Italian music in Saint-Denis

“Friends of the Kern-Organ” in Gerstheim welcomed Giorgio Parolini, Italian Organist and Professor.

At the request of the “Friends of the Kern Organ” in Gerstheim, Giorgio Parolini presented a program of Italian organ music, except for a little detour with the transcription of the famous “Concerto in Si minore” of Vivaldi by the German Johann Walther, less famous than Bach’s own transcription. The motto of this program was the discovery of beautiful but not so well known pieces. A limited audience enjoyed Parolini’s great work on the use of the stops.
Frescobaldi’s pieces chosen for this program suffered a little bit from lack of clarity in the sound, since the instrument is not really suited for this kind of music, above all in the Mixtures. On the other hand, the organist could fully express himself in the pieces by Bossi or those by Pietro Alessandro Yon, since this repertoire corresponds better to the characteristics of the instrument.
Bossi’s “Thème et Variations” was clearly the masterpiece of the program, in which the pedal part requires maximum attention from the organist. The registrations used showed the great potential of the Kern organ. The same is true for the cheerful registrations and sounds of Yon’s surprising and lively “Rapsodia italiana”, based on Italian folk tunes.
This truly eclectic program both respected the requests of the Association and enthralled the audience, who for a long time acclaimed the artist for the refinement of his playing and for his virtuosity. Parolini liked the instrument very much and he said he is ready to come back from Italy for some new musical adventures in Gerstheim.

Rémy Klipfel (L’Alsace, December 10th, 2016)