On 3 November Ben van Oosten will be performing at the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre for the first time. His concert forms part of the III International Organ Festival.
– Mr van Oosten, you will be appearing at the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre for the first time. Have you heard anything yet about the venue and the organ there? If you have, what were the circumstances?
– Yes, I have heard about the organ in the Concert Hall of the famous Mariinsky Theatre: that it was built by the French organ builder Alfred Kern from Strasbourg, that it is a versatile instrument on which one can perform organ music of various styles and from different countries. I am especially looking forward to play French symphonic organ music on this instrument.
– You are the staff organist at the Grote Kerk in The Hague. What are your duties as staff organist? What do you perform during church services? Are you a member of the clergy?
– Since 1982 the Grote Kerk in The Hague is not in use for church services anymore. The historic building is now managed by a foundation who lets the church for various events, both cultural (concerts, exhibitions) and social (conferences, dinner parties, etc). The organ in the Grote Kerk was built in 1971 by the Swiss organ builder Metzler and the instrument has three manuals and 50 stops. Since 1990 I am the organist-curator of this instrument. Each year I organize an international summer organ festival there. Besides, I play during special events. Traditionally the church is also used by the Royal family of the Netherlands for special religious occasions. I played the organ at the wedding service of Prince Constantijn (the younger brother of the actual King Willem Alexander) and at the baptism of the King’s eldest daughter, Crown Princess Amalia.
– Do you look upon the organ at the Grote Kerk as your own instrument? How do you feel when another musician performs it? (Do you agree with the view that giving other professional musicians permission to perform your instrument indicated a supreme level of trust?)
– I am responsible for the organ at the Grote Kerk and take great care of this valuable instrument, but of course I give my colleagues the opportunity to perform on this instrument. This is the case during my organ festival, when prominent Dutch and foreign organists perform concerts on the Metzler organ with great pleasure. Besides, I give my organ lessons (for both private and conservatory students) on this organ.
– You’ve written a book about Charles-Marie Widor. Why did you choose him specifically?
– I have always had a great affinity with the French symphonic organ repertoire (Franck, Widor, Vierne), which has become my specialization. In the early 1990s I was asked by the German publisher Peter Ewers to write an essay on the interpretation of the organ symphonies of Charles-Marie Widor. I accepted this invitation and started to write. During my work and research I became more and more interested in the long life and the great oeuvre of this composer and I didn’t understand why so little had been written about this great musical personality. Therefore I decided to write a complete biography of Widor which appeared in 1997. I am very much looking forward to perform Widor’s famous Fifth Organ Symphony at my concert in the Mariinsky Theatre!
| user_name | | Exit |
