The very meagre Music Society grant received from the National Lottery at the end of last year fortunately did allow for 2 Symphony Concerts; and these will form part of the Music Society’s programme in the second half of this year to be performed in the ‘home’ of the Music Society – the Feather Market Hall on Sunday 31 July and Sunday 13 November.
The first concert, Memorable Masterpieces, will feature the wonderful Feather Market Organ organ in Guilmant’s sensational Organ Symphony No 1. In his day, Guilmant was regarded as something of a “pop star” who toured abroad, performing in America and Europe, and using his fame as one of the early French concert (as opposed to church) organists to attract large audiences. According to music critic Paul Serotsky, his concerts in England were regularly attended by audiences of over 10 000! This work was composed in 1874 as Guilmant’s First Organ Sonata, for the inauguration of an organ in Brussels, and dedicated to King Leopold II of Belgium who attended the inauguration. It was a suitably regal work, and four years later he rearranged it for organ and Symphony orchestra, for the Paris World Fair. Award winning organist Winand Grundling, who was educated at Brandwag and NMMU before moving to Stellenbosch for his postgraduate studies, is the soloist for this truly memorable work.
A few years ago the Music Society performed one of Dvorak’s tone poems, The Noonday Witch, based on a Czech folk tale by the poet Karl Erben. This time another of these frightening tales, likened to “the Brothers Grimm at their Grimmest” – The Water Goblin will be presented. In this one, a mother warns her daughter not to go near the lake where the Water Goblin lives. Of course the daughter ignores this, and is abducted and seduced by the Goblin. After bearing his child, she begs to go home to visit her mother, which he allows, but only if she leaves their child with him, and returns at a set time. A storm delays her return, and they hear knocking at the door – only to find the decapitated baby on the doorstep and the Goblin disappearing into the depths of the lake. A grisly cautionary tale, but perfectly depicted in the music!
What would a ‘Comeback’ concert be without some Beethoven? For this concert – his sublime Symphony No 6, named the “Pastoral” symphony by Beethoven himself. He loved the countryside and wrote to a friend “No one can love the country as much as I do. For surely woods, trees and rocks produce the echo which man desires to hear.”
He gave each of the 5 movements a title, beginning with Awakening of cheerful feelings upon arrival in the country, followed by Scene by the brook; Happy gathering of country folk; Thunderstorm; and the final movement, Shepherd’s song: cheerful and thankful feelings after the storm. The “Happy gathering of country folk” includes a peasant band, not quite as polished as those in the Halls of Vienna where Beethoven performed, but very enthusiastic…! His secretary and early biographer, Anton Schindler, wrote “Beethoven asked me if I had noticed how village musicians often played in their sleep, occasionally letting their instruments fall and keeping quite still, then waking up with a start, getting in a few vigorous blows or stokes at a venture, although usually in the right key, and then dropping to sleep again.” If you suddenly get the feeling our players are sounding a little “rustic”, we hope you’ll remember that these are the musicians he portrayed in this movement – famously, a bassoonist who seems capable of only 2 notes!
David Scarr who, like Beethoven, knows the Halls of Vienna, will return to his home town to conduct this concert of Memorable Masterpieces on Sunday 31 July at 3pm.
Tickets for the concert are R85 and R100, with a limited number of pensioners’ and scholars’ tickets available at R65. Booking is through Computicket – Temporary local number: 081 040 1073.
Alan Straton
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