Composer J. S. Bach

SILVER ANNIVERSARY BACH RECITAL AT INCARNATION'S EVENSONG SERVICE

Santa Rosas’s Church of the Incarnation has always been a local center for organ music, and Dec. 4 was the 25th anniversary of the installation of its splendid Casavant instrument that has 1,886 metal and wood pipes. What better way to celebrate the many years of service to church and area music than a recital of Bach?

The musical event combined with a full Evensong (Second Sunday of Advent) service that included the Church’s choir, organist Jun Kim and the warm direction of Rev. Stephen Shaver. Mr. Kim played Joseph Jongen’s Voluntary (Op. 37, No. 4) for the Choir processional, and accompanied and directed the hymns, parts of the prayers, and Cantor Melinda Harris’ bright singing of the Litany of Dedication, with choir responses.

Seemingly lost when the Choir exited the Church was Mr. Kim’s seminal performance of Widor’s Toccata as a voluntary, making a perfect closing to the formal religious service and preparing the full-church audience for the short Bach recital to come.

His playing of five works showed displayed the instrument’s strong points, though the A minor Prelude and Fugue (BWV 543) got off to a rocky start with rhythmic uncertainty and little interest paid to the subtle rubatos of the work. It was a reading that didn’t unfold gracefully. Things changed with three shorter works from Bach’s Orgelbüchlein – Wenn Wir in höchsten; In Dir ist Freude; and Der Tag, Der ist so Freudenreich. These choral preludes from 1718 were played at judicious tempos, the themes richly sounding over pedal point with the third played with a wandering projection of the theme and the largest sonority and contrast of the three.

Its celebratory character lead quickly into the concluding G Major Prelude and Fugue, BWV 541, where the majestical fugue was triumphant. Mr. Kim played the recurring triplet figures with just the right accent and changed registrations in the middle to craft a soft meditative sound.

A standing ovation followed, and the Incarnation’s savvy volunteers provided a lavish buffet and champagne in the adjacent Farlander Hall. Reverend Shaver and Music Director Kim were welcomed into the festive ambience.

Regarding the Casavant organ, mention should be made of resident organist Harold Julander’s long ago forceful advocacy for the instrument, and his organizing the no-frills Friday twilight recitals in the lovely Incarnation space. Perhaps these could be heard again in 2023 under Mr. Kim’s deft direction?