Göteborg International Organ Festival

October 8–19, 2025

Visions

Göteborg Youth Organ Camp

(9–15 years old)

Kersten Cottyn, Stephen Craig, Camille Bloche, Gustaf Johansson, teachers

(In collaboration with the Church of Sweden in Varnhem)

Göteborg Youth Organ Camp

(9–15 years old)

Kersten Cottyn, Stephen Craig, Camille Bloche, Gustaf Johansson, teachers

(In collaboration with the Church of Sweden in Varnhem)

Göteborg Youth Organ Camp

(9–15 years old)

Kersten Cottyn, Stephen Craig, Camille Bloche, Gustaf Johansson, teachers

(In collaboration with the Church of Sweden in Varnhem)

9:00–11:30

(Venue to be announced)

Tactile Sounds–Portative Organ and Organ for Intermediate Keyboard Players

Portative workshop for keyboard players (particularly for visually impaired participants), guided by Catalina Vicens

This workshop is designed for intermediate keyboard players eager to expand their horizons with historical instruments. Focusing on the rich musical traditions of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, it offers a hands-on introduction to the portative organ and early pipe organ repertoire. Through a combination of solo and ensemble playing, participants will explore the unique touch and expressive sound of these instruments while honing their skills in articulation, phrasing, and stylistic interpretation. It is an ideal opportunity for musicians looking to deepen their understanding of early keyboard music through a practical and immersive experience.

To register or ask any questions, please email: info@organacademy.se. We are happy to provide information in accessible formats and to support any specific needs.

12:00–12:50

Mariestad Cathedral

Regional Opening Concert of the Göteborg International Organ Festival 2025

Ludger Lohmann, organ

(Program to be announced)

14:00–16:30

(Venue to be announced)

Breathing Sounds–Beginners Course for Portative OrganPortative workshop for beginners of all ages (particularly for visually impaired participants) guided by Catalina Vicens

This workshop is open to anyone curious about the portative organ—no prior organ experience is required, and participants with musical backgrounds in other instruments or none at all are warmly welcomed.

Through guided, hands-on sessions, participants will explore the basics of playing this expressive, air-powered instrument while developing rhythm, coordination, and attentive listening. They'll be introduced to the workings of the portative organ, learn basic techniques, experiment with simple pieces and improvisation, and gain control over breathing, bellows coordination, and sound. Group playing and musical games will encourage confidence, creativity, and enjoyment.

It’s a friendly and accessible entry point into historical keyboards and music-making, with a focus on discovery and sound exploration.

To register or ask any questions, please email: info@organacademy.se. We are happy to provide information in accessible formats and support any specific needs.

19:00–20:00

Morlanda Church

Concert on the Morlanda organ–Sweden's oldest playable organ

(Brebus 1604; Wittig 1715; GOArt 2001)

Massimiliano Guido, organ

(Program to be announced)

Regional organ recitals in West Sweden and Halland

(Venues to be announced)

(Programs to be announced)

(Presenters to be announced)

9:00–11:30

(Venue to be announced)

Tactile Sounds–Portative Organ and Organ for Intermediate Keyboard Players

Portative workshop for keyboard players (particularly for visually impaired participants) guided by Catalina Vicens

This workshop is designed for intermediate keyboard players eager to expand their horizons with historical instruments. Focusing on the rich musical traditions of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, it offers a hands-on introduction to the portative organ and early pipe organ repertoire. Through a combination of solo and ensemble playing, participants will explore the unique touch and expressive sound of these instruments while honing their skills in articulation, phrasing, and stylistic interpretation. It is an ideal opportunity for musicians looking to deepen their understanding of early keyboard music through a practical and immersive experience.

To register or ask any questions, please email: info@organacademy.se. We are happy to provide information in accessible formats and support any specific needs.

13:00–15:30

(Venue to be announced)

Breathing Sounds–Beginners Course for Portative Organ

Portative workshop for beginners of all ages (particularly for visually impaired participants), guided by Catalina Vicens

This workshop is open to anyone curious about the portative organ—no prior organ experience is required, and participants with musical backgrounds in other instruments or none at all are warmly welcomed.

Through guided, hands-on sessions, participants will explore the basics of playing this expressive, air-powered instrument while developing rhythm, coordination, and attentive listening. They'll be introduced to the workings of the portative organ, learn basic techniques, experiment with simple pieces and improvisation, and gain control over breathing, bellows coordination, and sound. Group playing and musical games will encourage confidence, creativity, and enjoyment.

It’s a friendly and accessible entry point into historical keyboards and music-making, with a focus on discovery and sound exploration.

To register or ask any questions, please email: info@organacademy.se. We are happy to provide information in accessible formats and support any specific needs.

9:00–11:30

(Venue to be announced)

Tactile Sounds–Portative Organ and Organ for Intermediate Keyboard PlayersPortative workshop for keyboard players (particularly for visually impaired participants) guided by Catalina Vicens

This workshop is designed for intermediate keyboard players eager to expand their horizons with historical instruments. Focusing on the rich traditions of Medieval and Renaissance music, it offers a hands-on introduction to the portative organ and early pipe organ repertoire. Through a combination of solo and ensemble playing, participants will explore the unique touch and expressive sound of these instruments while honing their skills in articulation, phrasing, and stylistic interpretation. It is an ideal opportunity for musicians looking to deepen their understanding of early keyboard music through a practical and immersive experience.

To register or ask any questions, please email: info@organacademy.se. We are happy to provide information in accessible formats and support any specific needs.

12:00–12:30

Gothenburg Cathedral

Organ Visions

Organ students from the Academy of Music and Drama, University of Gothenburg

(Program to be announced)

13:00–15:30

(Venue to be announced)

Breathing Sounds–Beginners Course for Portative OrganPortative workshop for beginners of all ages (particularly for visually impaired participants), guided by Catalina Vicens

This workshop is open to anyone curious about the portative organ—no prior organ experience is required, and participants with musical backgrounds in other instruments or none at all are warmly welcomed.

Through guided, hands-on sessions, participants will explore the basics of playing this expressive, air-powered instrument while developing rhythm, coordination, and attentive listening. They'll be introduced to the workings of the portative organ, learn basic techniques, experiment with simple pieces and improvisation, and gain control over breathing, bellows coordination, and sound. Group playing and musical games will encourage confidence, creativity, and enjoyment.

It’s a friendly and accessible entry point into historical keyboards and music-making, with a focus on discovery and sound exploration.

To register or ask any questions, please email: info@organacademy.se. We are happy to provide information in accessible formats and support any specific needs.

