Scots’ International Organ Series | Concert 1
Saturday Sept 7, 2024, The Scots’ Church, Melbourne, VIC
The performer
Asher Watters-Cowan is a talented Australian organist who teaches music in regional and remote communities all over Tropical Far North Queensland and Cape York, who presented a program of German baroque and French modern romantic music on The Rieger Organ at Scots’ Church, Melbourne. Asher studied the organ with Douglas Lawrence AM.
The music
Opening and closing with works from the French modern romantic organ tradition, Messiaen’s Le banquet céleste (1928) and Duruflé’s Choral varié sur le thème du ‘Veni Creator’ (Op. 4, 1930), itself a massive undertaking which balanced the three other works from the German baroque organ tradition, Bach’s Preludes and Fugues, one in G Major (BWV 541) and C Minor (BWV 549) and the incomparably fantastic Magnificat (BuxWV 203) by Buxtehude. A virtuosic and solid program of organ music.
Asher’s interpretation of the Bach and Buxtehude was a great demonstration of the German features and sounds of the organ at Scots’. The Bach Fugues were articulated beautifully, especially the C Minor subject which on reflection is quite an emphatic statement in itself!
If you’re familiar so much with Buxtehude, there is definitely a resurgence of the performance of his work at the moment and with good reason. Everyone knows the story of Bach walking pretty much the distance between Melbourne and Canberra to hear Buxtehude perform and hearing the Magnificat you immediately understand why, and you can really hear his influence on Bach.
The Magnificat – based on the first tone plainchant, we are told in the program notes – is in several movements, some of them in the fantasy style that was avant-garde in the 17th century. At one point Asher switched to the organ at the rear of the church, a rare ‘echo’ organ, which surprised and delighted. In those moments along with times when all stops were out, Asher took us with him on the crazy ride. It was exhilarating.
The avant-garde was also evident in the French romantic music on the program. I’m sure the soundtracks of early science fiction movies must have been influenced by the organ music of French great composers such as Messiaen and Duruflé. It sounds other worldly and is designed to take us to the spiritual dimension, with sounds that transport us out of our minds and the music we know and are used in this setting.
Duruflé’s Prelude, Adagio et Choral varié is one of the cornerstone works of the French organ repertoire. I’ve looked in amazement at the score, which has been described as ‘imposing’, ‘substantial, ethereal’, with treatises about its ‘compositional language.’ To accomplish it is a sure sign that the performer has joined the ranks of the highly skilled.
Apart from its technical demands, it is a work of incredible beauty, built on the fundamental elements of western classical music, the plainchant. Which was a bit of a theme at the concert. Asher took on this transformative journey, really drawing out the music and delivering the chant back to us in each of its forms to its crashing conclusion.
Asher may be based in Far North Queensland, but if Bach could walk 400 kilometres to hear Buxtehude, I might start walking and hope to catch Asher’s next concert wherever that might be.
The International Organ Series at Scots’ Church Melbourne
Every September since 2000 the RIEGER organ in The Scots’ Church on Collins St, Melbourne has been used for an international concert series, with free concerts every Wednesday at 1pm and Saturdays at 3pm.
The full program can be found here: the International Organ Series at Scots Church
Entrance is free. A donation is welcomed.
This series is supported by The Robert Salzer Foundation and Organ Music Society Victoria.
About the organ
Organs may be ‘the king of instruments’ but they are notoriously difficult to play and each is an individual as the church or community where the instrument is located. The sound heralds worship, royalty and ceremony.
Installed in 1999 to the specifications of Music Director (1984-) Douglas Lawrence by a team from Schwarzach in Southern Austria by organ builder Rieger Orgelbau, there is the main organ located in its original 19th century wooden carved casing in the North Transept and the smaller Gallery organ at the Collins Street end of the Church. It has four manuals and 68 speaking stops, and all divisions can be played from the main console.
All this means is that it is a world-class organ with a big, big sound, and Asher used it to its potential, the pews were shaking during the crescendos and full organ parts in the music.
