‘Unter der spanischen
Krone’ (Under the Spanish Crown) is the title of a newly released
CD of organ music from the Spanish ‘Golden Age’, the period
in which first Charles V, and then Philip II ruled over a large
proportion of Europe. The CD features predominantly Spanish
music, ‘filled-out’ with music by composers from other countries
which were influenced by Spanish rule.
The ‘Glosados’ of
the 16th century Spanish composer Francisco Fernández
Palero are strongly influenced by the polyphonic vocal music
of the renaissance, while the compositions of Francisco Correa
de Arauxo and Pablo Bruna represent 17th century
Spain. The Tientos of Pablo Bruna in particular, with their
lively rhythms and echo effects, form a vivid contrast to the
more sober polyphonic music of Palero. The CD also features
music by the Brussels composer Pieter Cornet, the Neapolitan
Giovanni Salvatore, and the Vienna court organist Johann Jacob
Froberger.
The featured organist
here is Pier Damiano Peretti. He was born in Northern Italy,
and studied in Vienna and Hamburg with, among others, Michael
Radulescu, Wolfgang Zerer, and Pieter van Dijk. He won several
international competitions, is presently the professor of organ
at the Musik Hochschule in Hannover, and is also active as a
composer. His playing is expressive and sophisticated. His personal
style adds, for me, an extra dimension to the relatively sober
16th and 17th century Spanish music through
his rich vocabulary of articulation, suppleness of meter, and
added ornamentation. The subtle lengthening and shortening of
selected notes allows, cleverly, certain polyphonic structures
to be clearly audible, without ever compromising the tactus.
Occasionally I find certain chords are too strongly articulated,
for example in the Aria della Granduca by Pieter Cornet.
Here, I feel that a more flowing legato way of playing could
form a more beautiful contrast to the more ‘staccato’ passages.
The featured organ
was built between 1998 and 2001 by the Brussels organ builder
Patrick Collon. The instrument is strongly inspired by the historic
Spanish organ in the ‘Iglesia Colegial’ in Lerma. I am not entirely
convinced by the quality of Collon’s creation however. Despite
its characteristic and clear sound, my attention was not held
sufficiently for the duration of the disc. The overly sharp
mixtures and the rough reeds in particular disappoint, while
a persistent secondary sound disturbs the initial attack of
certain notes. In general, and despite the mean-tone tuning,
I can’t help feeling that the organ’s language has not moved
sufficiently forward from that of the first generation of post-war
organ reformers. A lack of individuality between stops leads,
for me, to a lack of refinement and poetry. And while I appreciate
that the CD will function as a promotion tool for the organ
department of the Hannover Musik Hochshule, who own the instrument,
it’s hard not to find it a shame that a real historic Spanish
organ wasn’t used. The majority of Spain’s historic organ riches
are, after all, all but unknown to the majority of the world’s
organ lovers.
However, this is an
outstanding debut CD from Pier Damiano Peretti, and I await his
future recordings with great anticipation.
Gijs Boelen
