Hans Hielscher, an organ player from Germany, gave a recital on Norma, Dunedin’s early 20th-century symphonic pipe organ, in the Dunedin Town Hall yesterday afternoon.
Hielscher has played organs in nearly 4000 concerts all over the world, has filled his life with radio and television interviews, made 22 CDs (including one on Norma), written books, and composed 60 works for organ.
The first work on yesterday’s programme Suite for Organ by Canadian organist Denis Bedard comprised six contrasting movements, all individual with various settings relevant to their titles.
The opening Fanfare highlighted a dominant melodic line, Andantino contrasted with legato effects, as did the church-like Chant de Pais.
The Barcarole maintained a steady rocking movement throughout, and the final Rigaudon presented a very appropriate ending.
Hielscher certainly used the diverse sounds of Dunedin’s city organ, and delighted in sharing his love of performance with the audience.
The title of the programme was ‘‘Chinese Temples and Scottish Peasants’’ and two Hielscher arrangements reflected cultures and musical traditions of China and Scotland.
His Scottish Rhapsody included familiar Scottish songs, such as Annie Laurie, Auld Lang Syne and Scotland the Brave , the last demonstrating that Norma is very capable of producing authentic pipe-band effects.
In a Chinese Temple Garden (Albert Ketelbey) used carillion pipes and a variety of contrasting settings to paint a busy Chinese street scene soundscape, and I was reminded of how organs played such important roles in the days of silent movies.
Toccata in D Minor by Gordon Nevin and Cantabile by Enrico Pasini demonstrated a variety of mellow Romantic orchestral colours.
The final work of the hour and a-half programme was an arrangement of the well-known overture from Poet and Peasant (Franz von Suppe), that completed an excellent and relaxing afternoon recital.
