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Organ Master Class with Ton Koopman on the Gottfried Silbermann organ in Freiberg
There was an international air to the group of participants who had come together in the „Silbermann Town“ of Freiberg from 19th to 22nd June 2008 for a Master Class with Ton Koopman. Organists from Denmark, Great Britain, Spain, France, Switzerland, Hungary and the Netherlands, and of course also from Germany were eager to experience (either as active or passive participants) one of the most prominent experts and interpreters of baroque music.
The theme of the course were the organ works of Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, Dietrich Buxtehude and Johann Sebastian Bach. During the Class the whole spectrum of issues in respect of historical performance practise was covered. Historical fingering and pedal-use were demonstrated in a way that they became musically plausible. Clarification on articulation arose again and again from the question „How would a baroque orchestra play that? How would it be configured on the oboe, or the cello?“. Grundlegender Ansatz war, die Orgel im Gesamtkontext der instrumentalen Musik.
On the other hand, the special characteristics of the organ were spotlighted. Using Sweelinck’s secular song variations, for example, the differences in performance on the organ or on the harpsichord were illuminated. There was also extensive discussion on the problems of sources, in reference not only to performance practise, but also to the compositions themselves. Again and again questions about detail demonstrated the difficult matter of sources for the compositions of Dietrich Buxtehude and the problems faced by the publishers of the various editions. In this, Tom Koopman proved in a remarkable manner, to be an expert in the differing interpretations in individual manuscripts. It was especially pleasing that the group discussions were not just restricted to the lecture times, but were continued at lunch and in a sociable way with a glass of wine (not only serious topics) into the small hours.
As well as the outstanding lecturer, the instrument used for the course was also a great attraction.The Gottfried Silbermann organ in the Petrikirche in Freiberg from the year 1735 originated at the same time as the organ of the Frauenkirche in Dresden and is with its 32 registers the biggest two-manualled organ to have emanated from his workshop. The restoration in the year 2007 reinstated the original conditions. It is clear from the Disposition that Silbermann inclined later to the great sound which Johann Sebastian Bach specifically preferred (Principal 16´ in great, Groß Untersatz 32´ in Pedal). We were struck by the fullness of the flutes, the rounded sound of the Plenum, the weightiness of the pedal reeds.
We were also able to sample the other three Silbermann organs in Freiberg. On Thursday afternoon the course took place on the somewhat smaller organ in the Johanniskirche. The two Silbermann organs in Freiberg Cathedral could be heard in the impressive recital by Tom Koopman on Thursday evening with compositions by Sweelinck, Buxtehude, Mozart and Bach. This event was part of an interesting mini-festival „Freiberger Renaissance“ with various other concerts and performance events, including the final recital in the Petrikirche on Sunday afternoon in which our participants took an active part. There then followed a one-week organ tour to Dresden, Brandenburg and Berlin organised by ORGANpromotion.
Janis Berzins, Braunlage Translation: Peter Kirk |