16:00–16.50

Vasa Church

Opening concert of the Göteborg International Organ Festival 2025Welcome notes by representatives of the City of Gothenburg, the University of Gothenburg, and the organ festival

Vocal ensemble from the Academy of Music and Drama under the direction of Per Högberg

Göteborg Symphonic Band / Hemvärnets Musikkår, Leif Karlsson, director

Isabelle Demers, organ

Jag vet en dejlig rosa (traditional Swedish folk song)

Jag vet en dejlig rosa (arranged for brass by David Glänneskog)

Elfrida Andrée (1841–1929)Organ Symphony No. 2 in E-flat Major for organ and brass

– Allegro moderato

– Andantino cantabile

– Finale maestoso

Jeanne Demessieux (1921-1968)

Te Deum pour Orgue, Op. 11 (1958)

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)

Finale from Symphony No. 3

(arranged for organ and brass by Earl Slocum)

19:30–20:40

Gothenburg Cathedral

Visions

Gala festival concert

Tenebrae Choir, director Nigel Short

Ludger Lohmann, organ

Arvo Pärt (b. 1935)

The Beatitudes

Cecilia McDowall (b. 1951)

Standing as I do before God

William Byrd (c. 1540–1623)

Fantasy in a (organ)

Caroline Shaw (b. 1982)

and the swallow

Richard Rodney Bennett (1936–2012)

A Good-Night

Joel Thompson (b. 1988)

A Prayer for Deliverance

(Intermission)

Herbert Howells (1892–1983)

Requiem

Franz Liszt (1811–1886)

Variations on Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen (organ)

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958)

Lord, thou hast been our refuge

10:30–11.30

Örgryte New Church

Young Organists’ Organ Vision

Göteborg Youth Organ Festival

(Program to be announced)

12:00–12:50

Gothenburg Cathedral

Arvo Pärt’s Artistic Vision I:

Visions about Freedom‚ Before and After the Fall of the Berlin Wall

Anna-Maria Friman-Henriksen, soprano

Amanda Flodin, alto

Tore Sunesson, tenor

Karl-Peter Eriksson, baritone

Ligita Sneibe, organ

Ester Mägi (1922-2021)

Gloria (1998)

Andrejs Selickis (b. 1960)

In Spe (Expectatio) (1979)

Pēteris Vasks (b. 1946)

Musica seria (1988/2008)

Arvo Pärt (b. 1935)

Berliner Messe (1990/2002)

14:00–15:00

Vasa Church

Arvo Pärt’s Artistic Vision II

Chamber music and organ
Gageego!

Karin Nelson, organ

Sofia Gubaidulina (1931–2025)

In Croce (1979/1992)

Franco Donatoni (1927–2000)

Feria (1982)

Arvo Pärt

Pari intervallo (1976)

Santa Bušs (b. 1981)

New commission 2025

(Program to be announced)

Esaias Järnegard

In her right hand she bare a trumpet of beaten gold

Fragments on a hidden theme by Arvo Pärt

16:00–17:30

Vasa Parish Hall

Arvo Pärt’s Artistic Vision

Seminar

Mark Tatlow, presenter and moderator

Kristina Körver, Arvo Pärt Centre

In September 2025 Arvo Pärt celebrates his 90th birthday. One of today’s most well-known composers, his music has found its way into almost every corner of the globe. What is it about the sound-world of this shy and retiring Estonian superstar that has endeared him to so many? And what is the vision that led him to abandon his early modernist style and develop a new compositional technique: tintinnabuli?

Presentations will be given by, among others, musicologist Kristina Körver, who has been a researcher at the Arvo Pärt Centre in Laulasmaa since 2012. Her primary focus lies in exploring Arvo Pärt’s creative process through archival material related to his works.

The seminar will be led by conductor Mark Tatlow, who recently spent two months at the Centre as one of four musicians chosen for the 2025 Nordic Music Residency. Pärt’s music forms a major part of his forthcoming doctoral dissertation at the Academy of Music and Drama, University of Gothenburg.

19:30–21:00

Vasa Church

Arvo Pärt´s Artistic Vision III

Choir and organ

LUX Vocal Ensemble

Ulrike Heider, director

Ligita Sneibe, organ

Music by Arvo Pärt (b. 1935)

Solfeggio (1963)

Annum per annum (1980)

Missa syllabica (1977)

Spiegel im Spiegel (2010)

Magnificat (1989)

Nunc dimittis (2001)

Mein Weg hat Gipfel und Wellentäler (1989)

Tribute to Caesar (1997)

The Woman with the Alabaster Box (1997)

Trivium (1976)

Da pacem Domine (2004)

11:00–12:00

Gothenburg Cathedral

Organ, Choir and Liturgy

Solemn High Mass

Choral music by Arvo Pärt will be performed in the liturgy of the Solemn High Mass
Michael Sager, choral director

Mikael Fridén, organ

Maria Bergius, vicar (celebrant and sermon)

11:00–12:15

Örgryte New Church

Organ, Choir and Liturgy

Solemn High Mass

Organ music by Arvo Pärt will be performed in the liturgy of the Solemn High Mass

Erland Hildén, organ

Jonathan Anderson, vicar (celebrant and sermon)

13:00–14:00

St. Mary's Church

CANTUS FIRMUS XIII

Catalina Vicens (b. 1983)

Desglosando la Melancolía (Breaking down Melancholia)(2025)

Catalina Vicens, muselaar, concept, soundscape design and composition, live electronics

Bart Celis, sound spatialisation design

15:00–17:00

Örgryte New Church

American and Swedish organ music

Stephen Price, organ

PART ONE

Performed at the North German baroque organ

(Arvidsson-van Eeken-Yokota, 2000)

Erland Hildén (b. 1963)

Symphony No. 2 for Organ (2024/25)

PART TWO

Performed at the English organ ("Father" Henry Willis, 1871)

Calvin Hampton (1938–1984)

America the Beautiful

(Tune: Materna)

Florence Price (1887–1953)

Retrospection (An Elf on a Moonbeam)

Leo Sowerby (1895–1968)

Arioso (1942)

George Shearing (1919–2011)

Amazing Grace! How Sweet the Sound

(Tune: New Britain; arranged in 1977)

Charles Ives (1874–1954)

Variations on America for Organ (1891)

18:00–20:00

Gothenburg Concert Hall

Visionary Symphonic Organ Music

Nathan Laube, organ

Alfred Hollins (1865-1942)

Concert Overture No. 1 in C minor

Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986)

Prélude et Fugue sur le nom d’Alain, Op. 7 (1942)

Healey Willan (1880-1968)

Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue, Op. 149 (1916

(Intermission)

Jeanne Demessieux (1921-1968)

Te Deum pour Orgue, Op. 11 (1958)

Marcel Dupré (1886-1971)

Cortège et Litanie, Op. 19, No. 2 (1922)

Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

Les Préludes, Poème Symphonique No. 3, S. 97 (1845-1854)

D’après Lamartine: Méditations Poétiques

Transcription by Nathan Laube (b. 1988)

What is life but a series of preludes to that unknown hymn, the first and solemn note of which is intoned by Death? Love is the enchanted dawn of all existence; but what fate is there whose first delights of happiness are not interrupted by some storm, whose fine illusions are not dissipated by some mortal blast, consuming its altar as though by a stroke of lightning?

