Christof Pülsch plays on the great Klais organ of Hallgrímskirkja
The German organist, Christof Pülsch, is performing on the third concert of the International Organ Summer 2009. Christof studied church music at the distinguished College of Music in Detmold, Germany, where he graduated with an A diploma. He then continued his postgraduate studies with professor Hans-Ola Ericsson in Piteå, Sweden. He has performed widely as a soloist and since 2007 he has been musical director at Zionskirche in Bethel, Germany, which is known for its flourishing music life. On Christof’s programme are works by Alexandre Guilmant, Felix Mendelssohn and Jean Langlais.
5. July at 17.00: Young organ genius from Finland performs on the International Organ Summer in Hallgrímskirkja 2009
Pétur Sakari, Finland’s youngest concert organist, plays on the great Klais organ of Hallgrímskirkja. On the programme are works by Sibelius, Mendelssohn, César Franck, Vierne and Joseph-Guy Ropartz. Pétur will also improvise on a given theme. Pétur, who is only 17 years of age, has roots here in Iceland as his father, Petri Sakari, was the principal conductor of the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra for some time.
For more information click here (hlekkur á umfjöllun um organistann á alþj. orgelsumar ’09)
The International Organ Summer in Hallgrímskirkja, Reykjavík, is held for the 17th time this year. The festival has firmly established itself over the years as one of Reykjavík’s regular music events. It has earned itself a worldwide recognition and the reputation of the great Klais organ has drawn many of the world’s greatest organists to play, such as Olivier Latry, Dame Gillian Weir, Daniel Roth, Nicholas Kynaston and Thomas Trotter to name only a few.
This year, a selection of outstanding performers will participate in the festival, including Susan Landale (Cathedral of Saint-Louis des Invalides, Paris), Roger Sayer (Rochester Cathedral, England) and Andreas Sieling (Berlin Cathedral).
The theme of this year’s series will be the organ works of Felix Mendelssohn, to celebrate his 200th anniversary. All of Mendelssohn’s organ works will be divided between the summer’s eight organists.
The opening concert is given by Björn Steinar Sólbergsson, organist of Hallgrímskirkja, on the 28th of June. On the programme are works by Páll Ísólfsson, Vierne and Mendelssohn.
The concerts are held every Sunday, from the 28th of June until the 16th of August, at 17:00. There will also be an opportunity to hear the concert organists play a postludium in the Sunday services at 11:00.
Due to the maintenance that Hallgrímskirkja’s belfry is currently undergoing, the Thursday and Saturday noon concerts will be cancelled; however, the Society of Icelandic Organists is hosting noon concerts on Thursdays at 12:15 in the Cathedral (downtown Reykjavík), in collaboration with the International Organ Summer, starting July 2nd until August 6th.
Finally, the Friends of the Arts Society in Hallgrímskirkja hosts lunchtime concerts on Wednesdays in July and August at 12 noon where the celebrated chamber choir Schola cantorum Reykjavicencis will be performing Icelandic and foreign choral favourites.
Birds sing and flowers and buds bloom all around. Heavy brows grow lighter as winter fades away, and will soon be lightened even further by a gathering that has become a regular part of the early summer: The spring concert of the Hallgrímskirkja Motet Choir. As usual it will take place on the second day of Pentecost, which this year arrives on the 1st of June. Soon after, the choir will tour the country, singing at the AIM-festival at Akureyri on June 4th, at Blönduós on June 5th, at Stykkishólmur on June 6th and at Reykholt on June 7th. Conductor is Hörður Áskelsson, who founded the choir in 1982.
The centerpiece of the concert program is an a capella mass for two choirs by the Swiss Frank Martin (1890-1974). Martin was moved by the music of Bach at an early age and wrote music under his influence. Later on, while searching for his own tonal language, he began experimenting with exotic tonality and rhythm which can be said to be marked by a unique harmonic texture. While in his period of experimentation Martin composed his most famous work, a mass for two choirs (1922-1926), but decided to hide it in a drawer. There it would lie for almost 40 years before the composer felt it was time to release it into the world for others to enjoy, and since then it has sounded far and wide. The mass for two choirs is truly among the most beautiful of choral works, where simple melodies twine together with complex, exotic harmonies.
