Programme description:

 

1. Piotr Fryderyk Grinholc (1966): Toccata

This piece by the Polish composer P. F. Grinholc, entitled Toccata, is a heartfelt, bright piece that employs the toccata form (a musical form for keyboard instruments in which the instrumentalist can demonstrate their virtuosity and the instrument’s capabilities) for oboe and organ, which pass the melody back and forth; in reality, this is less a melody than an elaborate harmonic sequence – a prelude. As a tribute to the magnificent works of Baroque composers, it is an excellent opening piece for a concert of varied compositions.

2. Gerhard Deutchmann (1933) : Sonata da chiesa DWV225 für Oboe und Orgel 

I. Andante, II. Moderato, III. Larghetto, IV. Allegro

(Church Sonata for Oboe and Organ, DWV225)
 Mr Deutchmann is a renowned German composer and a multiple prize-winner in various composition competitions, though he devotes most of his compositional output to choral works. His devotion to choral and church music is evident even in the title of this work, ‘da chiesa’ (church), and as such it truly captures much of the lyricism of choral melodies. This four-movement composition, in terms of the number of movements, follows the opening of sonata form (the Venetian instrumental canzona); whilst compositionally it is of a more modern character, it adheres to the form of the church sonata: the sequence of movements (slow – fast (with fugal elements) – slow (in the style of a sarabande, in triple metre) – fast (dance-like character)), whilst structurally, all movements faithfully adhere to the form of the extended song form (a section, any number of sections, and a repetition of the a section). The third movement, in addition to this form, also evokes the style of responsorial singing in the church.

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4. Jan Koetsier (1911-2006) : Partita for english Horn and Organ (1954) 

I.Liberamente, II. Larghetto, III. Vivace

(Partita for English horn and organ) is a work by a Danish composer and conductor who was active in Germany, and is frequently performed abroad. He is known for establishing a composition competition for brass ensembles. The three-movement partita is a work in which both instruments play a truly comparable role in terms of character, expressiveness and narrative. A masterful work that introduces the listener to a musical world of all kinds of instrumental dialogue.
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6. Dirk-Michael Kirsch (1965): "Solstitium" für Englischhorn und Orgel 

("Solstice" for English horn and organ) is a one movement work by the oboist Dirk-Michael Kirsch, who lives and works in Germany. In his compositional oeuvre, he focuses primarily on music for the oboe and its variations. “Solstice” is a work that explores and emphasises the layering of harmonies in an intriguing dialogue between the English horn and the organ, where the English horn at times acts as a melodic counterpoint to the harmonic organ, whilst at other times the instruments merge into a marvellous blend of sound, full of uplifting sensations – the music can be experienced as a radiance of light – “Solstice”.
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8. Marguerite Roesgen-Champion (1894-1976): Mystère" für Oboe und Orgel 

(Mystere for oboe and organ) is a mysterious, minimalist and unpretentious work by the Swiss composer M. Roesgen-Champion, who lived in the last century. As the title itself suggests, this is a meditative, introspective work which, with its unhurried pace and drawn-out, simple melody, draws the listener into a state of calm contemplation. (The work was composed in 1933 and revised by Marguerite Roesgen-Champion in 1952.)

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9. Harold Darke (1888- 1976): 6 miniatures for oboe and organ 

I. A little tune for Valerie, II. A song without words, III. Scherzetto, IV. Waltz, V. A Lament, VI. A country dance.  

The English composer and organist Harold Darke lived in England (Great Britain) during the last century. The work was originally written for oboe and piano, but is also regularly performed by an oboe and organ ensemble. It is a delightfully lyrical, pastoral work comprising a series of shorter pieces – impressions – each of which is a complete work in its own right in terms of form and character, whilst together they form modal musical narratives with the characteristic sound of the English school of composition (M. Arnold, B. Britten, R. V. Williams).

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The 3rd, 5th and 7th pieces in the programme are works by the young Slovenian composer Gašper Jereb (born 1995). These are one movement pieces for solo organ, serving as a relaxing interlude between the longer, more complex works (No. 3: Toccata, No. 5: Meditation, No. 9: Stream of Life).