MSO’s principal organist Greg Zelek, left, curated the season.
One of today’s leading champions for bringing vibrant, new audiences to the “King of Instruments” is Paul Jacobs, chair of the organ department at Juilliard and the only organist to win a Grammy award.
His passion for the instrument has inspired a new generation of organists, including his former student, Greg Zelek, Madison Symphony Orchestra’s principal organist and curator of the massive German-built Overture Concert Organ, also known as the “Mighty Klais.”
“Many of my students, both current and former, are redefining career expectations for organists,” says Jacobs, who has been hailed by The Economist as “America’s leading organ performer.” “For too long, organists have been on the periphery of classical music.”
Jacobs will be at Overture Hall on Oct. 23 to play an adventurous all-Bach program as part of MSO’s upcoming Concert Organ Season.
Jacobs has long admired J.S. Bach. He once performed all of the Baroque master’s organ works in a rousing 18-hour marathon. “Bach’s music strikes that perfect balance between the head and the heart,” says Jacobs. “The depth and force of his creations never grow old or cease to amaze.”
Zelek opens the season on Sept. 18 with the final movement of Louis Vierne’s Symphony No. 1, followed by Bach’s complex Trio Sonata in D minor. Elgar’s charming Salut d’amour and Franck’s Final, Op. 21 will make way for the grand finale, Guilmant’s pulse-pounding Sonata No. 1 in D minor.
The season continues on Feb. 19 with another of the country’s preeminent organists, Chelsea Chen, who also studied with Jacobs. In addition to keeping a busy calendar with performances around the country, Chen is also artist-in-residence at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. Chen’s program balances favorites, including Grieg’s First Peer Gynt Suite, with less- familiar contemporary works. She will also play her own composition, Taiwanese Suite.
“I’m really excited to play the Klais organ in Madison,” says Chen. Overture’s 30-ton organ, a $1.1 million dollar instrument donated by Pleasant Rowland, has been hailed as one of the world’s finest, even gaining a rave from The New York Times, which called it “artful” and “remarkable.” “I’ve played Klais organs in Germany, China and Taiwan, but I’ve never seen an organ where the entire case can move on and off the stage,” Chen adds.
The season’s final concert on April 16 features the dynamic, young Cuban American cellist Thomas Mesa in collaboration with Zelek. They met as undergrads at Juilliard.
A cello-organ recital is rare. “The nature of the two instruments is so different,” says Mesa. “But finding a collaborative sound is an adventure that Greg and I are really looking forward to tackling.”
After this exhilarating precedent, perhaps organ-cello recitals might become fixtures, and the organ might just hit its 21st-century stride.
Zelek will be featured on Wisconsin Public Television’s Wisconsin Life on Sept. 20 at 7 p.m
