Solo recitals

At the organ of S:t Eustache Cathedral, Paris Photo: Anders Neglin

Traditional repertoire, transcriptions, arrangements and improvisations. Or Swedish folk music and Bach, everything depending on the actual organ.

The folk music has given me another way of approaching Bach´s music: more rytmical fredom within the tempo, more ornamantation according to praxis at the time, more feeling of dance and I can actually say that the folk music for me was the key to Bach´s heart. The fact that much of the Swedish folk music origins from the Baroque era makes all this very logical.

When I play Swedish folk music on solo organ I never write down the arrangements, but I keep it rather unchanged in my mind although there are parts that are improvised, according to the folk music tradition. I use clearly separated coulors of the organ, but often very few stops, and also sometimes referring to the French Baroque tradition for organ.

One of my favourite arrangements is the one of the Bolero by Ravel, with, at the end, the full chords both of the melody itself, and the repeted triple notes, which become very efficient on Chamade trumpets. Another favourite is my arranged Suite from the show "Riverdance".

In my improvisations, which of course still are strongly influenced by the French tradition, one can nowadays also note some influences from symphonic rock and from folk music.

Gunnar Idenstam

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