People have not lived musically until they have heard “The Great Gate of Kiev,” from Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition,” played on a world-class pipe organ. It immerses one in a sea of sound surpassing that of a full orchestra.
Such was the case Thursday night at Lewiston’s Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul as Ukranian organist Elena Udras made her American debut. Well known in Europe, Udras is also an accomplished transcriber and composer for organ. Her “Song of a Dolphin,” as played on Thursday, is a tour-de-force of watery imagery.
The famed 1938 Casavant organ in the Basilica is a treasure, now being restored, helped by donations at concerts during the spring and summer. Under Udras’ capable hands (and feet) it did not seem in need of much help. She calls it “an inspiration.”
The program began with religious works by Ukrainian and Russian composers who deserve to be better known in this country. Their settings of a Sanctus Dei and Ave Maria compare favorably to those of composers in the Western tradition.
More “modern” sounding were two fine symphonic fugues by Igor Asseive (1921-1996) and “Carpathian Meditations” by Valeri Kikta (b. 1941), which had a true regional flavor, somewhere between Bartok and Borodin.
They were followed by a lugubrious Passacaglia by Shostakovich, based on themes from his opera “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk,” highly unusual in its use of a low bass stop as the primary voice.
Like that of the Gate of Kiev, Udras’ transcription of the famous Rachmaninoff Prelude ini C-sharp Minor made it seem to have been written specifically for the organ. The following “Waltz of the Flowers,” from Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker,” was ponderous, like the dance of an elephant, perhaps indicating that new electronics might make the Casavant capable of a little more rapid response. It was, however, quite elegant in its own way.
Speaking of rapid response, a Toccata by Vladimir Nazarov (b. 1952) was a fantastic (and ferocious) sequel to the great Bach Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, adding more and more voices and themes to the first familiar bars until the edifice was just of the verge of collapse — and rescued in the nick of time. It was so spectacular that it should be looked at for next year’s concert series by the Bach Virtuosi in Portland.
The program concluded with a sentimental “When Blue Mountains Sleep,” by Anatol Kos-Anatolsky. and applause from the audience standing and turning to face the organ loft.
Christopher Hyde is a writer and musician who lives in Pownal. He can be reached at classbeeat@netscape.net.
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