The matinee programme ˋBetween Germany and France, Toccata and Dance!ˊ will cover works by Bach, Schumann, Vierne, Duruflé and Litaize.

 

Auditorio de Tenerife opens this Sunday (10th) its organ season with the concert Between Germany and France, Toccata and Dance!, performed by the Catalan organist Mar Vaqué. The matinee will begin at 12:00 noon in the Symphonic Hall, whose walls house this unusual instrument, unique in the world in its layout and timbre. These concerts are offered in collaboration with the San Miguel Arcángel Royal Canarian Academy of Fine Arts (RACBA).

The programme is made up of works by the German and French composers Johann Sebastian Bach, Robert Schumann, Louis Vierne, Maurice Duruflé, and Gaston Litaize. The combination of the motoric and virtuoso toccatas with the dance-like character of the programme is expected to captivate the listener in a back-and-forth of melodies and energetic sounds.

From the outset, the canons and concert sections of the toccata in F major by Bach immerse us in lively polyphonic dialogues, with rhythmic tensions maintained from start to finish. Schumann, a great admirer of the organ, originally composed these drafts for the pedal piano. The adaptation of these works for the organ enables a richness of sounds and nuances that a piano performance could not offer.

The Clair de Lune by Vierne, the turning point in the programme, is a little nocturnal oasis in which the poetry of the moon overcomes us like sleep and holds us for a few moments away from the vitalist impetus of the other works. Duruflé, dedicating this work to his composition teacher Paul Dukas, brings out in the intimate Sicilienne the delicate nuances of the organ, caressing the listener with its melancholic melodies.

This nostalgic dance gives way to the percussion work by Litaize, the direct heir of Dupré and Vierne. The dancing fugue, a cascade of energy that leads to a tutti on the organ, with its almost jazz-like character manages to achieve great freshness on the organ. The final toccata by Duruflé represents the peak of the virtuosity of this composer, where we appreciate the characteristic freedom to improvise of the French organ school.

At the age of seven, Mar Vaqué (Tarragona, 1994) began studying piano, and in 2011 she delved into the world of organ thanks to the teacher Jordi Vergés and Jonatan Carbó. In 2013 she began her higher organ studies at the Higher School of Music of Catalonia. In 2015, she entered the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart (Germany), where she completed her studies with a Master's in organ and the Kirchenmusik (church music) degree. Vaqué has performed several concerts as a soloist nationally and internationally around Spain, Andorra, France, Germany, Colombia, Italy, and Lithuania. Her 2018 performance at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris stands out. Some of her concerts have been recorded by Spanish National Radio (RNE) and the German Radio SWR Deutschland.

In August 2015 she obtained first place in the IV International Organ Competition to commemorate Joseph Gabler in Ochsenhausen (Germany). In November 2016, she obtained second place ex aequo in the Call for Organ Entries for the 86th Young Musicians of Spain Competition. She is currently an organist, choir director, and teacher of organ, improvisation, and choir conducting in the St. Johann Baptist parish in Munich, activities that she combines with her concert career.

Built in the 20th century by the prestigious organ builder Albert Blancafort and his team, the Auditorium's organ is considered a unique instrument for its design, sound, and musical ranges. The sounds are produced by 3,835 pipes that are housed in the walls of the emblematic Symphony Hall, which are controlled by the organist from on-stage through the console and the four keyboards that he can play.

Tickets can be purchased at a single price of €15 on the website www.auditoriodetenerife.com, at the auditorium's box office or by dialling the phone number 902 317 327 from Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Check the special discounts for the audience under 30 years of age, students, unemployed, and large families.