1. Sonata no. 16 in B flat major.

D. Cimerosa (1749 - 1801)

Domenico Cimerosa, composer of the second half of the 18th century, contemporary of Haydn and Mozart. Italian through and through and famous for its operas. As you heard, he also wrote sonatas for piano. That was by no means the piano we know and, moreover, many people at that time simply played this music on their harpsichord, because that piano was only about 30 years old. Because it is not so tied to one instrument, the music also sounds great on a pipe organ and because the theme is very similar to a well-known birthday song, we opened the concert with this! The next piece, also by Domenico Cimerosa, is the concerto for oboe and strings. And like so many well-known works from music, this is also a forgery. To the extent that Arthur Benjamin made this concert in 1949 from all kinds of music from the same sonatas by Cimerosa and turned it into an oboe concerto. But the music is no less beautiful! You will hear two parts from this concert, from Cimerosa and not…

2. Siciliano and Allegro guisto (parts III and IV)

D. Cimerosa
from the concerto for oboe and strings
(composed of Art. Benjamin)

Around 1740, the great Bach wrote a great work in which he wanted to pay homage to the teachings of Luther and to his own artistry. He composed the so-called 'Clavierübung', the 'Klavier exercise'. Now you should not understand the word "exercise" as training for the keyboard, but more as an attempt to create a grand monument.
And Bach did that too. In three parts, because three is a sacred number. The third movement, and that's what we'll be talking about this afternoon, is actually composed entirely for the organ and comprises all parts that are sung in a Lutheran celebration: the Kyrie, the Gloria, the Confession of Faith, etc. But Bach opens the work with a gigantic prelude, a grand prelude, in which he exposes God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The opening of the work is very solemn and stately, what was called the so-called 'French Overture' at the time. This stately symbolizes God the Father. The second theme starts with a kind of echo work and some gentler music and represents the Italian style but also God the Son. The third theme is a descending scale that eventually ends in a fugue and stands for the German in the music and for the Holy Spirit descending. It is one of Bach's greatest organ works and you can take 10 minutes for it!

Then a little more comfort to listen: from Hummel's oboe concerto. Hummel will probably not tell you much because he is the epitome of a forgotten greatness. In his time his skills were on a par with that of Beethoven and Mozart. Friend of Schubert, inventor of the pension for musicians and well-known composer of guitar concerts, among others! This oboe concerto is also of high quality: the first piece, the adagio, is characterized by the beautiful melody and the exciting chords. The second part is a simple piece of music with a variation for the ear, but a big job with many notes for the performer!

But first the seriousness of Bach!

3. Praeludium in E-flat gr. t. BWV 552

JS Bach (1685 - 1750)    

4. Adagio and Variationen - op.102

Joh. Fake. Hummel (1778 - 1837)

     for oboe and orchestra

Frans Bullens not only plays the organ, but he also composes a bit, and sometimes writes a piece of music for someone as a birthday present. We call that an occasional job. And that's how this little berceuse was born.

The work after that was composed in the late 1990s and is of a completely different quality. It was written for the alto oboe, a bigger brother of the regular oboe, with the organ as an accompaniment instrument. But the composer has certainly not made the organ subordinate to the soloist. They fight the battle together, as it were, sometimes with the oboe in the lead role, sometimes with the organ. The form of the piece is the sonata form and you can clearly hear the two themes of the work: one rather impetuous, the other a bit more gentle.

The performers have now arrived at the top of the organ. This organ, built by Wilhelm Rütter in 1882, is a national monument in itself and of special value. It sounds very different from the choir organ you have heard all the time. At the Rütter organ you can taste, as it were, the dark brown atmosphere of the oak of the cabinet!

5. Berceuse No. 1 in A (1954 -)

Fr. Bullens