And what cruelly wounded soul, issuing from one of these tempests, does not endeavor to solace its memories in the calm serenity of rural life?
Nevertheless, man does not resign himself for long to the enjoyment of that beneficent warmth which he first enjoyed in Nature’s bosom, and when ‘the trumpet sounds the alarm’ he takes up his perilous post, no matter what struggle calls him to its ranks, that he may recover in combat the full consciousness of himself and the entire possession of his powers.

(In collaboration with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra)

21:30–22:30

St. Mary's Church

Night Visions I

CANTUS FIRMUS XIII

Catalina Vicens (b. 1983)

Desglosando la Melancolía (Breaking down Melancholia)(2025)

Catalina Vicens, muselaar, concept, soundscape design and composition, live electronics

Bart Celis, sound spatialization design

8.30/9:00–11:30

Morning workshops

12:00–12.50

Haga Church

Double Vision–4 Eyes, 4 Hands and 4 Feet

Lunch concert

Annette Richards and David Yearsley, organ

(Registered participants: join us for a warm bowl of organ soup, served in the parish hall immediately following the event)

PART ONE

Thomas Tomkins (1572–1656)

A fancy for two to play

Nicolas Carleton (c.1570–1656)

A verse–In nomine

Benjamin Cooke (1734–1793)

Canon two in one

PART TWO

Michele Gaggia (b. 1965)

Canon perpetuus super thema regium in contrapunto alla quarta

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)

Canon a 4 (super thema regium) from A musical offering, BWV 1079

Fuga a 4, a 2 Claviere

Fuga a 4, a 2 Claviere, in alio modo from The art of fugue, BWV 1080

PART THREE

Antonio Soler (1729–1783)

Concierto para dos organos

– Andante

– Allegro

Johann Christian Bach (1735–1782)

Allegretto from Sonata in A, Op. 18

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)

Allegro molto from Symphony No. 40 in G minor

14:15–14:30

A short introduction will be given in Swedish to the topic of the afternoon seminar

14:30–17:00

Haga Church

Visionary Organ Music through Time

Afternoon seminar

Annette Richards and David Yearsley, moderators and presenters

Isabelle Demers, Kimberly Marshall, William Porter, presenters

Across its long history, the organ has been a vehicle for visionary music and ideas. A musical, visual, technological, wonder, the organ invites experiment, imagination, and radical daring. In this seminar Isabelle Demers, Kimberly Marshall, William Porter, Annette Richards, and David Yearsley take us from the theories of 17th-century polymath Athanasius Kircher to the music of contemporary absurdist composer Mauricio Kagel, from the extravagant American Wanamaker organ of the early 20th-century to the experimental, global, hyperorgan of today; how might Bach’s music accompany visions of ecological crisis? What is the relation between the “Visionary” and the “Innovative,” and what might “clarity of vision” mean in today’s organ culture?

16:45–17:00

A Glance into SONORA

Eleanor Smith-Guido, Fredrik Tobin-Dodd, Paul Peeters, presenters

17.30–19.00

Vasa Parish Hall

Folkmusic and Dance

Festival reception and buffet

Lukas Arvidsson, violin and reed organ

19:30–21.15

Vasa Church

20th-century Organ Visions: Music by Hindemith, Nielsen, Messiaen, and Bates

Bine Bryndorf and Kimberly Marshall, organ

PART ONE

Bine Bryndorf, organ

Paul Hindemith (1895–1963)

Sonate I (1937)

– Mässig schnell

– Sehr langsam

– Phantasie, frei

– Ruhig bewegt

Carl Nielsen (1865–1931)

Commotio (1931), Op. 58

(Intermission)

PART TWO

Kimberly Marshall, organ

Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992)

From Les corps glorieux, sept visions brèves de la vie des ressuscités

(The glorious bodies, seven brief visions of the life of the resurrected)

I. Subtilité des corps glorieux

(Subtlety of glorious bodies)

II. Les eaux de la grace

(The waters of grace)

V. Force et agilité des corps glorieux

(Strength and agility of the glorious bodies)

VI. Joie et clarté des corps glorieux

(Joy and clarity of the glorious bodies)

Jehan Alain (1911–1940)

Le jardin suspendu

(The hanging garden)

Robert Bates (b. 1952)

Arizona Visions

– Vision 1

– Vision 4

8.30/9:00–11:30

Morning workshops

8:45–9:45

City library, auditorium

Organ-building workshops for school classes aged 6–12

Info & reservation: kersten.cottyn@organacademy.se

10:00–11:00

City library, auditorium

Organ-building workshops for school classes aged 6–12

Info & reservation: kersten.cottyn@organacademy.se

12:00–12.50

Vasa Church

Lunch concert

French and Swedish Organ Music

Joris Verdin and Sverker Jullander, organ

(Registered participants: join us for a warm bowl of organ soup, served in the parish hall immediately following the event)

The grand voice of the organ must have the calm of the definitive (Charles-Marie Widor)

PART ONE

Sverker Jullander, organ

Otto Olsson (1879–1964):

From Gregorianska melodier, Op. 30 (1910)

– Creator alme siderum

– Angelus autem Domini

From Six pieces on Old Church Songs, Op. 47 (1912)

– Hæc dies

– Magnificat

From Organ Symphony No. 2, Credo symphoniacum, Op. 50 (1918)

III. Finale: Veni creator spiritus

In his second organ symphony, Credo Symphoniacum, composed in 1918, Otto Olsson returned to Gregorian melodic material, which he had previously used in his Gregorianska melodier (1910) and Six Pieces on Old Church Songs (1912), but now on a totally different scale and with a different purpose.

The work has three movements, corresponding to the three articles of the Christian faith, and thereby also the three persons of the Trinity. The first article (the Father) is represented by the Gregorian “Credo in unum Deum,” the second (the Son) by the late-medieval hymn “Jesus Christus nostra salus” and the third (The Holy Spirit) by the universally known Pentecost hymn “Veni Creator Spiritus,” whose melody is thought to go back even to the 4th century. These three melodies form the main themes of each of the three movements.

In the third movement, “Veni Creator Spiritus” appears in two guises, first as a lively, syncopated first theme – one can think of the characterization of the Holy Spirit as vivificantem (life-giver) in the Nicene Creed – then as a second theme in a chorale-like setting. Although the first theme returns from time to time in the course of the movement, lending it a rondo-like character, the movement as a whole defies conventional categorizing in terms of established form types. Its unusual shape is due to its dual symbolic function: on the one hand it represents the third person of the Deity, the Holy Spirit; on the other hand, it summarizes the idea of the work, representing the Trinity as a whole through musical means. This duality is also reflected in a stylistic and formal diversity, which approaches, or even stretches, the limit for what can be contained within a single movement.

