"MAGIC!
Peter Richard Conte
at the Wanamaker Grand Court Organ"
Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain
Wagner: Wotan's Farewell and
Magic Fire Music from Die Walküre
Dukas: The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Nicolai: Overture to The Merry Wives of Windsor
Elgar:
Cockaigne Overture "In London Town" Op. 40
"Nimrod" from Enigma Variations, Op. 86
(all transcriptions by Conte)
Peter Richard Conte (organist)
The Wanamaker Organ
at the Lord & Taylor department store, Philadelphia
Dorian
Historically informed performance need not be limited to music before 1800,
or even music before 1900. Consider the Wanamaker Grand Court Organ , the centerpiece of
the former Wanamaker's department store (now Lord & Taylor) in
downtown Philadelphia, which has been lovingly recorded in all its magnificence
by Dorian. Built in the first decades of the century, the organ was one of a
new breed of American instrument, the symphonic organ, so named because its
purpose was to lushly recreate the sound of a symphony orchestra. The Wanamaker
family poured a fortune into the building of Grand Court Organ, which was played
during the day for the edification of shoppers, but also envisioned as the heart of
a public gathering place, a kind of
second City Hall. Grand
events, like the free "Musicians' Assembly" of 27 March 1919, which featured
organist Charles M. Courboin, Leopold Stokowski, and 100 members of the
Philadelphia Orchestra before an audience of 12,000, were part of this idea.
The Wanamaker Organ is the largest — 28,414 pipes at present count — and most complex symphonic organ. Several comprehensive essays in the program book explore its composition and history in detail. One example: in 1921, Marcel Dupré improvised, on themes submitted by the audience, a work that would become his Symphonie-Passion on the Wanamaker Organ. A new chapter in the history of the organ began in 1990, when a complete restoration was begun. The instrument is still played twice every day, except on Sundays, and the restoration work goes on.
And what to play on it? Orchestral transcriptions, of course. Such transcriptions are back in favor after being politically incorrect among organists, and if we're going to be historically informed, they were a major feature of the symphonic organ's heyday. Peter Richard Conte, the resident Wanamaker organist, has transcribed some especially colorful works. The splendid recording quality shows off the timbral and dynamic variety of the instrument — it certainly gives the bass range of the speakers a workout, and goes effortlessly from pianissimo to fortissimo. The transcriptions display the organ's unusually large string complement, which may not sound particularly like strings, but does create a great sweep of sound. Other divisions, such as woodwinds, brass and celesta, make for a stirring panorama.
The most engaging work on the program is Dukas' Sorcerer's Apprentice, which swirls with color and variety, and finds comedy in different instrumental characters each time the theme appears. Mussorgsky's Night on Bare Mountain (as the disc calls it) could be scarier, though the final serene sequence after the church bells break off the Witches' Sabbath is hauntingly beautiful.
The selections from Wagner's Die Walküre, which rely so heavily on a complex and stirring string sound, are a little problematic: "Wotan's Farewell" sounds lugubrious, without enough contrast or momentum; the "Magic Fire Music" is more dramatic, and the big climaxes are great. In a different vein, Conte has fun with Nicolai's Overture to "The Merry Wives of Windsor," which is fleet and lively. The concluding Elgar selections are engaging: the Cockaigne Overture is majestic and "Nimrod" from the Enigma Variations, pleasantly contemplative and smooth. Conte demonstrated superb control of this mighty instrument, expertly balancing its mind-boggling possibilities for a satisfying musical and sonic experience. Half the fun of the disc is marveling at the power of the instrument, and imagining yourself back in Wanamaker's in 1930. It should also provide a great party turn for people with very high-end audio systems.
Available for purchase at Dorian.com
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