Sometime last fall, I read an article in Vox Humana, a newsletter of the American Guild of Organists, about organs in Bergen, Norway, more specifically, about a Rieger organ in the Bergen Cathedral, and my interest was piqued. Would I be able to see or even possibly play the organ on my trip to Norway? I planned my arrival for Saturday night, so that I could seek out churches on Sunday morning. The rest of my tour group wouldn’t arrive until Sunday afternoon, so I would have the morning to explore.
Unfortunately I learned that there is a Bergen International Organ Festival going on while I am there, but I will not be able to attend either of the concerts during the time of my visit—one is scheduled at noon on the day I arrive at 7:00 pm, and the other occurs during the Welcome Dinner of my tour on Sunday night.
I started Googling “Bergen pipe organs” and the very first entry was St. Mary’s Anglican Church, the oldest existing church building in Bergen dating from the 12th century. Then I saw this paragraph about their organ:
The organ
The new Organ of St Mary`s Church was built by Weimbs Orgelbau from Hellenthal in the Eifel area in Germany. It has 31 stops (38 ranks) on two manuals and pedal.
The organ facade was designed by the Swedish architect Ulf Oldæus. The instrument was built in 2014/2015 and the inauguration took place during the reopening of St. Mary’s Church on June 21th 2015. The sound is influenced by German Baroque Organs.
But I was even more excited to see that they was a rota of volunteer organists who played for the services. I wrote to the scheduler but heard nothing before I left on July 24th.
Then, tonight, two days before I leave for Bergen, I got this message from Signy og Roger Martin:
Thank you very much for getting in touch with us. I have been very occupied with spending holiday time with our children and grandchildren, and it slipped my mind to get in touch with you. Sorry about that!
I had meant to ask you if you would like to play for the service on 4 August. If you don’t consider it too late to make that request, it still stands. It will be a standard Anglican communion service (spoken, not sung), with four hymns, an introductory voluntary and a concluding voluntary.
Yay! Good thing I have the silver organ shoes I used for Joey Fala’s wedding last week! and of course I brought plenty of organ music!