Update (2025): This review was originally posted to the PipeChat and PIPORG-L mailing lists. Re-reading it almost 21 years later, it sounds like it was a pretty good recital. I still haven’t learned how to appreciate modernist, atonal music, though.
Last Monday, casually surfing the website of the Goethe-Institut in Oslo, I noted that the young German organist Christian Schmitt was to play a recital at Oslo Cathedral two days later. As this was the week of the Norwegian school autumn holidays, and Mr. Schmitt’s programme looked rather interesting, I decided to see if I could get a cheap train fare to Oslo that day. And so I did - huge thanks to the Norwegian State Railways for providing me with one of their 150th anniversary tickets!
Christian Schmitt was born in 1976, and studied with Leo Krämer at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Saarbrücken, where he graduated with a Diploma in 1999. He then continued his studies with Margareth Phillips in London and James David Christie in Boston, where he achieved the Artist Diploma in 2003. Schmitt is the winner of several international competitions, and as the first-ever organist he was awarded the European Culture award of the Pro Europa foundation in 2003. There’s more about him at his website, http://www.christianschmitt.de.vu.
The main organ of Oslo Cathedral was built by the Norwegian firm Ryde & Berg in 1998, with three manuals and 56 stops, in a gorgeous Baroque case (by Lambert Daniel Kastens, an Arp Schnitger pupil). Olivier Latry, who played the inaugeration recital, termed it “perfect”. I can’t say I disagree — it sounds wonderful and must be a true joy to play! More information about the organ is available at http://www.ryde-berg.no.
The recital was presented the Goethe-Institut in cooperation with Oslo Rotary Club’s “Course in Classical Music”. Harald Herresthal from the Norwegian Academy of Music introduced each piece for the audience, which was unusually large for an organ recital in Norway — I think there must have been at least 300!
The opening piece, Bach’s famous Prelude and Fugue in D major, surely set the standard for the rest of the recital. Schmitt didn’t only use it as a showpiece of his virtuosic technique, but also made marvellous music out of it. Very fine articulation combined with a lively (but never rushing) tempo were the hallmarks of Schmitt’s interpretation.
Next out was Dupre’s “Variations sur un Noël”. I thought the theme rushed a little, but as the variations proceeded, and Schmitt handled the increasing technical difficulties with the greatest ease imaginable, I soon stopped thinking about that! Schmitt left everybody speechless after having rocked through the final Toccata. Even Marcel Dupre himself would have been impressed!
Then came Schlee’s Seefelder Präludium. Herresthal remarked that it was probably the first time a work of this composer was performed in Norway. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was positively surprised. Almost classical in style and beautifully played by Schmitt, this short piece made a great interludium.
Knut Nystedt; 89 years old and still active as a composer. He was himself present at the recital, and was introduced by Herresthal to great applause. I had never heard “Le Verbe Eternel” before, and I didn’t feel like I really understood the work. Still it was a fun piece to listen to. It alternates between huge chords in a almost Regerian harmonic language, and rapid toccata-like figurations which I could imagine how much fun it it must be to play. Schmitt’s playing was once again excellent, but this piece didn’t affect me quite as much as the three previous pieces.
Next on the program: The premiere performance of Frank Zabel’s “Concerning Colours”. The work is a paraphrase on the concerto “Touching Colours” for organ and orchestra, by the same composer and commisioned by Christian Schmitt. It is a musical representation of a picture which is exhibited in Schmitt’s hometown Saarbrucken. The style is very modernistic, and it was difficult for me to get much out of it. Hopefully as I grow older I’ll get to understand and appreciate this music much more, but for now I’m really unable to comment it much…
The final piece, Max Reger’s great Fantasia on “Wachet auf”, was introduced by Harald Herresthal singing the Norwegian equivalent hymn “Sions vekter hever røsten”. I think that’s a good thing, to make the audience aware of the tune before the piece begins. As for Schmitt’s preformance — it was marvellous all the way, and when the piece came to an end I felt like the roof was about to lift off! Bravo, Mr. Schmitt!
My definition of a great musician is one that makes the music simply flow out as if it is the most natural thing in the world. I recall reading about Thor Heyerdahl, the famous explorer, who said something like “the goal of music is to make up for the loss of natural harmony”. I was in complete harmony after this recital. Christian Schmitt knows how to treat the organ and his audience!