Wednesday, June 17. The second concert at the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in as many days, following the festival’s opening performance the previous evening by Florence Delphine-Roux, Anju Singh, and FUJI||||||||||TA.
Co-presented by Les Vespérales de l’orgue du Sacré-Cœur, Codes d’accès, and the Canadian International Organ Competition—and, of course, making full use of the church’s organ—the program opened with “Swing Bridge” by American composer Alvin Lucier, who passed away at the beginning of this decade. For the occasion, the ranks of the No Hay Banda ensemble had been expanded to include an organist, a singer, two trombonists, and “organ pipe agitators.”
Lasting 35 minutes, the microtonal piece unfolds slowly. It is ideally supported by a sustained drone whose low notes bring out the nuances of the score. Unfortunately, the church’s natural reverberation isn’t strong enough to fully fulfill this function, as the bass volume remained insufficient. Perhaps those in the front rows enjoyed a more satisfying sound level, but where I was seated in the center of the church, I found myself wanting to turn up the volume on a few occasions.
Without adequate amplification, the result was a sort of watered-down Lucier. The performance was very pleasant overall—charming even at times—but it lacked brilliance and weight in the bass. What a shame! Especially since the score has such lovely tonal colors.
Next up at the organ was Swedish-born composer Ellen Arkbro. Although the piece she performed was part of the ambient movement, it struck me as being as much about searching for itself as it was about losing its way. Oh! There were certainly a few ethereal passages that immersed us in a meditative, weightless state, but overall the piece struck me as rather insubstantial and disjointed—not to mention unfinished. Not to mention a few clumsy moments in the performance. Oh well.
