A GREAT LAUNCH

After five years of planning the new Auckland Town Hall Organ was launched in all its glory on the 21st March 2010. A fine Maori welcome, superb singing from three combined choirs, a new organ symphony composed by City Organist, John Wells, and an organ concerto with the Auckland Youth Orchestra and young Nicholas Tarling at the console, all made for a great day and a time for celebration. Subsequently the APO and international organist Thomas Trotter gave us two further organ concertos later in the week and three weeks later Thomas Heywood of Melbourne gave a splendid solo concert at our April free concert. For all the events the hall was packed – a far cry from the past and the miserable way the organ was treated prior to the late nineties refurbishment of the Hall as the accompanying photo shows. Just contrast the photo from the past below with the photo in one of my previous blog postings, showing the organ as it is now.

A GRAND NEW ORGAN

Whilst outwardly the Auckland Town Hall Organ looks much as it always has, (apart from repolished façade pipes and organ case), but behind that very grand and impressive façade is a brand new organ. Admittedly there are the remnants of the 1911 instrument that were left after the unfortunate 1970 rebuild but basically it is a new organ, and what a wonderful instrument it now is. No longer the hopeful cry from the orchestral conductor ‘More organ please’. ‘Sorry, Maestro that is all there is!!”. Now it is a case of ‘A little less organ please, organist’. 

Klais Orgelbau, Bonn, Germany has delivered Auckland and indeed New Zealand an instrument of international significance. The opening was an occasion for great celebration with the choirs of Viva Voce, Musica Sacra and the Graduate Choir filling the bleaches for a musical treat, the likes of which Auckland has not heard for at least forty years. Congratulations to the Auckland Youth Orchestra and young organist Paul Tarling for their very fine organ concerto. John Wells’ organ symphony, composed specially for the occasion and funded by the Freemason Roskill Foundation and the Lodge of the Liberal Arts, was a major feature of the event. When Philipp Klais had concluded his brief, very genuine remarks on the day of the opening the applause from the capacity audience was long and genuine and at that stage the audience had not even heard a note from the organ. Were they disappointed? NO. As folk departed I was at the door of the Town Hall and the joyous comments from the audience as they departed was ‘music to my ears!’ 

The organ is magnificent and produced the sound we had all wanted, that of the great English Town Hall organ sound. You could feel the sound all around and the deep notes rumbling through the floor as they used to do prior to 1970. And what a rare treat to have the two Maori stops as part of the new instrument and with their beautiful carving and embossed motifs, lodged within the Solo Organ. 

Salutations to Klais, to Philipp and his team, including Thomas, Stefan, Markus, the team from the South Island Organ Company. Special mention to Ian Bell our erudite, engaging and hugely knowledgeable consultant from London who kept us all on our toes. Indeed the creative team of Philipp and Ian have ensured that what we have is what the citizens of Auckland wanted, and they showed it! 

Special mention to Auckland City Executive Leigh Redshaw for his unfailing support and goodwill throughout the project. His work with Ian Bell, Philipp Klais and the Trust provided a highly professional and essential part of the entire project. 

Throughout the project Kerry Stevens, with cameraman, Bill McCarthy, has been recording the progress of the project and it is widely expected that the fruits of their labours will be seen in an hour long documentary on one of our TV stations. This was funded by the trust and indeed the whole project, from inception, has been well documented for the future. 

Ten years ago John Wells was championing the refurbishment of the organ. Indeed many thought it had been done when the Town Hall was completely refurbished 12 years ago, but that was not so. All that happened was the repositioning of the detached console from its position on the stage to a place immediately below the pipes. It was when Mayor John Banks established the Town Hall Organ Trust during his first term as mayor that things really started to happen. Well done John for ‘sounding the call’ and Stephen Hamilton for chairing the trust through five years of negotiations, fund raising and marketing the project, and now it is done.

2010 New Zealand Opera School

Students workshop a scene from La Traviata at the 2009 New Zealand Opera School under the direction of Aidan Lang. 

The sixteenth New Zealand Opera School is shaping up to be another fine event. We have been inundated with applications and making the elections for the limited spaces has not been easy, but we’ve now done the selections and everyone has been written to with the news. An excellent spread of voice types, a good geographical spread and some very interesting new voices. 

Funding has not been easy this year with some rejections which undoubtedly have their origins in the economic downturn. Still we are very delighted with the personal support we receive from people like Dame Jenny Gibbs, Adrian Burr, (both have been great supporters since inception) the Deane Charitable Foundation, Bev McConnell, Mark and Karilyn Brown, the ASB Trust, the Mercury Theatre Restoration Fund Committee, the Freemasons Roskill Foundation and many others. 

