Bach goes Paradise!

Today’s program places Johann Sebastian Bach in dialogue with Norwegian composers, journeying from the grounded Passacaglia to heaven, ending with Messiaen’s “Dieu parmi nous”.

Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in G major opens with radiant energy, fanfare-like gestures, and dancing rhythms. At the center of the program stands the monumental Passacaglia in C minor, built on a repeating bass line that wanders through different voices – unusual for a passacaglia – unfolding into inventive variations and culminating in a grand fugue.

Between these Bach works are pieces by Norwegian composers Egil Hovland and Kåre Nordstoga, both based on famous Norwegian hymns. Hovland’s “Herre Gud, ditt dyre Navn og Ære”, written for the inauguration of a Norwegian organ at Coventry Cathedral in 1967, consists of seven variations. Nordstoga’s “Eg veit i himmerik ei borg” was premiered at the Oslo International Church Music Festival in 2021.

Tjark Pinne, orgel

Program
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Preludium & fuga G-dur BWV 550

Egil Hovland (1924-2013)
Herre Gud, ditt dyre Navn og Ære
Koralpartita

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Passacaglia & fuga c-moll BWV 582

Kåre Nordstoga (f. 1954)
Eg veit i himmerik ei borg

Ghislaine Reece-Trapp (f. 1992)
In Paradisum

Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)
Dieu parmi nous ur La Nativité du Seigneur