In a single respect, the city of New Haven has achieved a central socialist goal which a conservative like me can celebrate: Great culture is available to all, at little or no cost. Two outstanding art galleries, a host of magnificent musical offerings, and even much theater are all free of charge. What holds down attendance is not opportunity but interest.
Among local concert series, the most remarkable and least known may be the organ recitals in Woolsey Hall, which I can recommend with no fear they will be overrun, and one of which takes place this weekend.
The vibrations generated by the enormous Newberry Organ in Woolsey Hall constitute the most physically stimulating aesthetic experience I know. This symphonic organ, a distinct version of the instrument, can mimic the sounds of an orchestra. That requires additional and unusual pipes, totaling nearly 13,000, and ranging from four stories tall to pencil-sized.
When it was built just over a century ago, the Newberry Organ was among the most complex mechanisms on earth. It remains one of the great symphonic organs in the world, perhaps the finest one of its kind in America.
Such an organ, epic in range and power of sound, was built not for the famous German repertory (Bach and his fellows) but to perform romantic works composed in the 19th and 20th centuries. That will be the program this Sunday evening at 7:30.
The organist is Michel Bouvard, a touring performer who is also professor of the instrument at the Paris Conservatoire. He will play the works of two famous professorial predecessors at the Conservatoire and giants of French organ composition, Cesar Franck and Charles-Marie Widor, as well as a work by his own grandfather, Jean Bouvard.
Both the Franck and Widor are long, complex pieces, which call on the full resources of a symphonic organ. Woolsey Hall was built to suit the instrument, and does so superbly. No tickets are required for admission — walk right in and head upstairs is my suggestion.
The recital is an odd event in that there’s nothing to see. The organist plays with his back to the audience, largely blocking the view even of those near enough to watch him play. But you don’t want to be near; in this hall and with that instrument, the best seats are furthest away.
You need only listen, for a little more than an hour, to the loudest musical sounds you have ever heard. It’s not background — come to engage by otherwise disengaging, keeping your mind on the sounds. Eyes closed is probably the best way to hear any concert, even when the stage is full of interesting sights. At an organ recital, there’s sound galore, and nothing to distract you.
The concert program can be found here.
A short video on the Newberry Organ: http://news.yale.edu/2012/03/20/treasures-yale-series-presents-newberry-memorial-organ
