Reviews

Organist, Helga Schauerte Plays at Christ and St. Luke's
By Jean Thiel

On Friday, May 6, 2011, at Christ and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Norfolk, Helga Schauerte was co-presented by Virginia Arts Festival and Tidewater Chapter, American Guild of Organists. The program opened with Prelude in g minor by Danish organist-composer Diderik Buxtehude (1637-1701) whose greatest strength is in his free organ compositions, represented by this work. The piece is comprised of four sections and builds to tremendous climax in volume and complexity in a fascinating matrix of compositional techniques including scales, arpeggios, lively and various rhythmic patterns, extended ornamentation, imitative counterpoint and trills in all voices. It is a royal display of keyboard virtuosity explored to the maximum by Helga Schauerte, who used the organ’s fullness and brilliance to best effect.

Buxtehude’s influence impacted all of Northern Europe including the composer of the next selection, Georg Böhm (1661-1733). Böhm trained in organ and cantorial skill with members of the Bach family as a teenager after the death of his father in 1675. Schauerte played the ornamented organ chorale, “Vater unser im Himmelreich” (Our Father in Heaven). The setting is orchestral, with a highly ornamented solo voice in the right hand accompanied by alto and tenor voices in the left hand, and with bass voice played in the pedals. Schauerte phrased both melody and the three accompanying voices beautifully with an exquisite registration delineating the structure of the piece inspired by the prayer.

The next work, Magnificat, by French organist and composer, Michel Corrette (1709-1795), is comprised of six major parts, each a separate movement exploring distinctive solo voices of the organ as well as the full choruses of foundational (principal and diapason tones), reed, and mixed sonorities. Schauerte’s beautiful phrasing delineated the interest in each line and the direction of the phrase. Her registration was imaginative and a study in the richness of the organ’s tonal resources.

Music by J.S. Bach (1685-1750) followed. At age 15 Bach was a chorister for three years at St. Michael's Church in Lüneburg, learning much from Georg Böhm. Later Bach made his own pilgrimage to hear Buxtehude play and ended up staying two months. Bach's Fantasie and Fugue in g minor was the highlight of the first half of the program. Schauerte’s playing was full of rhythmic drive, flourishes, and energy.

The second half of her program was music of three French composers. We first heard a pair of contrasting pieces by Louis Vierne (1870-1937), Carillon, and Arabesques. Carillon is an energetic, full-organ composition with a 17-note theme, a carillon pattern that repeats in the pedal voice, accompanied by massive chords in the hands which carry the thematic melody. The carillon theme rises to the top voice in the middle section, and after echoes and variations, returns to the pedal voice for a grand climax in a surprising key. In contrast, Arabesques, is quiet, calm and serene with pianissimo passages and a free, almost unmeasured solo line. The harmonies are rich, with added tones to the chords that hint at the French Impressionist style. Schauerte poised the tones of the melody as though telling a story with subtlety and deep understanding.

Next came two pieces by Jean Langlais (1907-1991), a gifted composer, pianist and organist, who was born blind and took First prizes in organ, interpretation, improvisation and composition at the Paris Conservatory. The drama of Chant héroïque (Heroic song) written in memory of Jehan Alain, who was killed in World War II at age 29, includes a statement on the organ trumpets of “La Marseillaise” (French national anthem) to honor the cause of Alain’s death. In contrast, Chant de Paix (Song of peace), is ethereal and serene. Inspired by the organ’s registration and the mood of expression it evoked for this listener a clear night sky with no breeze and bright stars. Schauerte explored the moods in these four pieces ever so movingly.

Backed by her scholarship into the life and compositions of Jehan Ariste Alain (1911-1940) she closed the program with two selections by him, Postlude for the Office of Compline, and Three Dances: Joys, Mourning, Struggle, with new chordal sonorities, new rhythmic patterns exhibiting the drama of dance in the music. The latter work is a tour de force, a feat of virtuosity to master, as in the learning of a new style of music. The hands and feet are doing new things at great speed. Hearing the music is a new experience, and for experienced musicians, seeing the music informs the hands and ears of sounds not played or heard in compositions of earlier composers.

Ms. Schauerte has edited the Bärenreiter Urtext Edition of the Complete Organ Works, Volumes I-III of Jehan Alain. Two quotes by Alain offer a key to the deep connection of Schauerte and Alain: “Music is created to translate the state of the soul… What matters in music is perhaps less charm than mystery.”

Helga Schauerte’s life and work is devoted to both French and German organ composers, strengthened by her research. Her playing has been featured in over 30 full-length recordings. Schauerte’s dedication to her art is profound and comprehensive. One listens with awe to her playing as it represents a total commitment to bring life to the poetry found in organ music through every means available.