Fantasmagorie by Jehan Alain performed by Ben Bloor on the 45 stop 1954 Downes/Walker organ of the London Oratory Church on Thursday 18th October 2022.
Jehan Alain was one of the most interesting and innovative organ composers of his era. His First Prizes in Harmony, Fugue, Organ and Improvisation from the Paris Conservatoire attest to his natural talent, but his compositional style shows a marked individuality compared to his contemporaries in the French capital in the 1930s. Alain was enlisted in the war effort in 1939, and he died in action the following year at the tragically young age of 29.
Fantasmagorie is a curious piece, sketched in 1935, and only included in the marginalia in the original editions of his organ works. Nevertheless, this ostinato-driven work manages to say a lot in its short run-time. All three staves are written in different keys, and constant subtle changes of pitch, rhythm and metre create a work which keeps the performer on their toes. Alain was clearly aware of the quirky perception the piece would garner, and thus signs off the end of the work with a drawing of a cow with no face rolling down a hill.
Ben Bloor is Organist at the London Oratory Church, School Organist at Westminster School and a Junior Fellow at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
Twitter - Ben Bloor: / benjybloor
Facebook - Ben Bloor Organist: / benbloororganist
Website - www.benbloor.com/
Негізгі бет Музыка Jehan Alain - Fantasmagorie - Ben Bloor
Пікірлер: 4