This weekend the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra is presenting organist Cameron Carpenter in two performances of the Poulenc “Concerto for Organ, Timpani & Strings” and the Saint-Säens “Symphony No. 3 ‘Organ.’” To my knowledge, it is the first time ever that the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra (or its predecessor, The Honolulu Symphony) has ever contracted an organist… Read More He ASKED for us!
Last week Tuesday (Sept. 11) I received the news that Whitney Thrall, retired piano professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, had died at age 96. My friend, Mark Russell, wrote this: Whitney passed away this afternoon very peacefully. It was the way he wanted to go. He didn’t wake up and just slowly… Read More Last one standing
If you had gone to the Early Music Hawaii concert Saturday night, you may have seen this little blurb in the program: Upcoming concert of interest to Early Music lovers: Organists 1-2-3: Music for One, Two and Three Organs. For the first time in Hawaii, concertgoers will have the rare opportunity to experience music for one,… Read More Shameless self-promotion!
Wh-a-a-t? I’m not on an organ tour anymore, where we typically visit three churches a day, but I’ve been chauffeuring my sister’s duo (The Braeded Chord) to various church venues for their gigs. On Thursday, they joined the jazz ensemble at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in a Jazz Vespers where The Rev. Diane Martinson, my… Read More Six churches in four days!
So observed Ian Capps at last night’s Early Music Hawaii concert, “Treasures of the French Baroque.” Here is the letter Ian wrote to last night’s performers: Congratulations, you did it again! Our faithful audience… was introduced to a completely new repertory and loved it. Not a soul left at the intermission, as far as I… Read More No one left at intermission!
Last Thursday, my sister, Doris Au MacDonald and her musical partner, Sharon Dennis, (aka The Braeded Chord) arrived for a 12-day concert tour in Hawaii. I can hardly believe that it has been ten years since their last tour here—it was at that time they introduced the Alleluia Mass setting of the communion service to the congregation… Read More The Braeded Chord in Hawaii week
Last Sunday morning I was in my Zürich hotel getting ready to go to the airport when I got a text message from United Airlines saying that my flight would be delayed by 85 minutes. That meant that I would have missed my connection in San Francisco, but luckily I was able to rebook a… Read More Treasures of the French Baroque
Our first stop today was at the St Urban Zisterzienserkloster (Cistercian) Monastery Church which is a sight to behold from the time you approach the intricately-carved doorway. Open the door and your eyes are greeted with a massive kaleidoscope of white and gold —almost too much to take in. Can you imagine coming to church… Read More Organs galore!
Sounds like an oxymoron, right? Today we played the Kartäuserkirche organ in Basel, which is a faithful copy of a 1694 Arp Schnitger organ in Grasberg, near Bremen. The copy is located in a former monastery, now a city orphanage. Because the original Grasberg organ underwent changes and was modified several times, it has been… Read More A new 300-year-old organ
That’s how I would classify the spectacular organs and churches we visited today, especially the Jesuitenkirche in Solothurn, Switzerland. The building itself is extremely tall inside with huge portraits accentuating the height of the building. The organ was built in 1794 and has remained largely the same, without alteration. It was restored in 1953 by… Read More Absolutely over the top!