Organist Etienne Walhain

FRENCH ROMANTIC ORGAN MUSIC IN NUMINA RECITAL

Etienne Walhain played a magical recital July 10 of organ music of Bach, Scarlatti and Franck. Displaying total command of the Church of the Incarnation’s Casavant instrument under his hands and feet, Mr. Walhain performed his program from memory with breath taking speed, accuracy, and clean articulation. His fast moving personal interpretations of the music gave the listening audience new perspectives on otherwise familiar music.

Bach’s Toccata, Adagio, and Fuge, BWV 564, were played with a relatively light registration, and he chose a virtuoso velocity in the long manual and pedal passages. Contrasting registrations gave a lighter sense of the music than often heard. The adagio with the solo reed was lightly suspended. The following Bach D Major Prelude and Fuge (BWV 532) was registered more robustly, and this interpretation provided an excellent contrast to the BWV 564

The program’s second part began with two keyboard sonatas of D. Scarlatti, normally heard on the harpsichord or piano (in G major, K. 146, and in C Major, K.159). These two compositions were played with colorful reeds to a surprisingly good effect. Lastly played were two great Franck works, the Pièce Héröque (from 1878) and Final in B-Flat Major, Op. 21. With Franck, the artist was in his home territory and produced all of the authentic sounds of the French Romantic organ to the pleasure of the audience.

The enthusiastic audience demanded an encore, so what better contrast than Mozart’s Mechanical Clock (K. 608) played lightly on 4’ stops (an octave higher). The entire program was played without a flaw and with fearless variation registration.

Mr. Walhain is the Organist Titulaire at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Tournai, Belgium.