The “trinitarian” aspect is introduced by a Trinity motif, “O adoranda Trinitas, o veneranda Unitas” [O adorable Trinity, o venerable Unity], in a high treble flute. After that, the main themes of the previous movements are introduced successively. Several strettos on “Veni Creator” follow, after which the three main themes are combined in triple counterpoint, a sublime representation of the Trinity in austere vocal-style polyphony. Perhaps this was what Olsson had in mind when he wrote to Archbishop Nathan Söderblom: “This composition will never become popular, since it contains too much of mystique and counterpoint.” Finally, however, the movement’s first theme returns and there is a build-up towards a grandiose culmination. But from the “final” massive chord a lingering single note heralds a more quiet conclusion, with a final statement of “Credo in unum Deum.”

PART TWO

Joris Verdin, organ

Charles-Marie Widor (1845–1937)

From Organ Symphony No. 1, Op. 13:1 (1872)

I. Prélude

Alexandre Guilmant (1837–1911)

From L’Organiste pratique, 4ème livraison, Op. 47 (1876):

– Canzona en fa mineur

Jacques Nicolas Lemmens (1823–1881)

From Sonata No. 1 Sonate Pontificale (1874)

I. Allegro moderato

Alexandre Guilmant

From 18 nouvelles pièces, Op. 90 (1896)

– Impression grégorienne

Charles-Marie Widor

From Suite latine, Op. 86 (1927)

I. Praeludium

14:15–14:30

A short introduction will be given in Swedish to the topic of the afternoon seminar

14:30–17:00

Vasa Church

Visions from Paris 1875 and Stockholm 1925

Afternoon seminar

Joris Verdin and Sverker Jullander, presenters

16:45–17:00

A Glance into SONORA

Eleanor Smith-Guido, Fredrik Tobin-Dodd, Paul Peeters, presenters

The later decades of the 19th century and the early 20th century was a time of reform in Catholic Church music. A vision of an ideal music for and of the church, profoundly different from secular music, took shape, involving the restoration of Gregorian chant as well as 16th-century sacred vocal polyphony by Palestrina and others. Important manifestations of these tendencies include the Caecilian movement, the Solesmes liturgical reform, the Paris Schola Cantorum (founded in 1894), and Pope Pius X’s famous motu proprio of 1903 on church music, “Tra le sollecitudini” (Among the concerns…).

This seminar will look at how the church music reforms influenced organ playing and organ composition, especially within the Franco-Belgian tradition, in the period 1870–1925. The works and performance practice of organist-composers such as Alexandre Guilmant, Charles-Marie Widor and Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens will be discussed. Attention will also be given to the repercussions of the church music reforms on organ music outside the Catholic Church, exemplified by the Swedish composer Otto Olsson, whose major organ work “Credo Symphoniacum”, based on Gregorian melodies, inaugurated the ecumenical World Conference of Life and Work, held in Stockholm in August 1925, a result of Archbishop Nathan Söderblom’s vision of unity among Christian churches as a model for peace in the wake of World War I.

19:30–21:00

German Church

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080

(Transcribed by Ludger Lohmann)

Ludger Lohmann, organ

Since its publication in print more than a year after Johann Sebastian Bach’s death, the “Art of Fugue” has been a source of mystery. Bach was unable to complete it, he died during the completion phase, but was still partially involved in the printing process. When he exactly started composition is unclear. The first eight fugues in the surviving autograph are dated to 1740-42 on the basis of the manuscript (as this is a fair copy, however, the composition could have taken place earlier), further pieces were added up to 1746.

However, this autograph version contains only 14 pieces: 12 fugues and 2 canons (14 is Bach’s name number: B + A + C + H = 2 + 1 + 3 + 8). In the course of preparing the print in 1749, Bach expanded the collection to 18 movements (14 fugues and 4 canons). It is conceivable that it (like the Musical Offering) was intended for the Potsdam court, with which Bach had been in close contact since his son Carl Philipp Emanuel was employed there as harpsichordist. This assumption also provides a hypothetical explanation for the French stylistic elements, which are somewhat surprising in a collection of fugues: Frederick the Great was a great lover of the French style. Even the breaking off of the last fugue could be explained as intentional, because in Berlin at this time, the fragment gained relevance as an aesthetic category in the course of the study of ancient art and architecture, for example in constructing ruins in the creation of parks.

In the form of numerous BACH motives, which are easily realised in the home key of D minor, Bach has created intensive personal references.

The work was certainly not intended by Bach to be played on the organ; the required keyboard range was not available on the organs of his time, and the demands on pedal technique of the version heard today far exceed anything written before 1900. But the organ is the only instrument on which a single player can perform the entire work, and most of the fugues are idiomatic for the organ.

Contrapunctus 1 à 4

Four-part simple fugue on the subject in its basic form (recto, Ar).

Contrapunctus 2 à 4

Simple fugue on the subject recto. The dotted rhythm results in a stylistic approximation to the ‘French’ fugue (Contrapunctus 6).

Contrapunctus 3 à 4

Simple fugue on the subject in inversion (inverso, Ai: where the original melody moves up, its inverted form moves down). The character is decidedly painful due to the abundant use of chromaticism, especially in the form of a retained counterpoint also containing the notes BA-HC.

Contrapunctus 4 à 4

Simple fugue on the subject inverso. A frequently used motive of descending thirds results in a much more relaxed atmosphere compared to No. 3, which also gives rise to the first striking BACH motive in the tenor voice at the end, but which above all leads to daring modulations leading up to B major!

Contrapunctus 5 à 4

Counter-fugue on the subject recto and inverso (A1). The subject is extended from the original 12 to 14 notes. Numerous melodic parallels in thirds and sixths create a relaxed, almost joyful atmosphere.

Contrapunctus 6 à 4 in stylo francese

Counter-fugue on subject A1 recto and inverso. The subject also appears in diminution (halving the note values), with astonishing combinations of up to three simultaneous entries in different forms. Tirata figures lead to the clearly pronounced character of a French overture.

Contrapunctus 7 à 4 per augment. Et diminut.

Counter-fugue on the subject A1 recto and inverso, but now not only in diminution but also in augmentation (doubling of the note values), i.e. on three different levels of note values.

Contrapunctus 9 à 4 alla duodecima

Double fugue on a new subject (B) and the main subject. Both subjects only appear recto, the main subject only in augmentation and in its original rhythmic form. The resulting long note values give it the effect of a cantus firmus, which lends the entire fugue the character of a chorale prelude.

Contrapunctus 10 à 4 alla decima

Double fugue with a new subject I, which has certain motivic references to the main subject, and the latter, which appears in the dotted form A1. The multiple parallel entries of the subject in thirds and sixths are the reason for the indication “alla decima”.

Contrapunctus 8 à 3

Three-part triple fugue on two new subjects (Dr and Er) and the main subject, which appears only inverso in the A2 form, interspersed with rests. The subject E, realised as painful by restless repeated quavers and chromatically coloured suspensions, contains BACH motives (here still in inversion).

