Concert Boxtel 13 April 2014 - A Different Way of Programming

For a concert on the Smits-organ (1842) in the basilica Sint-Petrus, Boxtel, on 13 April 2014, I made a program in which I abandoned the usual chronological order of pieces in favor of an order based on alternating four "themes": Bach, Haydn, German romanticism and pieces of my own. The idea was to constantly move between the profoundness of pieces by Bach, Brahms and Reger and the lighter touch of pieces by Haydn and myself, in which the organ is approached "differently". The program was as follows:

A few days before the concert, I decided to add my composition Stillness at the beginning, as a contemplative introduction to the pieces mentioned in the above program. The four "themes' are:

Theme one: Bach
Theme two: Haydn
Theme three: German romanticism
Theme four: Tanke

(it may be argued that the order of the program requires "Tanke" as the first theme, but in the company of such composers I would not dare to do this).

So we have the four themes alternating as follows:

4-1-2-3
4-1-2-3
4-3-2-1
4

This order shows a well-known rhetoric principle: firstly to make a statement (4-1-2-3 in this case), secondly to repeat this and thirdly to vary this (4-3-2-1 and the additional 4). During my analysis lessons at Rotterdam Conservatoire, I often refer to this as the "read-steady-go-principle", which also provides the framework for numerous jokes.

I took care to have a varied pattern of tone centres:

d - G - C - E

b flat - g - C - F

g sharp - d - C - c

g 

Another thing to consider was were to put the pieces with a dramatic plenum: at the beginning just after the introduction (Bach), at about 2/3 of the total duration (Reger) and at the end (Tanke). As I used a small plenum in the last piece by Haydn, this implies also that every "theme" had its plenum moment. 

Of vital importance was placing Reger's dramatic passacaglia according to the golden cut ratio.

The program ran as follows: (all recordings were made during the concert, except Stillness):

1. Stillness

2. J.S. Bach - Komm Gott Schöpfer heiliger Geist 

3. Jos. Haydn - Flötenuhrstücke 1792, no 1, 2 and 3

4. Joh. Brahms - Schmücke dich, O liebe Seele

5. Improvisation on a North-African rhythm

6. J.S. Bach - Nun komm der Heiden Heiland

7. Jos. Haydn - Flötenuhrstücke 1792, no 6 and 7

8. Joh. Brahms - Es ist ein Ros entsprungen 

9. Trumpets and Elephants

10. Max Reger - Introduction and passacaglia in d minor

11. Jos. Haydn - Flötenuhrstücke 1792, no 11, 12 and 9

12. J. S. Bach - Wer nun den lieben Gott lässt walten

13. Archetypes

With Tommy van Doorn, organist of the basilica Sint-Petrus and a very promising young musician, and my wife Anita as stop assistants, the concert succeeded and was very well received.