Organ concert in Milan

A sample of the repertoire

The programme for this date has not been published. The organist introduces each piece before he plays it.

• Introduction & Allegro (from Concerto Gregoriano)P.A. YonPietro Yon was born in Piedmont and worked in New York, where he became organist of St. Patrick's Cathedral. His Concerto Gregoriano, published in 1920, takes its themes from Gregorian chant and sets them in a showy, romantic style. It opens the evening on the full organ, so you hear at once what 4,600 pipes can do.
• Cornfield Chase (from Interstellar)H. Zimmer, arr. A. LapwoodThe music of the cornfield chase in Interstellar. Hans Zimmer recorded the score of the film with a church organ, at the Temple Church in London, so the organ is part of its original sound.
• Ave Maria (Méditation)J.S. Bach / C. Gounod, arr. M. De VitaGounod wrote this melody in 1853 over Bach's first prelude from The Well-Tempered Clavier, which dates from 1722. The organ plays both together.
• Bossa Nova (from 3 Jazz-Präludien)J. MichelA jazz piece with a syncopated rhythm, played on a church organ. The audience usually smiles.
• Davy Jones (from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest)H. Zimmer, arr. A. LapwoodIn the film the villain, Davy Jones, plays an organ on his ship. His theme starts like a music box, then the organ comes in. When the lowest pedal notes arrive, you can feel them in the floor.
• Chevaliers de Sangreal (from The Da Vinci Code)H. Zimmer, arr. A. LapwoodThe main theme of The Da Vinci Code, a film about the search for the Holy Grail. In the film it is played by strings, a choir and synthesizers; here the organ plays all of it. It starts very quietly and grows to a fortissimo that you feel in your seat.
• Test Drive (from How to Train Your Dragon)J. Powell, arr. A. LapwoodThe flying theme from How to Train Your Dragon, built on Celtic-style melodies that climb higher and higher.
• Main Titles (from Cinema Paradiso)E. Morricone, arr. M. De VitaThe main theme of Cinema Paradiso, Ennio Morricone's score for a film set in a small town in Sicily.
• Love Theme (from Cinema Paradiso)A. Morricone, arr. M. De VitaWritten by Ennio Morricone's son Andrea. The organist uses the expression pedal to make the sound of the pipes swell and fade like a voice. It is the music of the film's famous kissing scene.
• Main Titles (from Once Upon a Time in the West)E. Morricone, arr. M. De VitaThe main theme of the Spaghetti Western Once Upon a Time in the West, by Ennio Morricone. In the film the soprano Edda Dell'Orso sings the melody without words; the organ's reed stops imitate her voice.
• Waltz No. 2 (from Suite for Variety Orchestra)D. Shostakovich, arr. M. De VitaA grand, slightly ironic waltz, known from Kubrick's film Eyes Wide Shut. It asks a lot of the organist's coordination.
• No Time for Caution (from Interstellar)H. Zimmer, arr. A. LapwoodThe docking scene from Interstellar, where the spacecraft docks with a spinning station. The organist plays fast, with both hands moving between the keyboards and both feet on the pedals.
• Finale (from Concerto Gregoriano)P.A. YonBack to the work that opened the evening: the last movement of Yon's Concerto Gregoriano, with every stop drawn. The last chord stays in the vault for several seconds after the organist lifts his hands. Then the applause.