Contrapunctus 11 à 4

Four-part triple fugue with the same subjects as No. 8, which now all appear recto and inverso. In terms of its length, the rhythmic intensity of the incessantly beating subject E and the sometimes incredibly painful chromatic harmony, this is the emotional climax of the cycle.

(Intermission)

Contrapuctus inversus 12 à 4

The principle of melodic inversion plays a special role in this so-called mirror fugue. The piece has two versions, which can be perceived in parallel when the score is read, but can of course only be heard one after the other in performance. In the second version not only are all the parts played in inversion, but the entire movement is also mirrored, i.e. the highest voice changes places with the lowest, as do the two middle voices.

Contrapunctus inversus 13 à 3

The reduction of the number of voices compared to Contrapunctus 12 signifies a transition to the two-part canons. The increased compositional demands, an essential principle within the fugue pairs or groups of the cycle, are also realised by the fact that the arrangement of the voices is not simply mirrored: in the first version, which begins with the recto form of the theme, the order of entries is soprano-alto-bass, in the second alto-bass-soprano.

Canon alla ottava

In the Art of Fugue, Bach ingeniously combines canon technique with the formal principle of fugues. This means that there is one subject in each case, which in the manner of a fugue has several entries. Naturally, due to the canonic principle, one entry automatically determines a second. Bach nevertheless achieves great variety due to the different canon intervals.

Canon alla decima contrapunto alla terza

The main subject (A6), altered by rhythmic transformation, occurs only inverso. The “Contrapunto alla Terza” mentioned in the title (in addition to the canon interval of the tenth) refers to the fact that the counterpoint, originally at the interval of an octave, is elsewhere also used at the interval of a third, i.e. it must ‘function’ in two interval constellations.

Canon alla duodecima contrapunto alla quinta

In the middle of the movement, the upper voice replaces the lower as the leading voice by jumping into a canonically unprepared subject entry (A7). At the end of the piece, the lower voice takes over the lead again in the same way, opening up the possibility of returning to the beginning – a canon ad infinitum, which potentially is possible in all four canons.

Canon per augmentationem in contrario motu

The initially leading upper voice is answered canonically after a few bars by the lower voice, which plays the preceding material not only in rhythmic augmentation but also in inversion.

Fuga a 3 soggetti

The unfinished fugue introduces three new subjects; presumably the main subject was to be added at the end, thus creating a quadruple fugue. The subjects are initially developed individually in separate sections; after some time, the first subject (F) joins the development of the second (G), while all three subjects are combined after the separate treatment of the third (H), BACH subject.

Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein, BWV 668a

“Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein und wissen nicht, wo aus noch ein, und finden weder Hilf noch Rat, ob wir gleich sorgen früh und spat”.

This text is difficult to translate, however describes the despair of a dying person not knowing whom to turn to for help or advice:

When we are in our deepest need,

and know not where the path may lead,

nor find we counsel, help, or light,

though we struggle both day and night.

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach created the myth that his father died while composing the Art of Fugue. Although this chorale is not out of place in this context due to its contrapuntal density (the slightly coloured cantus firmus lines of the soprano are predominantly accompanied with material from the first c. f. line, also in inversion), its basic key of G major after well over an hour in D minor makes it a decidedly foreign element. However, since the notes of the tenor part ending the fragment of the preceding fugue can easily be interpreted in G major and can even be understood as a transition to the first note of the chorale prelude, this decision by the editors seems profoundly subtle.

21:30–22:30

Gothenburg Cathedral

Night Visions II

A Luminous Carpet

Cypress Sounds

Music by Suzanne Vega, Kate Bush, and others

In this nocturnal program inspired by Suzanne Vega’s song 'Night Vision', an unusual combination of organ, voice and other instruments meet the repertoire of songwriters like Suzanne Vega, David Bowie, Kate Bush, Sam Amidon and others. The tapetum lucidum (Latin for ‘a luminous carpet´) contributes to the superior night vision of many animals, which the human eye lacks.

Cypress Sounds, an artistic collective led by Kersten Cottyn, combines the sound of tactile instruments like organ, organetto and harpsichord with soundscapes and electronics.

8:30/9:00–11:30

Morning workshops

8:45–9:45

City library, auditorium

Organ-building workshops for school classes aged 6–12

Info & booking: kersten.cottyn@organacademy.se

9:00–9:30

Härlanda Church

Organ fairy tale: Peter och vargen (Peter and the wolf)

(Held in Swedish)

Stephen Craig and Ana Benedičič, organ

For school children in primary school, year three

Booking: sara.hjort@svenskakyrkan.se

10:00–10:30

Härlanda Church

Organ fairy tale: Peter och vargen (Peter and the wolf)

(Held in Swedish)

Stephen Craig and Ana Benedičič, organ

For school children in primary school, year three

Booking: sara.hjort@svenskakyrkan.se

10:00–11:00

City library, auditorium

Organ-building workshops for school classes aged 6–12

Info & booking: kersten.cottyn@organacademy.se

12:00–12:50

Haga Church

Nordic Visions in the Wake of Liszt
Lunch concert

Music by Liszt, Andrée and Langgaard

Jonas Lundblad, organ

(Join us for a warm bowl of organ soup, served in the parish hall immediately following the event)

14:15–14:30

A short introduction will be given in Swedish to the topic of the afternoon seminar

14:30–17:00

Saint Jacob Church

Afternoon seminar

14:30–16:00

Visions of Jerusalem´s Temple in Seventeenth Century Keyboard Collections
Joel Speerstra, presenter

16:00–16:45

Vision of Organ Sound
A new recording resource of the historical organs in Northern Germany

Harald Vogel, presenter

16:45–17:00

A Glance into SONORA

Eleanor Smith-Guido, Fredrik Tobin-Dodd, Paul Peeters, presenters

Johann Kuhnau and Visions of the Temple of Solomon Juan Bautista Villalpando’s 1604 masterpiece of visionary architecture, Ezechielem Explanationes, was a landmark publication that influenced art, architecture, and music throughout the 17th century. Villalpando collaborated with his master on the building of the Escorial Palace outside Madrid, Philip II’s own vision of Solomon’s Temple. This building and the book that followed resonate throughout the 17th century. Our exploration will look at visual and musical resonances from church architecture and book illustrations to the remarkable model of the Temple built for the Hamburg Opera and still preserved in the Hamburg Museum of History. We end this part of the seminar with a speculative new reading of Johan Kuhnau’s Frische Clavier-Früchte from 1696 and suggest it is his own vision of the Temple in number, proportion, emblem, and music.

19:00–21.10

German Church

At Sea with Göteborg Baroque

Music by Heinrich Schütz, Andreas Kirchoff, Christoph Förster, and others

Join Göteborg Baroque on a journey around the Baltic Sea, as we visit the ports belonging to Sweden between 1611 and 1721–a time that has become known as the Great Power era. While multiple trading hubs surrounded the Baltic Sea, Stockholm was perhaps the most influential one. Göteborg Baroque invites you to an extravagant party, lush with the musical riches from the many lavish events of the region and time period–in this concert embellished with cornettos, trombones and timpani. Tonight’s most esteemed guest is the music professor Mattias Lundberg, known from Swedish Radio, who serves as our toastmaster and tour guide.

