Or perhaps both - left out by accident AND didn't sound bad enough from the console to require any action. Not that it would be easy to shove a stop in whilst playing a seven part texture, especially in that acoustic.

[mercia]

The problem seems to be a quint stop that is as loud as or even slightly louder than the other stops he has drawn.

ah yes, I did wonder if it might have been something like that, it's quite amusing on a repeat listen, as if the performer has had a mad moment. I've heard that adagio played in a piano arrangement, I always think it would work well as oboe + string orchestra with pizzicato bass. (So now you know). I enjoyed the talk with the voicer after the concert, very interesting and entertaining for an ignoramus like me. Mr T seemed to be quite precise about what he considered to be an ideal organ acoustic, namely 2.5 seconds reverberation.

[ardcarp]

Can anyone explain why the picture on the Live in Concert Homepage is of an organ patently not at the RFH? It seems bizarre to display a Victorian instrument when the RFH's, which we're all supposed to be celebrating, is famous for its 1950s style modernoist, open-plan layout.

http://www.harrisonorgans.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/ROYAL-FESTIVAL-HALL-Full-Spec.pdf

[ardcarp]

what did he do with the end of the Bach adagio ? we seemed to go into strange harmonic territory

OMG, just heard it. Well it was either an error in registration or judgement! It must have been the Swell tierce in a combination more akin to a Latry improvisation. I've always ended the Adagio by going back to a pleno, then choosing slightly lighter registration for the airy fugue.

I thought Trotter judged the fugue well. He captured the brio without galloping off at a ridiculous speed (as is so often done).

[DracoM]

Just wanted to add a note of congrats to MH and his two experts for the interval talk.
If only The Choir was conducted like that.
Eheu!

[Frances_iom]

The organ features of the southbank residency have been excellent (it worries me that having had more organ recitals in a week than in whole of last year we will get no further treats in future )- last night's discussion with H & H's voicer was excellent - sounds as tho he could well front a program in his own right.

The new artists program from Purcell room was IMO very badly served by applause at every slight silence during the quartet's appearance - suspect most of audience had never heard a string quartet before and were bussed in expecting some comedy show.