{TABLE} Capriccio cromatico ............................. Merula Capriccio ........................................ Merula Ciacona in F mi .................................. Pachelbel Schmucke dich, o liebe Seele BWV654 .............. Bach Prelude and Fugue in D mi B539 ................... Bach Hommage a Frescobaldi (exc) ...................... Langlais Sonata No 2 ...................................... Hindemith Sonata in C mi Op 65 No 2 ........................ Mendelssohn {/TABLE} LAST Sunday's recital at St Michael's Church, Dun Laoghaire, was one of the weaker recitals I have heard at, this venue. The American organist, Laurence Carson, played music ranging from the early 16th century to the mid 20th century. It was a nice programme, but the result wash frustrating, largely because of frequent incongruities between compositional style and playing style.
I could cope with the pretty frequent technical fluffs and with the conservative approach to some of the Baroque music, but not with the persistent lack of rhythmic drive. Two capriccios by the early 17th century Italian, Tarquino Merula, and Pachelbel's Ciacona in F minor showed no awareness of the drama which animates the music - and which must have animated the composers.
The Theme and Variations from Jean Langlais's Hommage a Frescobaldi was no less incongruous. Langlais was a 20th century French composer whose homage is in the highly specialised styles of the French symphonic and liturgical organ traditions. Treating the piece as an example of modern baroquery misses the point.
Bach's Prelude on Sehmacke dich, o liebe Seele BWV654 was one of the more convincing items, being nicely paced and purposefully ornamented. There was also a nice sense of motion about some parts of Hindemith's Sonata No. 2 a true piece of neo baroquery and in parts of Mendelssohn's Sonata No. 2 in C minor. Yet even this strong and straightforward piece lacked panache. Like much of the recital, the result was both a bit dull and somewhat perplexing.