The school runs from the 3rd to the 14th January 2010. A varied programme of public events is staged each year to give the singers performing experience and the public an opportunity to hear our rising opera talent. 

The public programme is as follows: 

3rd Jan School commences 

4th Jan Sarjeant Art Gallery mid-day concert, featuring the NBR New Zealand Opera Emerging Artists 2010 (refreshments served)

7th Jan Several Wanganui cafés host an evening meal with live opera performances by the students from 7.30pm 

8th Jan 1st Public master class with Prof Paul Farrington in the Prince Edward Auditorium Collegiate School @ 7.30pm 

9th Jan 2nd Public master class with Prof Paul Farrington in the Prince Edward Auditorium Collegiate School @ 7.30pm  

10th Jan Chapel Service dedicated ‘To Music’ in the Collegiate School Chapel, choir, soloist and organ @ 11.30am 

11th Jan Opera excerpt - watch a segment of opera being created at the hands of Aidan Lang, General Director of NBR New Zealand Opera @ 7.30pm 

13th Jan Final Concert in the Royal Wanganui Opera House @ 7.30pm 

14th Jan School concludes. 

Do join us.

Eugene Onegin in Review

And if you were wondering what the media had to say about the Genesis Energy season of Eugene Onegin you might like to view some of these:
Radio NZ National - Arts on Sunday
Radio NZ Concert - Upbeat
bFM review/interview with Kristen Darragh

Rank on Rank

The Auckland Town Hall Pipe Organ grows daily. I am fascinated and inspired by rank after rank of beautiful pipes being installed by the small team from Klais, Bonn. From the rank of the smallest pipes, with the littlest of all being no more than 6cms in height to the mighty 32-foot Oboe this musical instrument is a work of art and rightly claims the title ‘King of Instruments’ (W. A. Mozart). The job is up to schedule and planning for the opening next March is in hand. All the citizens who have donated through our ‘Become an Organ Donor’ programme will receive an invitation to the relaunch of this wonderful city amenity. I am sure this instrument will bring a renewed enthusiasm for and interest in the world of the music of the pipe organ.

Eugene Onegin Triumphs

Please read the review from Wellington by John Button, a very experienced, knowledgeable and erudite reviewer. The Wellington season is a ‘sell-out’!

Klais MD pays us another visit

The organ in our beautiful Town hall grows daily as rank after rank of new, and some of the original 1911 organ, take their place behind the splendid and indeed inspiring façade of pipes. Markus, the voicer from Germany can be seen regularly at the lovely new console checking each rank following their placing inside the instrument and voicing.

Trott and Philipp Klais at the new console. The original 1911 ivory keys and stop knobs have been refurbished and retained.

Philipp Klais, the Managing Director, and fourth generation family member as head of the firm, flew in from Bonn the other day to check progress and with Ian Bell, our English adviser to the project, (also present) they listened to and discussed the merits of the sound. The consensus from all who have heard the instrument at this stage is one of great enthusiasm. Indeed I gave a tour to the wife of a prominent New Zealand Businessman and arts philanthropist, while Markus was at the console putting the assembled ranks through their paces. She was VERY impressed and claimed it as a beautiful and enriching experience.


From Bonn, L to R Markus the voicer of the pipes and Lukas, apprentice with Philipp inspect the new pipes just installed in the Great Organ.

Indeed I find the sound very faithful to the grand English organ sound, rich, full and beautiful as a Town Hall organ should be, in my opinion, and I guess in the minds of 99.9% of the population whose instrument it is.

The instrument is destined to be finished by the established date of 2nd December. There will be several months of ‘play in’ and adjustments ready for the grand public launch on the 21st March 2010. This will be a ‘red letter’ day form Auckland and this instrument will be ‘the jewel in Auckland’s crown’.

The Organ Trustees have appointed John Wells as the Artistic Director for the grand occasion. John is in the process of composing an organ concerto to celebrate the occasion and the Freemasons (the Lodge of the Liberal Arts and the Freemasons Roskill Foundation) are paying for the commission. This will be great day of celebration with choirs, organ and orchestra.


Markus, Philipp and Lukas inside the Swell Organ.

On the 25 and 26th March the renowned organist from Britain, Thomas Trotter will present a symphony with organ and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and on Sunday the 28th he will give a solo recital.