February 7  | The Shakespeare Band: Music of the English Renaissance*

 

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	Stephan Casurella plays  Opus 148

As a young violinist I was fascinated by the experience of hearing and playing a number of great violins. I soon realized that each had a unique voice, character and personality. It was not at all a competition, but a process of discovering the almost otherworldly voice of each instrument. Great pipe organs are similar in uniqueness, but with added elements to be considered.

 

The first element is the quality of the process of creating the instrument for a specific space. The Fisk Opus 148 organ is hand-crafted by passionately dedicated artisans/craftsmen and craftswomen who are following a call. They strive to produce the highest quality, from the design work, the production of metal for the pipes, the selection of woods, the creation of the pipes (1,078 of them ranging in length from 16 feet to ¾ of an inch!), the construction of wind chests, keyboards, and bellows, to the overall structure of the instrument as a whole. The result is a unique instrument of unsurpassed quality and beauty, both tonally and visually. It is an organic process, designed by artisans who are inspired by the Chapel acoustics and the Cathedral's music program.

 

Opus 148  casework carvings

The second added element is the Chapel itself.  The pipe organ, unlike the violin, sets roots in a particular acoustic, offering the possibilities of profoundly complex and sensitive relationship between the instrument and the acoustic. Our acoustician, Dana Kirkegaard, has enjoyed discovering this potential with Fisk for 3 decades, valuing his close relationship with the tonal director, David Pike. In essence, the Chapel is the resonating chamber of the instrument. Without the excellence of the room, the whole effort can be wasted.

 

The third unique element is the congregation. The organ and the Chapel support the congregation. The organ builders and the acoustician thrive on interacting with the congregation to discover what is unique about the congregation and to know how best to support it. 

 

These three unique elements contribute to the organic whole, which evolves from an experiential process of discovery. With these elements in place, the instrument, the space and the congregation become a whole far greater than the sum of its parts. We are fortunate to be working with builders and acoustician who are among the very best in their fields over the last 300 years! Fisk Opus 148 promises to be one of the most important organs of our time.