Göteborg Baroque under the direction of Magnus Kjellson

Mattias Lundberg, moderator

19:30–20.30

Vasa Church

Virtuosic Variations

Music by Max Reger and Charles-Valentin Alkan

Isabelle Demers, organ

Max Reger (1873–1916) Fantasy on the chorale Wie schön leucht' uns der Morgenstern, Op. 40, No. 1

Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-1888)

Douze études pour les pieds seulement

– No. 2, Adagio

– No. 12, Tempo giusto

– No. 6, Adagio

Impromptu sur le choral de Luther, Op. 69

Grand prélude, Op. 66, No. 4 in G minor

Max Reger

Fantasy on the chorale Hallelujah! Gott zu loben, Op. 52, No. 3

8:30/9:00–11:30

Morning workshops

8:45–9:45

City library, auditorium

Organ-building workshops for school classes aged 6–12

Info & booking: kersten.cottyn@organacademy.se

10:00–11:00

City library, auditorium

Organ-building workshops for school classes aged 6–12

Info & booking: kersten.cottyn@organacademy.se

12:00–12:50

German Church

Sound Visions for Pipes and Strings

Lunch concert

Music by Pachelbel, De Neufville and Kuhnau

Joel Speerstra, claviorgan

(Join us for a warm bowl of organ soup, served in the parish hall immediately following the event)

Johann Pachelbel (1653–1706)

From Hexachordum Apollinis (1699)

– Aria sexta: Aria Sebaldina

Johann Jakob De Neufville (1684–1712)

From Sex meleas. Ariae cum variationibus. (1708)

– Ciaccona

Johan Kuhnau (1660–1722)

From Frische Clavier-Früchte (1696)

– Sonata quinta

– Sonata sesta: Ciaccona

14:15–14:30

A short introduction will be given in Swedish to the topic of the afternoon seminar

14:30–16:30

Gothenburg Concert Hall

Visionary Organ Music by Frans Liszt and Julius Reubke

Afternoon seminar

Ludger Lohmann, lecture demonstration

(This seminar is for registered participants only)

When Franz Liszt arrived as Capellmeister in Weimar in 1848 the local organists, notably Töpfer, raised his interest in the organ. With his first published organ composition, the utterly visionary Fantasy on “Ad nos, ad salutarem undam”, till then probably the longest organ piece ever composed, he revolutionized organ music both in a technical and a musical sense. Julius Reubke, then still a teenager, might have listened to the first performance of the piece in 1852. He became one of Liszt's most talented students, both as a pianist and as a composer, and emulated the example of his teacher in two sonatas, one of them for piano. His organ sonata takes clues not only from “Ad nos”, but also from Liszt's piano sonata, and adds the concept of program music by basing it on lines from Psalm 94. This icon of 19th century organ music shows what a loss the young genius' premature death has meant for the organ world. The seminar will explore the relation between the two masterworks, their musical content and performance implications.

(In collaboration with Göteborg Symphony Orchestra)

17:00–18:00

Gothenburg Concert Hall

Sjung med! (Sing Along!)

Mattias Wager, organ

Gary Graden, song leader

Participation is a core theme in the Wager/Graden duo’s collaboration. In active listening, you are of course always involved, but sometimes you also get to sing along. Singing helps to create community, where voice and good breathing open the door to the source of life. We create a concert together by singing and celebrating the autumn season with its richness of poetry and music. We encounter melodies and lyrics that bring joy and comfort. “Hurry up, my beloved, hurry up and love, the days are getting darker minute by minute,” we sing among other pieces with the cherished words of Tove Jansson.

(In collaboration with Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra)

17:00–18:00

Gothenburg Cathedral

Music and Health

Panel discussion

Maria Bergius, Kimberly Marshall, and others

18:00–19:00

Gothenburg Cathedral

Sound meditation

Kimberly Marshall, organ

19.00–21.00

German Church

At Sea with Göteborg Baroque

Music by Heinrich Schütz, Andreas Kirchoff, Christoph Förster, and others

Göteborg Baroque under the direction of Magnus Kjellson

Mattias Lundberg, moderator

21:30–22:30

Night Visions III

(Program to be announced)

8:30/9:00–11:30

Morning workshops

10:15–12:15 (drop-in)

City library, auditorium

Organ-Building Workshops for All Ages!

Discover the joy of organs! Whether you're young or old, age doesn’t matter. Even if you don’t know how to play the organ (yet), it’s a fascinating instrument to explore—listen to it, see it, and even build one!

For more information, please email:

kersten.cottyn@organacademy.se

9:00–9:30

All Saints Church

Organ fairy tale: Peter och vargen (Peter and the wolf)

(Held in Swedish)

Stephen Craig and Ana Benedičič, organ

For school children in primary school, year three

For booking contact svetla.tsvetkova@svenskakyrkan.se

10:00–10:30

All Saints Church

Organ fairy tale: Peter och vargen (Peter and the wolf)

(Held in Swedish)

Stephen Craig and Ana Benedičič, organ

For school children in primary school, year three

For booking contact svetla.tsvetkova@svenskakyrkan.se

12:00–12:30

Gothenburg Cathedral

Lunch concert

(Program to be announced)

12:00–12:50

Haga Church

Con maniera: Mannerism in Music and Visual Arts

Lunch Concert

ECHO Young Ambassadors, organ and harpsichord

Tove Kyvik, Xinjie Li, Benedetta Porcedda, Artur Szczerbinin

Mannerism, which emerged in Italy in the 16th century, was a reaction to renaissance proportion, balance and clarity. In fact, the new style had a significant impact on the development of all forms of art. Composers and other artists were searching for their own, individual style, which at this time was visionary in many respects. The Mannerism in music was represented by complex harmony, frequently combined with chromaticism and dissonance, elaborated chord progressions and modulations as well as surprising harmonic and melodic choices.

In visual arts the Mannerism was reflected in unnatural, artificial and sometimes asymmetrical figures (figura serpentinata). The poses were very often exaggerated and created dynamic or dramatic compositions, enhanced by strong colour contrast. Although mannerism in many aspects was a foundation for baroque style it also influenced composers and other artists in late romanticism and in the 20th century.

In the concert program, ECHO Young Ambassadors will present music in the style of mannerism, or influenced by this style over the centuries, combined with presentations of the most famous and emblematic paintings and sculptures created within the same trend.

14:15–14:30

A short introduction will be given in Swedish to the topic of the afternoon seminar

14:30–17:00

Örgryte New Church

Afternoon seminar

14:30–16:00

Harald Vogel, presenter

An afternoon with the organ music of 17th-century Hamburg and the unique North German baroque organ in Örgryte New Church. Harald Vogel guides us through the repertoire of this remarkable century in European organ culture with William Porter at the console.

