English: To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the installation of the Adelaide Town Hall’s grand J.W. Walker & Sons organ, a Virtual Organ Concert Series has been conducted, featuring a stellar line-up of South Australian organists including Gina Dutschke, Graham Bell, Josh van Konkelenberg, Claire Baker and many more.

Gina's Program

1. Arrival of the Queen of Sheba G.F.Handel from Solomon, Arranged by E.W.Maynard 2. Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Wake, Awake for Night is Flying) BWV 645, J.S.Bach 3. Capriccio sopra il Cucu Johann Caspar Kerll 4. Paraphrase See the Conqu’ring Hero Comes From Judas Maccabaeus by Handel 18 Pieces Nouvelles, Livraison 6, No 2, Op 90, Alexandre Guilmant

About the Program

The Baroque period (1600-1750) encompassed a style of art, architecture and music of great beauty and rich decoration. Music of this era featured contrasts between soloists and ensemble, layered melodies and the extensive use of trills and other musical ornamentation. Georg Friedrich Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach were born in Germany during the same year (1685), in towns less than 200km apart. Handel went on to become a famed English composer, Bach a prolific composer of Lutheran church music.

Arrival of the Queen of Sheba was written by Handel as a sinfonia for two solo oboes with string accompaniment in 1749 as part of the oratorio Solomon. In this transcription for organ, the oboes are realised by the Cremona (Choir) and Hautboy (Swell).

Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Wake, Awake for Night is Flying) was composed by Bach in Leipzig (1731) as a cantata to be sung during the Lutheran worship service. Bach’s transcription for organ was published with a set of six chorales in 1747. In three parts, the upper melodic line is written in alto clef (as per a viola score), the tenor solo is written using the tenor clef, and the basso continuo part is given to the pedals.

Johann Caspar Kerll (1627-93) was a south German composer and organist whose influence can be traced to Bach and Handel. Kerll’s Capriccio Sopra ‘il Cucu takes one on a journey to a European forest where cuckoos call to one another. The use of flute stops on the organ to replicate the sound of cuckoos was common in the Baroque period. Handel wrote the oratorio Judas Macabaeus in 1746 as a compliment to Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland on his victorious return from the Battle of Culloden.

The tune of the chorus See, the Conqu’ring Hero Comes has been used as both an Easter and Advent hymn, and was paraphrased for organ by French Romantic composer Alexandre Guilmant.

From June 2020, we will release a new fortnightly virtual concert for you to enjoy in the comfort of home.

To access the content, please visit the Adelaide Town Hall website.

www.adelaidetownhall.com.au