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Track(s) taken from CDA67198

Triptychon

composer
2000

Halgeir Schiager (organ)
Recording details: June 2004
Hedvig Eleonora Kyrhan, Stockholm, Sweden
Produced by Chris Hazell
Engineered by Simon Eadon
Release date: January 2006
Total duration: 11 minutes 25 seconds
 

Reviews

‘Hyperion captures the organ of Stockholm's Hedvig Eleonora Church superbly—an object lesson in harnessing clarity and spaciousness in that trickiest of acoustics, the church. Eben is now in his 76th year, and though it's possible his intégrale may yet be incremented, these five volumes of organ music document a highly original voice of our times. In short, they demand to be heard’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Schiager has certainly proved his credentials as an advocate of Eben's music … his impeccable articulation, deft handling of the splendid three manual, 58-stop Grölunds organ of Stockholm's Hedvig Eleonora Church and complete grasp of each score, establish this entire series as a matchless point of reference to Eben's organ music’ (International Record Review)

‘Halgeir Schaiger's performances on the fine organ of Hedvig Eleonora Kyrkan, Stockholm (Grölunds Orgelbyggeri, Gammelstad, 1975-76), are probing and, where need be, electrifying. He is at all moments at the service of a quite extraordinary composer. Percussionist Eirik Raude and trumpeter Jan Fredrik Christiansen are splendid, and Schiager is at the top of his estimable game. I await the next volume’ (Fanfare, USA)
Triptychon was written in 2000 to a commission from the Hofkirche in Lucerne on the initiative of its organist, Wolfgang Sieber. It was first performed there in the church of St Leodegar on 9 November 2001 by Astrid Ender. Wolfgang Sieber had introduced Petr Eben to the organ tablature of Johann Benn, who was born c1590 in or near Messkirch, Baden, where he worked as organist and choirmaster until 1638 when he was appointed organist of St Leodegar, Lucerne. In 1657 he entered the monastery of Muri in the Aargau region north of Lucerne and died there c1660.

Petr Eben took as his source for Triptychon Benn’s Three Ricercari which he found to be of particular thematic interest, setting this material in the context of his own contemporary musical style, at the same time being amused by the fact that ‘Eben’ was almost an anagram of ‘Benn’. Eben also commented that the themes that he chose appear in set intervals, yet not as overt statements but merged in a many-layered stream of his own harmonic language.

from notes by Graham Melville-Mason © 2006

Écrit en 2000 en réponse à une commande dont l’initiative revient à Wolfgang Sieber (organiste de la Hofkirche de Lucerne), Triptychon fut créé en l’église de Saint-Leodegar (Lucerne) par Astrid Ender, le 9 novembre 2001. Wolfgang Sieber a fait découvrir à Petr Eben la tablature d’orgue de Johann Benn, qui naquit vers 1590 à Messkirch (Baden) ou dans les environs. Là, il fut organiste et maître de chœur jusqu’en 1638, date à laquelle il fut nommé organiste de Saint-Leodegar. En 1657, il entra au monastère de Muri, dans la région d’Aargau (au nord de Lucerne), où il mourut vers 1660.

Pour son Triptychon, Petr Eben puisa dans les Trois Ricercari de Benn, auxquels il trouva un intérêt thématique particulier; il mit en musique ce matériau dans le cadre de son propre style contemporain, tout en s’amusant de ce que «Eben» soit presque une anagramme de «Benn». Eben souligna aussi que les thèmes retenus apparaissent dans des intervalles fixes – pas comme des énonciations ouvertes, cependant, mais fondus en un flot stratifié de son langage harmonique.

extrait des notes rédigées par Graham Melville-Mason © 2006
Français: Hypérion

Triptychon wurde 2000 von der Luzerner Hofkirche in Auftrag gegeben, auf Anraten ihres Organisten Wolfgang Sieber. Die Uraufführung gab Astrid Ender am 9. November 2001 in der Kirche St. Leodegar. Wolfgang Sieber hatte Petr Eben auf die Orgeltabulatur von Johann Benn aufmerksam gemacht, der um 1590 in or bei Messkirch in Baden geboren wurde und dort als Organist und Chorleiter tatig war, bis er 1638 zum Organisten von St. Leodegar in Luzern bestellt wurde. 1657 trat er ins Kloster Muri im Aargau ein und starb dort um 1660.

Petr Eben wählte als Quelle für Triptychon Benns Drei Ricercari, die er thematisch besonders interessant fand, und setzte dieses Material im Kontext seines eigenen zeitgenössischen Musikstils um – amüsant fand er, dass der Name „Eben“ beinahe als Anagram von „Benn“ gelten kann. Eben merkte auch an, dass die von ihm gewählten Themen in bestimmten Abständen vorkommen, jedoch nicht als unverhohlene Darlegungen, sondern eingebettet in den vielschichtigen Strom seiner eigenen Harmonik.

aus dem Begleittext von Graham Melville-Mason © 2006
Deutsch: Anne Steeb/Bernd Müller

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