Those are the two words that came to mind as I was listening to Katelyn Emerson play her concert at Central Union Church this afternoon. Hers was an extremely elegant and sophisticated performance today, and the number of colors she got from the instrument was incredible, made possible by a huge quantity of piston changes and swell pedal subtleties.

Her program was:

C. Hubert H. Parry (1848-1918): Choral Fantasia on “O God our help” (1915)

Edward Elgar (1857-1934) transcription by H. Brewer, K. Emerson
Chanson de Matin, op. 15, No. 2 (1899)

Horatio Parker (1863-1919): Organ Sonata in E-Flat Major (1905) Allegretto

Leo Sowerby (1895-1968) Requiescat in Pace (1920)

Herbert Howells (1892-1983): Paean (1940)
Intermission
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): Passacaglia in C minor, BWV 582

Graeme Koehne (b. 1956) transcriptions by C. Cook and K. Emerson
To His Servant Bach God grants a final glimpse – the morning star (1989)

Heinrich Reimann (1850-1906) Fantasie über den Choral
Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, Op. 25 (1895)

I was especially happy to hear how Katelyn registered the Bach Passacaglia, with a bunch of different but effective and colorful registrations for the variations.

Earlier in the week, I was able to take Katelyn and her mom, Sue, for a little sightseeing. We started at the Pali Lookout, stopped for lunch at Ono Steak and Shrimp in Waimanalo, had a shave ice at Island Snow, and visited the Byodo-In Temple.

By the way, as is our custom in our AGO chapter for a visiting recitalist, Katelyn was interviewed on Hawaii Public Radio by host Gene Schiller. I alerted Katelyn that sometimes Gene asks zany questions and to keep on her toes. That she certainly did! You can hear the radio interview here:

https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/classical-music-conversations/2022-03-11/katelyn-emerson-on-morning-cafe?fbclid=IwAR2d7bD-s3YZjibKESnJFvH8O9e9rC0hDy9ESliz8M8Quib9IG7yvjYgFHk

Our other guest recitalist, Alcee Chriss, played a concert last night at All Saints Episcopal Church in Kapa’a, and told the audience there to come back the following Saturday night for Katelyn’s concert “bound to knock your socks off!” This afternoon’s concert surely made that prediction come true!

It’s been a great and fun week so far! Tomorrow Alcee Chriss flies in from Kaua’i to prepare for his Honolulu concert next weekend. And my duet partner, Jieun Kim Newland, arrives on Tuesday!