Organ Concerto (Poulenc)
The Concerto for Organ, Strings and Timpani in G minor, FP93 is an organ concert by French composer Francis Poulenc.
Formation
The Organ Concerto was written in 1938 at the request of Princess Edmond de Polignac Poulenc's patron. The work with the unusual line is a tribute of the composer Johann Sebastian Bach dar. In the 20th century it was no longer customary to write a solo concerto for organ long, the flowering of the genre was still in the Baroque period, with works by, among others, Antonio Vivaldi and George Frideric Handel. So just as in his Harpsichord Concerto Poulenc uses a baroque form for modern music. Unlike most works of the old masters, the composer writes here, however, an organ with a very large factory before to achieve gigantic sound effects. The unusual naming the timpani as a solo instrument is due to the ingenuity and experimentation Poulenc.
About the Music
The Poulenc's organ concerto consists of a large set, which is divided into seven smaller departments.
The standing at the beginning Andante opened the concert with a theme of solo organ, which Tutti has to act with full factory. The ominous -sounding response of the orchestra is accompanied by quiet drumbeats. After another solo organ, now in piano, provides the orchestra in front of a lyrical theme before the threatening characteristic style of the beginning, accompanied by loud drumbeats, returns. Here the Allegro giocoso begins with a quick theme, which first heard in the orchestra, and is accompanied by the organ with falling scales. This idea can be described as the main theme of the concert and returns the result back several times. The short Allegro part goes into a thoughtful Subito andante moderato, which is initially denied by the organ solo before the orchestra takes up the lyrical theme and continues to warm and poignant way. This is the longest section of the concert, the theme is here continued and edited in an imaginative way. Towards the end of the event accelerated under aufpeitschenden chords of organ and timpani, which partially abgeleiten to Dissonant and prepare for the transition to the tempo allegro, molto agitato. Here, the Allegro theme of the second division is resumed and pursued with fast runs in the strings. This part culminates in a great organ solo, in which the drum, too agree with mighty blows. The following Lento initially consists of plaintive string figures on the base of the gentle registered organ. But again lead powerful chords of organ and timpani to the next Allegro, which receives the main theme again. The organ plays the slightly different topic on Staccatobegleitung striking the strings. The final largo part of the concert begins with the quote of the concert began, before the organ processed these thoughts piano, first solo, then accompanied by the strings. A quiet character pervades the last part almost to the end. This raises the now strikingly with reed pipes registered solo organ, type a last trill, which leads to the final tutti chord of the whole orchestra.
Effect
The Organ Concerto was premiered on June 21, 1939, Maurice Duruflé the organ in Paris. The innovative concert is one of the most frequently played works by Poulenc and in the canon of major organ concerts. Therefore, it is often performed all over the world.