Hugo Distler: 30 Spielstücke op. 18 - Complete - Laurens de Man, organ

Описание: Hugo Distler (1908-1942) Dreissig Spielstücke für die Kleinorgel
Thirty Pieces for small organ, op. 18/1 - complete recording
Laurens de Man, Van Andel organ, St.-Gertrudiskerk, Utrecht

Hugo Distler, genius German organist, conductor and composer, wrote these 30 miniatures in 1937-1938: the last turbulent years of his life. In a nutshell, the most extreme emotions come to life: joy, pain, anxiety, anger, longing, faith… All this written in just a few notes, in classic forms (fugue, canon, passacaglia, variations on a drinking song, a love song and a hymn): a fascinating microcosmos.

I recorded it years ago (September 20th, 2015, November 11th, 2017), just for pleasure, on the organ built by Koen van Andel, then located at St.-Gertrudiskerk, Utrecht (specification below). Many thanks for his dedication and hospitality!

The pieces have no titles, only rough tempo indications. However, in his afterword, Distler indicates some forms:
1.-4. “Sonatine”
1. “Intonation” 00:00
2. “Concertino” 00:17
3. “Chaconne” 1:41
4. “Kanon” 5:16
5. Langsam 6:36
6. “Toccata” 8:25
7. “Fugato” 9:18
8. Nicht zu langsam 9:52
9. Ruhig gehend 12:48
10. "Pastorale" 14:14
11. Ruhig 15:08
12.-17. Variationen “Frisch auf, gut Gsell, lass rummer gahn” 16:08
18.-24. Variationen “Elselein, liebstes Elselein” 19:07
25.-30. Variationen “Wo Gott zu Haus nit gibt sein Gunst” 24:29

Organ specification:
Instrument built by Koen van Andel, as a hobby project from 2000 onwards
http://www.koenvanandel.nl

Location 2006-2018: St.-Gertrudiskerk, Utrecht
From 2018 onwards: Broederenkerk, Deventer

Manual (C-f”’)
Holfluit 8’ B/D
Prestant 4’ B/D
Woudfluit 2’ B/D
Basson-Hobo 8’ B/D

Pedal (C-d’)
Subbas 16’ (c-d’ tr. from Holfluit)
Bourdon 8’ (tr. from Holfluit)

Pedal coupler
The Tremolo was not yet installed during the recording

Pictures: portraits of the composer from the world wide web; sitting at his Neupert harpsichord, and at the small organ of the Jacobikirche in Lübeck. A view of the bombed Lübeck city centre in 1942.


Laurens de Man (’s-Hertogenbosch, 1993) is a versatile and enterprising keyboard player. He studied piano and organ (two main subjects) and harpsichord at the Amsterdam Conservatory with David Kuyken, Jacques van Oortmerssen, Pieter van Dijk, Matthias Havinga and Johan Hofmann. He took his Bachelor's cum laude for both main instruments in 2014, two years later his Master's cum laude in organ, and in 2017 his Master's (with distinction) in piano. He then pursued his organ studies with Leo van Doeselaar at the Universität der Künste in Berlin, where he obtained his Konzertexamen diploma with highest marks.

After winning first prize in the 2009 National Finals of the Prinses Christina Concours in The Hague, Laurens de Man joined other laureates in a tour of the USA, Canada and Costa Rica in 2012. In 2016 he won fourth prize (first and third prize not awarded) at the J.S. Bach International Piano Competition in Würzburg, and in the same year he won the Govert van Wijn Organ Competition in Holland. At the 2017 International Martini Organ Competition in Groningen he was awarded the first prize, the audience prize and the Jan Welmers prize. In 2018, he was awarded the Sweelinck-Muller Prize, a prestigious scholarship for promising young organists.

In 2019, he won the 1st Prize in the Silbermann Competition in Freiberg, which made him “Young ECHO-Organist of the Year 2020”, which results in concerts throughout Europe.

In 2012 Laurens de Man was appointed principal organist of the Janskerk in Utrecht, where he plays an instrument by Bätz-Witte (1861).

http://www.laurensdeman.nl