Organist Ben van Oosten urges music fans to 'discover the organ' ahead of Seoul concert

Ben van Oosten, a Dutch organist, has been invited to perform on Lotte Concert Hall's Rieger organ on June 4 for its Organ Series.

Lotte Concert Hall's pipe organ [LOTTE CONCERT HALL]

Ever since the Lotte Concert Hall in southern Seoul opened its doors in 2016, the classical music venue has been inviting organists from around the world to play its grand, 5,000 pipe organ. Thanks to the music hall and its organ, concertgoers in Seoul have finally been able to enjoy great organ pieces in an amazing live setting.

For the concert hall’s Organ Series this year, Ben van Oosten, a Dutch organist, will be sitting in front of Lotte’s Rieger organ on June 4. As a known "expert" in French romantic music, van Oosten will be performing a series of French pieces during his concert.

“In these symphonic works, the many different colors and dynamic possibilities of the Rieger organ will be heard,” van Oosten said in a recent email interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily.

The concert will include a rare opportunity for the audience to listen to Marcel Dupré’s four-movement work “Symphonie-Passion,” a musical description of the life of Christ.

Van Oosten said he wanted to include this piece, as this composer and improviser showed “a great sense for programmatic music, in which an extramusical narrative is musically depicted.”

Dutch organist Ben van Oosten [LOTTE CONCERT HALL]

“The ‘Symphonie-Passion’ is one of the first great works of ecclesiastical, symphonic program music for the organ,” he said. “According to Dupré’s biographer Abbé Robert Delestre, in this work, ‘the organ shares the exultation of peoples’ spirits. It prays, weeps or exults with them.’”

Though van Oosten is labeled as an “expert” in French symphonic organ music, he said he wants people to know that he loves to play earlier music, like “Bach, of course.”

According to van Oosten, French symphonic organ music was considered forbidden in the 1960s when he was a young boy. There were almost no organists in Holland that played this music, he said.

“Since my father loved to play romantic piano music, he also had a predilection for romantic organ music. Coincidentally, there was a well-known organist in The Hague in those days, and he used to play this repertoire in his concerts. In the early 1960s, I attended many of his concerts with my father. Those were my first impressions of the French symphonic organ music, and I immediately loved this music, although it was performed on a historic organ from 1762.”

When van Oosten heard this type of music for the first time played on the right instruments in Paris in 1970, van Oosten recalls it was a “revelation.”

“From then, I realized that this was my musical world,” he said. “So, in fact, it was a reverse musical development: I started with French romantic music, and only after that, I discovered the beauty of early music.”

The organ may be a familiar instrument to Catholics, as it has been seen traditionally as a church instrument, performing a liturgical function. But the “general lovers of classical music should all be persuaded to discover the organ as a fascinating concert instrument, which inspired many of the greatest composers,” van Oosten said. “As long as there will be the cultural heritage of such a wealth of magnificent organs from many centuries all over the world, people will always be interested to hear them.”

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart called the organ “the king of instruments.”

Van Oosten said he couldn’t agree more.

Lotte Concert Hall's pipe organ [JOONGANG ILBO]

“Due to its almost limitless sound colors and dynamic possibilities, the organ is capable of provoking a wide range of moods and sentiments, from quiet contemplation to ecstatic exuberance,” he said. “Moreover, the repertoire of organ music covers more than six centuries. Consequently, there are organs of many different stylistic periods and provenance, which make the organ a highly fascinating and unique musical instrument.”

He added that it’s important to have a high-quality and visually appealing organ, like the one at Lotte Concert Hall, in order to make people feel enthusiastic about the instrument and its music.

“Only then, organists will be able to successfully promote their instrument,” he said.

The Dutch organist will also perform at Bucheon Art Center on its new Casavant organ on June 2. He said he will start the program “in a festive way with Bach’s music.

“I chose organ arrangements of two of his well-known works. This is followed by the ‘B minor Chorale’ of César Franck, which can be seen, in some respect, as a tribute to Bach. After that, I will play three pieces from the ‘24 Pièces de Fantaisie’ by Vierne, who was a pupil of Franck and Widor. The program will be concluded with Widor’s popular ‘Fifth Organ Symphony.’”

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]