Looking to the past and the future through the music of the organ
The organ that stands within the Royal Festival Hall at the Southbank Centre is turning 70-years-old this year. The new Resident Artist James McVinnie rang in this illustrious occasion with two performances in a day, both of which offered an old and a new perspective on this important instrument.
Peaking a successful career as an organist and a pianist, McVinnie has held positions at Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral and St Albans Cathedral. He has collaborated on long form pieces with numerous musicians and artists, such as Philip Glass, Nico Muhly, Darkstar and Squarepusher.
At 2 in the afternoon, McVinnie took to the stage by himself. What followed was a resplendent assortment of pieces by mainly 16th century composers, such as Bach, Praetorius, Böhm and Buxtehude, amongst others. McVinnie’s execution of these renditions was immaculate, allowing for a grand set of organ music that lasted a tight hour. It really gave a flavour for the history of this organ and what music came before it to allow for its creation.
In the evening, McVinnie took to the stage again, but this time instead of looking to the music of the organ’s past, he ventured into the future. Tristan Perich and James McVinnie joined forces on a piece entitle “Infinity Gradient”, which pairs McVinnie’s organ playing with an electronic composition accompaniment that only utilises one-bit sound. Played through 100 speakers set up on stage, it is as if McVinnie is partaking in a duet with Perich’s work through the speakers.
The piece itself, which spans over an hour in length, is as if a synthesiser was hooked up to a 70-year-old organ. The pairing of the one-bit soundscapes, punctuated by electronic bleeps and looping whirs, with the classical execution of the organ is spectacular and unique. When the music reaches booming crescendoes, it feels as if the entire room is taken up by the sound.
It could be compared to Hans Zimmer’s work on the soundtrack of “Interstellar” for its futuristic grandeur, but what McVinnie and Perich have created is wholly unique. The presence of the numerous speakers on stage feels as though a digitalised orchestra has replaced an analog one, with the speakers themselves visibly moving and beating to the sound they are projecting.
Executing a body of work that stands unique in its conception, Perich and McVinnie’s “Infinity Gradient” shows where the future of organ music could go.