This fall, the Eastman School of Music Organ Department commemorates five years since a stunning 18th century Italian baroque organ was installed in the Memorial Art Gallery.
Since its installation, the beautiful authentic sounds of the organ have been heard by thousands of people who have come to the weekly Sunday mini-recitals or the special Organ Showcase Concerts by internationally known guest artists and Eastman musicians. The only full-sized Italian baroque organ in North America, the organ provides a unique opportunity to hear 18th-century organ music as its composers envisioned it.
“The instrument is a living, breathing, singing work of art,” said David Higgs, chair of Eastman’s organ department. “It is one of the oldest organs now in America, and its sound has a profound effect on the musical sensibilities of those who hear it.”
“The Italian baroque organ is virtually a ‘living recording’ of the musical sounds heard hundreds of years ago,” said Hans Davidsson, professor of organ. Davidsson oversaw the international reference group which restored and installed the Italian Baroque Organ in the Memorial Art Gallery. “It is of great value and importance in the community, continuing to inspire Eastman School students and audiences alike.”
Audiences are invited to join in the celebration of the instrument’s fifth anniversary. A celebratory series of performances launches on Sunday, Oct. 17, with a recital by Eastman organ faculty members David Higgs and William Porter and student performers; continues on Sunday, Nov. 14, with Baroque specialists Harry Van der Kamp, vocals, and Edoardo Bellotti, organ, in their only North American appearance this year; and wraps up with the popular annual holiday concert of vocal and instrument music, featuring a sing-along, on Sunday, Dec. 19, with faculty member Ulrika Davidsson and Eastman students.
Van der Kamp is recognized as one of the most important basses in the solo and ensemble repertoire of the 14th-to-18th centuries. His 30-year career has taken him from New York to Peking. He has performed with all the leading Baroque specialists and can be heard on more than 100 CDs. Van der Kamp is professor of voice at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen, Germany. Bellotti is a performer and scholar who was a member of the international reference group for the Italian Baroque Organ’s restoration and whose critically acclaimed CD, Promenade, was recorded on the organ and features works chosen to accompany artworks from the Memorial Art Gallery’s collection.
Eastman School organ faculty members are renowned soloists and chamber musicians who perform and teach around the world. Higgs has inaugurated many important new instruments, has performed with numerous ensembles such as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Orpheus Ensemble, and appears and adjudicates at festivals and competitions. Porter is a leader among organists working toward recovery of an historical approach to musical performance, and is recognized for his skill in improvisation in a wide variety of styles. Ulrika Davidsson is a versatile musician who maintains a performance career on the piano, fortepiano, and clavichord, as well as the harpsichord and organ.
The organ was built around 1770 in central Italy by an anonymous artisan. Its lavishly ornamented, carved, and gilded 22-foot tall case links the instrument to the Italian court culture of the Tuscany or Naples region. Each side of the case features a 10-foot high painting of a vase of flowers. The crown ornament is adorned with an unusual motif depicting St. Andrew. Boasting 600 pipes, the masterpiece is as much a feast for the eyes as for the ears.
In 1980, a preeminent organ builder and restorer, Gerald Woehl, saved the organ from being sold as furniture in Florence. Twenty-five years later, the instrument was installed in the Memorial Art Gallery as part of the Eastman School’s Eastman-Rochester Organ Initiative (EROI). Today, the organ is the pièce-de-résistance of the Fountain Court’s lavish collection of Baroque artwork. Visitors can hear it played every Sunday at 1 and 3 p.m. by Eastman School students, while monthly showcase concerts feature faculty and guest artists.
For more information, see the listings at http://mag.rochester.edu/calendar/.
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Calendar Listings:
Sunday, Oct. 17
Celebrating 5 Years with the Italian Baroque Organ. Eastman School of Music faculty performers David Higgs and William Porter, and students Chelsea Barton, Anne Lam, and Shinon Nakagawa
5:30 p.m.
Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Ave.
Tickets: $10/$7 students, available from the RPO box office or at the door by cash or check.
Sunday, Nov. 14
Celebrating 5 Years with the Italian Baroque Organ. Edoardo Bellotti, organ; Harry van der Kamp, bass, and Veronika Skuplik and Bjarte Eike, violins.
7:30 p.m.
Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Ave.
Tickets: $10/$7 students, available from the RPO box office or at the door by cash or check.
Sunday, Dec. 19
Celebrating 5 Years with the Italian Baroque Organ. Festive vocal and instrumental music for the holiday season by Eastman School of Music faculty member Ulrika Davidsson and students.
5:30 p.m.
Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Ave.
Tickets: $10/$7 students, available from the RPO box office or at the door by cash or check.