THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, April 29, 1996 TAG: 9604290032
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: CONCERT REVIEW
SOURCE: BY LEE TEPLY, SPECIAL TO THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
LENGTH: Medium: 58 lines
Organist Marilyn Mason, long a distinguished member of the faculty at the University of Michigan and a world-traveling recitalist as well, came to Norfolk to perform at First Presbyterian Church on Sunday evening.
Not only did she display her own considerable skill, she also showed off the many marvelous sounds of the Walker organ installed three years ago.
The organ's reed stops, which imitate the sounds of trumpets, oboes, crumhorns, and tubas, were highlighted in several pieces on the varied program.
They recalled the fanfares of music for war in the ``Batalla'' by Juan Cabanilles, a Spanish baroque composer. 18th-century music by French composer Jean Adam Guilain let some of the softer reeds show their colors.
Mason's performances of these pieces had lively rhythms, clear articulation and a moderate amount of ornamentation. She played with a flexible tempo but didn't bend it too far.
French music of another century had a softer touch. Strings and flutes gave warmth to the ``Pastorale'' (1909) by Jean Jules Roger-Ducasse. It was played on the fast side, but with enough nuance in tempo to make the gentle movement seem natural. Connections between sections were particularly well-controlled. Throughout, there was a feeling of improvisation that accurately reflected the circumstances of the piece's composition.
Two sets of variations showed even more of the organ's possibilities. J.C. Rinck's variations on ``Heil Dir im Siegeskranz,'' the German version of ``America'' or ``God Save the Queen,'' brought to mind a similar piece by Charles Ives. There was a lighter mood, even a bit of humor in the concluding fugue. Mason held the large work together with effective timing and choice of stops.
J.S. Bach's variations on a chorale tune, although more serious, had similar strengths. Mason had some of her cleanest playing here, despite a little roughness in the ``echo'' variation.
A few of Bach's smaller pieces touched on his less familiar side. One piece entirely for the organ's pedals was simply a technical display, although Mason turned it into a musical experience with careful shaping of phrases. She closed this set with the most familiar of all organ pieces - Bach's ``Toccata and Fugue in D minor.'' The toccata was played with dramatic flair, while the pace of the fugue was steadily maintained, allowing excitement to build naturally to the thundering conclusion. ILLUSTRATION: CONCERT REVIEW
Organist Marilyn Mason
First Presbyterian
Church, Norfolk
Sunday evening
by CNB