16:00–17:00

Reconstructing Embodied Music at the Keyboard–REM@KE

Presentation of the new ERC Synergy research project

Massimiliano Guido, Joel Speerstra, Andrea Schiavio, presenters

William Porter, Annette Richards, Kerala J. Snyder, Harald Vogel, and others, panelists

Aspects of an instrument's sound from the performer’s perspective.

The REM@KE project, a collaboration between the Universities of Pavia, Gothenburg, and York, explores how embodied knowledge has shaped keyboard musicianship and instrument building throughout history. The project combines historical analysis, organological study, empirical research, practice-based exploration, and physical and digital reconstruction.

One extremely important element is the perception of sound, and how performers use their bodies to transform their musical experiences. One of the project aims is to develop a new complex documentation protocol that takes this phenomenon into account. The discussion will be centered around the distinctive parameters that influence performers when playing and listening to historical instruments.

17:00–18:30

Örgryte Parish Hall

Reception for participants and presenters of the festival

19:30–20:45

Örgryte New Church

The Organ Music of 17th Century Hamburg and Lübeck

In memoriam Edoardo Bellotti

Harald Vogel, moderator

William Porter, Annette Richards, Bine Bryndorf, David Yearsley, Joel Speerstra, organ

(Program to be announced)

10:00–10:30

Haga Church

BIMBAM PÄRT

Organ fairy tale for babies and young children

BIMBAM PÄRT, a unique tribute concert to Arvo Pärt by the collective Klankennest–Sound Nest (BE), for the very youngest and their parents. His minimalist language, often echoing the sound of bells, captivates even the smallest music lovers. Together with a dancer, four musicians from Klankennest express their fascination with this music with babies, toddlers, and children up to 6 years old, along with their parents.

For babies (from 9 months) and children up to 6 years old, with a maximum of two adults per child.

Booking: ulrike.heider@organacademy.se

10:00–15:00

Jonsered Manor

Organ Visions and Visionaries​:

Hamburg 1925, Hans Henny Jahnn and Ugrino

Festival symposium (for invited guests only)

The Hamburg Orgeltagung in 1925, in which organists, musicologists and organ builders discussed their ideas and visions for the future of the organ was a groundbreaking manifestation of the young German organ reform, the Orgelbewegung. One of the key figures of the Hamburg meeting and the organ reform was the writer, music publisher and organ builder Hans Henny Jahnn, founder of Ugrino, a music publishing house which was also a community with utopian traits. At the end of World War I, Jahnn had rediscovered the monumental 1693 Arp Schnitger organ in the Hamburg St. Jacobi Church, a major source of inspiration for the organ reform movement and the main focus of the Hamburg meeting.

The symposium explores the significance of Jahnn’s work and ideas on historical organs as well as the Hamburg meeting, which triggered a development that was to dominate organ culture throughout the 20th and the early 21st century.

Harald Vogel (keynote), Joel Speerstra (moderator), William Porter, Kerala J. Snyder, Paul Peeters, Sverker Jullander, and others, presenters

10:20–10:50

Haga Church

BIMBAM PÄRT

Organ fairy tale for babies and young children

BIMBAM PÄRT, a unique tribute concert to Arvo Pärt by the collective Klankennest – Sound Nest (BE), for the very youngest and their parents. His minimalist language, often echoing the sound of bells, captivates even the smallest music lovers. Together with a dancer, four musicians from Klankennest express their fascination with this music with babies, toddlers, and children up to 6 years old, along with their parents.

For babies (from 9 months) and children up to 6 years old, with a maximum of two adults per child.

Booking: ulrike.heider@organacademy.se

14:00–15:00

Haga Church

(Program to be announced)

15:00–16:00

Jonsered Church

Organ concert

(Program to be announced)

15:00–16:00

Vasa Church

Organ Visions

Johannes Skoog, winner of first prize in the 2024 Canadian International Organ Competition

Claude Debussy (1862–1918)

La cathédrale engloutie

Transcription: Jean-Baptiste Robin

Sergej Rachmaninov (1873–1943)

Île des Morts

Transcription: Louis Robilliard

Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877–1933)

Harmonies du soir

Movement I from Trois Impressions, Op. 72

Thierry Escaich (b. 1965)

Eaux natales

Vers l’espérance

Movements I and III from Trois Poèmes

18:00–19:20

Gothenburg Concert Hall

From Darkness to Light

Organ, dance, coice and light

Maria Forsström, mezzo soprano

Natalie Ogonek and Gabriel Davidsson, dance

Hans Davidsson, organ

Ulrika Davidsson, stage director

Johan Alvebris, light design

A captivating and multifaceted performance where the symphonic organ displays its great versatility and where music, dance, and light design come together to form a unified concert experience. Hans Davidsson plays the rich, powerful, and sometimes poetic organ music by Bach, Mendelssohn, and the French symphonic masters Widor and Vierne. In contrast, we also hear songs by Mahler and Handel, beautifully embodied by the internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Maria Forsström. Natalie Ogonek and Gabriel Davidsson, internationally established dance artists and members of the Davidsson Organ and Dance Collaborative, dramatize the concert with newly choreographed works. The concert is performed seamlessly from beginning to end with dazzling light designs by Johan Alvebris.

Carl Jonas Love Almqvist (1793–1866)

Du går icke ensam, from Songes (1849)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)

Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 639

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809–1847)

From Organ Sonata No. 3: Double fugue on the theme Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir

Johann Sebastian Bach

Preludium and fugue in D major, BWV 532

Gustav Mahler (1860–1911)

Urlicht from Symphony No. 2

Mattias Eklund (b. 1972)

Passacaglia for mezzo soprano, dance and and organ

(Lotta Lotass, text)

Martin Herchenröder (b. 1961)

Northern Lights (2021)

George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)

Alleluia from Saeviat tellus inter rigores

Charles–Marie Widor (1844–1937)

Andante sostenuto from Organ Symphony, No. 9, Symphonie gothique

Louis Vierne (1870–1937)

Final from Organ Symphony, No. 6

(In collaboration with Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra)

21:30–22:30

Vasa Church

Night Visions IV

Saint Bridget (Birgitta): prophet and saint

Stina Ekblad, recitation

Schola Gothia

Ulrike Heider, director

Lukas Arvidsson, organ

Ave maris stella

(Hail, star of the sea)

Hymn, Thursday Vespers

Gaude Birgitta

(Rejoice, Bridget)

Tribute Song, Sunday Lauds

Annuncietur

(It will be announced)

Antiphon, Friday Vespers

Rubens rosa

(The red rose)

Hymn, Friday Compline

Ave stella matutina

(Hail, morning star)

Antiphon, Thursday Compline

O gloriosa domina

(O Heaven's glorious Mistress)

Hymn, Saturday Matins

Nativitas tua

(Your nativity)

Antiphon, Wednesday Lauds

Solem iustitiae

(The sun of justice)

Responsory, Wednesday Matins

Angeli archangeli

(Archangels)

Antifon, Monday Lauds

Quem terra, pontus, sidera

(He whom the earth, the sea and the stars)

Hymn, Thursday Matins

11:00–12.00

Vasa Church

Organ and Liturgy

Solemn High Mass

Music by Arvo Pärt

Vasa Vocal Ensemble

Per Högberg, organ and conductor

11:00–12:00

Göteborg Concert Hall

Organ yoga

Lena Skomedal, yoga instructor

Tommy Jonsson, organ

(In collaboration with Göteborg Symphony Orchestra)

15:00–16:00

Vasa Church

Organ and Electronics–Where are we Going? And What are we Doing?

