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Symphony
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Chamber
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Chamber
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Symphony
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Chamber
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Recital
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RECITAL REVIEW

Duo Majoya at Resurrection Parish Feb. 27

RARE ORGAN AND PIANO RECITAL AT CREATIVE ARTS SERIES CONCERT

by Robert Douglass
Sunday, February 27, 2011

Duo Majoya, an ensemble from Edmonton, performed a challenging concert Feb. 27 in Santa Rosa Resurrection Parish, produced by the Creative Artist Series. The artists, Marnie Giesbrecht and Joachim Segger, played both the organ and piano.

For half the works on the program the Duo shared the organ bench, and for the remaining works Ms. Giesbrecht stayed at the organ while Mr. Segger commanded the piano. The organ-piano duets were surprisingly effective, and it seems the one thing a piano needs to make the sound truly "grand" is the deep bass of the organ sustaining boldly beneath it.

The first piece was a Mozart Sonata arranged for organ duet, a bright and perky attention-getter to open the Concert. Next was the famous Adagio by Albinoni. This music was deep and serious but also rich and sweet. Both instruments, organ and piano, were played in their natural styles, the musical line being traded back and forth effectively throughout.

Naji Hakim’s Rhapsody for Organ Duo followed, in five movements. The first few movements sounded disjointed, but by the fourth there was definite structure and it caught my interest. The final movement was very full voiced and lively, a pleasure to hear.

Commissioned by the Duo Majoya, Denis Bedard’s five-movement Suite For Organ and Piano began with an Introduction that was solid and a Fughetta and Minuetto that were fun for performers and the audience. A quiet "Meditation" followed and the Finale was lively and playful. Performed as an organ duet, Schubert’s Marche Militaire was stirring and bold with effective contrasts between sections.

Another commissioned work, Joe Utterback’s “Images: A Jazz Suite," again made use of the natural style of the piano and organ, played alternatively and together.

The formal program ended with a four-movement Sinfonietta by Bedard, with the last movement (Carillon) showing the organ at its full power. For an encore, Bach's famous "Air" for Organ and Piano was played, using the Organ's tremulant effect to capture the delicacy of this lovely piece which is more commonly played by a string ensemble.

All through the concert the playing was technically outstanding and the interpretations effective and beautiful.