Schroeder, Hermann: Concerto da chiesa

'Concerto da chiesa' is the last organ work by Hermann Schroeder (1904-1984). It was composed a few months before his death. The premiere was performed by Clemens Ganz, then organist at the Cathedral of Cologne, in memory of the esteemed teacher and college colleague. The work marks the end of a tirelessly prolific life with more than one hundred organ works of various characters, genres and possibilities of use in liturgy and concerts. The title 'Concerto da chiesa' reveals that this is a work for concerts, not for being used in services. The three-movement composition is an unmistakable 'Schroeder' work: emphasis of linearity according to high baroque standards, conciseness and sometimes impulsive gestures of the themes and rhythms, layers of parallel chords within a freely tonal modern harmony, not forgetting the plasticity of form and the motor functions which are surprisingly energetic for an eighty-year-old.