Lutherse Kerk
I'm guessing this is the Lutheran church? The concert consisted of works by Mozart arranged for two hands, including the famous K608, Fantasy in f minor for an organ-clock. The organ was small, but had a nice sound.
Cathedral Basilica of St. Bavo
This was a truly impressive structure! The church was constructed in the 19th century as the new cathedral for the Roman Catholic diocese of Haarlem. The Bavokerk used to be the cathedral until, in the 16th century, it was forced by the city to reform. The structure is an example of Catholic triumphalism, even in the face of persecution, and clearly imitates the great cathedrals in Europe. And it is BIIIIIG!!
The concert was upon the church's main organ (I counted at least 3 independent organs), which was constructed in the early 20th century. I would describe its tone as similar to a modern Casavant or Austin organ that you might hear in America. It is also VERY loud, which seems to be a welcome feature of Dutch organs - I approve!
The concert started with Mozart's Fantasie und Fuge, with which I was unfamiliar but greatly enjoyed, then had some pieces inspired by Mozart such as the Variations on Mozart's famous "Ah, vous dirai-je..." by Christian Rinck (1770-1846) and an arrangement of the Kyrie fugue from Mozart's Requiem by Adolph Hesse (1809-1863). The final work was a stunning and little-known toccata by Hendrik Andriessen, written when he was 25 in 1917. I will have to write to the organist at the cathedral (who played the concert) and ask where I can buy sheet music to that piece!
Two views of the massive dome at the Cathedral
Josephkerk
The cathedral is all the way across town, so I had to walk back to the Josephkerk, and wound up a little late for the recital. The church's organ was entirely removed for restoration, and the concert was played on a small positiv organ. It was a recital of late baroque keyboard works.
Waalse kerk
The last concert I went to yesterday was at the Waalse kerk, next door to the Joseph kerk. What I didn't mention is that both churches are in the town's "red light district", so it was rather odd to walk from church to church with the "merchants" working around you! Amsterdam's de wallen (red light district) also sprung up around the Oude kerk - it makes one wonder why those pop up around churches! At any rate, I think this was a French Reformed church. Everything was in French, and the church itself was white-washed, with some pre-Reformation artwork visible under the white paint! This too had a smaller organ, but with a nice full sound. The organist improvised variations on some popular song, and everyone sang along loudly (in Dutch) at the last variation.. I'm wondering if it was their national anthem or something? The other works were baroque-era pieces, including Buxtehude.
Throughout the concerts, it was satisfying to see churches so packed with attendees. They were mostly elderly people, but they had a definite pride in their city's musical heritage and historic organs. Do we have that kind of pride in the United States? I'll address the issue of historic American organs later on in my travels, and how it applies to my church, so keep watching the blog!
Today I have to check in with the academy, and don't have much else to do besides explore and eat. Expect a few more blog posts, including: more on Dutch food, about the Requiem concert, and more...
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