Organ works of J P E Hartmann
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Ulrik Spang-Hanssen plays organ works of J P E Hartmann on an (growl!!) unspecified instrument, but none the less noble for being relegated to anonymity. Reviewed by Peter Wilding Scandinavian Classics label, 220511 205, bought at The Warehouse in ’03 for $5. But at that price, the growl is non-threatening...
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I had heard of neither Hartmann nor Spang-Hanssen, and I’ll wager a silver coin to a doubtful sixpence, that many readers haven’t either.
Hartmann was celebrated in his native Denmark during his long lifetime, and although the accompanying notes to the disc provide adequate detail, a fuller and interesting picture is obtained on the internet.
The music itself is quite idiosyncratic, firmly reminiscent of the Mendelssohn sonatas, studded here and there with flashes of Reger and the individualistic, splendidly named Louis-Alfred-James Lefébure-Wély. The Aarhus Brass combine with the organ on some tracks to create an excellent sound.
So good, in fact, that I once used it after words had failed, to persuade some local teens to take their highly obtrusive boom-de-boom box cars elsewhere. It worked. All you have to do, my fellow organ buffs, is to open all the windows, reposition your 300W speakers, put on some muffs, and let fly! We can play their game.
I find it sad that Hartmann is not widely known outside of Scandinavia, as it seems to me that any of the works on this disc for organ alone would do great credit to the repertoire of any concert organist seeking variety.
It would be a treat if Ulrik Spang-Hanssen was ever able to come to New Zealand. From the personality radiating from his pictures, I’d say that he would be much the same as Carlo Curley in concert.
Hartmann was celebrated in his native Denmark during his long lifetime, and although the accompanying notes to the disc provide adequate detail, a fuller and interesting picture is obtained on the internet.
The music itself is quite idiosyncratic, firmly reminiscent of the Mendelssohn sonatas, studded here and there with flashes of Reger and the individualistic, splendidly named Louis-Alfred-James Lefébure-Wély. The Aarhus Brass combine with the organ on some tracks to create an excellent sound.
So good, in fact, that I once used it after words had failed, to persuade some local teens to take their highly obtrusive boom-de-boom box cars elsewhere. It worked. All you have to do, my fellow organ buffs, is to open all the windows, reposition your 300W speakers, put on some muffs, and let fly! We can play their game.
I find it sad that Hartmann is not widely known outside of Scandinavia, as it seems to me that any of the works on this disc for organ alone would do great credit to the repertoire of any concert organist seeking variety.
It would be a treat if Ulrik Spang-Hanssen was ever able to come to New Zealand. From the personality radiating from his pictures, I’d say that he would be much the same as Carlo Curley in concert.
Peter Wilding - October 2007