A musical meditation with Johannes Landgren and Per Anders Nilsson

In the year of grace 2025 one may wonder, to quote John Cage: where are we going, and what are we doing? According to the French philosopher Bruno Latour: there is no future, just prospect. And the actual prospect in the world today does not seem very bright, does it? Despite a dark prospect, there is hope. Our hope, our vision, spells culture and music. In this concert Landgren and Nilsson offer a musical meditation, a mental pilgrimage, which as point of departure takes the seven keywords of a pilgrim. Our vision is that the music performed, will invite the listeners to share a moment of contemplation, an opportunity to shut out the outside world and all that is the case for a while. A freedom from the freedom to do something, a freedom to be quiet. Lightheartedness.

17.00–18:00

Gothenburg Cathedral

Visionary Soundscapes

New music for organ and saxophones

Premiere of three works commissioned by Stockholm Saxophone Quartet

Stockholm Saxophone Quartet

Jörgen Petterson

Linn Persson Kornhammar

Mathias Karlsen Björnstad

Theo Hillborg

Mila Ortgies Thoors, organ

The new compositions in this concert were commissioned by the festival Swedish Spring Music (Svensk Musikvår) and sponsored by the National Swedish Council of the Arts (Statens Kulturråd) and the Helge Ax:son Johnson Foundation respectively.

Zacharias Ehnval (b. 1991)

Window of tolerance

Slowly, almost unnoticed, rolling fronts of reformation. Quickly shimmering revolution. An endlessly gurgling continuum, take after take. Cut. Like driftwood on the sea: purposefully heading for shore. The true intentions are completely alien to the planet it rules. Window of Tolerance is a resonant exploration of the waveforms of the psyche and its duration over time.

Paula af Malmborg Ward (b. 1962)

Timestuck

"To rewind time", "time catches up", "out of step with time", "to be one with one's time"... concepts I have pondered and pondered over. We living people consciously relate to time; we feel time. And we populate time whether we want to or not. I am fascinated by this. Time has always been an important parameter in my composing. But now I think time is out of order. I can't explain it any better. If I close my eyes tightly, can I get stuck for a moment in a time without unwanted knowledge that suddenly overwhelms me?If I close my eyes really tightly? The work with Timestuck began as a piano improvisation. Step by step, a dialogue between organ and saxophone quartet grew; an expression meeting around an impossible–or perhaps possible–mission.

David Riebe (b. 1988)

Vertigo

A new work for saxophone quartet and organ that takes its starting point in a feeling of vertigo, of limbo and borderland, the feeling of not knowing where you are or what is what. The piece builds on musical ideas from the saxophone quartet "Kostymen sys i det tysta” (The costume is sewn in silence, Tomas Tranströmer, 1983) from 2022, in which the two playing techniques embouchure-glissando and multiphonics create soundscapes where the sounds go in and out of each other so that in the end you don't know who is playing what. Now the organ is also added to the soundscape, with its multifaceted sound palette and its ability to fill the entire church interior with its tones. In this way, a feeling is created that the music comes from everywhere and nowhere, something that is also reinforced by the fact that the saxophonists begin to move around the church room during the second half of the piece. “Vertigo” is also a journey between different energy levels and emotional states, where the violent and chaotic transitions into the eerie and mysterious or the pensive and calm.

19:30–21:00

Örgryte New Church

Herrlich und wohlbestellt

(Glorious and well-ordered)

Final Festival Concert

Hamburg music culture from the 17th-century

European Hanseatic Ensemble

Manfred Cordes, director

Ulrike Hofbauer, soprano

Franziska Blömer, soprano

David Erler, alto

Jan van Elsacker, tenor

Jan Fadri Hofstetter, tenor

Vincent Berger, bass

Johannes Frisch, violin

Katarzyna Cendlak, violin

Hille Perl, viola da gamba

Maria Danneberg, viola da gamba

Hannah Voß, dulcian

Frithjof Smith, cornetto

Noemi Müller, cornetto

Yung-Hsu Shih, sackbut

Christian Traute, sackbut

BJ Hernandez, sackbut

Marcin Szelest, organ

Hieronymus Praetorius (1560–1629)

Herr Gott, dich loben wir à 16

Jacob Praetorius (1586–1651)

Forti animo esto à 8

Johann Schop (1590–1667)

Nun lob mein Seel den Herren à 8 / à 13

Dietrich Becker (1623–1679)

Sonata à 3

Matthias Weckman (1617–1674)

Es erhub sich ein Streit à 14

Christoph Bernhard (1628–1692)

Wohl dem, der den Herren fürchtet à 7Herr, nun lässest du deinen Diener à 15

Thomas Selle (1599–1663)

Vivat Hamburgum à 6

Lobet den Herrn in seinem Heiligtum à 14

The Hanseatic city of Hamburg was a first-rate music city in the 17th century. Thanks to the quick and easy access for merchant ships to England, Spain, Portugal, and the “New World,” Hamburg had long since surpassed the Baltic Sea metropolis of Lübeck (which, however, continued to serve as the “capital of the Hanseatic League”) economically. Just in time for the outbreak of the Thirty Years’ War, the city was protected by extensive fortifications. Hamburg thus provided a safe haven, also for numerous musicians and artists.

The concert program aims to recreate the splendor of Hamburg's early Baroque soundscape and give the following composers a voice. At the beginning of the 17th century we find Hieronymus Praetorius, Cantor at St. Jacobi and member of a veritable dynasty of organists. In addition to numerous organ works, he left behind a large oeuvre of vocal music, reflecting the splendor of Venice, even though he himself never visited Italy. His son Jacob Praetorius, organist at St. Petri, was also musically productive. Thomas Selle taught music and Latin at the renowned Johanneum and, from 1641, as city cantor, was responsible for organizing church music at the city's four main churches at the time, in which he was required to “present music” on a rotating basis. Matthias Weckman later became organist at St. Jacobi. Thomas Selle's successor, Christoph Bernhard, Heinrich Schütz's most important student, lived in the city from 1664 to 1674. Furthermore, works by Johann Schop and Dietrich Becker, members of the famous ensemble “Hamburger Rathsmusik” will be performed.