Old Town Organ Vespers
The historic presence of St. Michael in Old Town Church in the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago has produced a number of memorable music events. It would suffice to mention the exquisite performances of Music of the Baroque, accompanied by the church’s captivating acoustics and heavenly architectural treasures.
However, beyond the beauty of this sacred space and its memories, within the confines of its tall columns and lofty vaulted ceilings, high in the second balcony, one finds a number of dormant pipes and ailing windchests and tubes concealed in the dusty organ chambers. The Kilgen Organ Company of St. Louis, MO completed this historic pipe organ in 1925, with some pipework dating from the end of the nineteenth century.
In order to raise awareness of the urgent need to repair this historic instrument, together with the Parish Staff and Pastor, Fr. Richard Thibodeau, I initiated a series of organ recitals this past Fall under the name of “Old Town Organ Vespers.” These seasonal events more or less accompany the calendar of the church’s year, last approximately an hour, and present a short, pre-concert lecture before the recital, and feature organ literature appropriate to the present condition of the instrument.
The recital on February 20 featured works for soprano and organ by Alain, Bach, Bingen, Dupré, and Steffani, most of which have been inspired by sacred subjects and events from Lent and Easter. It also included a premiere of my new work for an unaccompanied soprano, Læetare Vox, composed for the Chicago soprano and St. Michael’s cantor, Henriët Fourie, who premiered the piece. You can listen to the excerpts from the concert recording below.
H. von Bingen, O Rubor Sanguinis
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J. S. Bach,
Chorale Prelude O Sacred Head Now WoundedAudio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Aus Liebe WIll Mein Heiland Sterben, from ‘St. Matthew Passion’
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Ich folge dir gleichfalls from ‘St. John Passion’
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A. Steffani, Stabat Mater from ‘Stabat Mater’
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M. Dupré, Vexilla Regis from ‘Le Tombeau de Titelouze’, op. 38
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J. Alain, Choral
Z. Nagy, Læetare Vox (Chicago premiere)Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
J. S. Bach, Toccata and Fugue in d minor
Zvonimir Nagy, organ
Henriët Fourie, soprano
February 20 at 7 pm with a pre-concert lecture at 6:45.
Admission to this event was by donation; all the proceeds will benefit the repair and restoration of the Kilgen pipe organ.
Thank you for your support our organ project!
