Organ recital produces fine night of music

Paul Tegels had to do some detective work to find Franz Joseph Haydn’s Concerto for Organ and Orchestra in D. He went to monasteries in Austria and the state library in Berlin to study manuscripts of the composer. But the investigation is over now, and Tegels, a Dutch organist, revealed his findings on the 1860 E. and G.G. Hook organ Sunday at St. John’s Catholic Church in Bangor.

Joined by a small collection of local orchestra musicians and led by St. John’s music director, Kevin Birch, Tegels gave the New England premiere of the Haydn concerto. Only a week earlier, it was an unpublished work, available only in manuscripts stored in faraway libraries.

And what a treat for Haydn fans that this 30-minute piece is now in a form that musicians can present. A combination of high-church elegance with the massive organ and the convivial brilliance in the melodies, the concerto was a carnival of celestial sounds. It was never overly dramatic, yet there still was surprise and allure within its noble bravura.

The concerto was one of a dozen works on the evening’s program, which was the kickoff event for the St. John’s Organ Society summer concert series. Tenor Francis Vogt gave a lovely reading of “Recercar,” by Girolamo Frescobaldi, and joined the St. John Choir for other vocal works, including ones by Mozart, Haydn, and Cesar Franck.

Soprano Angela Glidden, a member of the choir, was soloist for Mozart’s “Laudate Dominum” and “Regina Coeli.” An untrained vocalist, Glidden is a natural talent. Her voice effortlessly and sweetly took hold of Mozart’s notes and turned them into music. Glidden sang through the pieces with rare purity and charm. Any lack of experience was completely overshadowed by the clarity of her voice and skill.

St. John’s Choir, including the Youth Choir, proved itself a willing group of community singers who appreciate the music that most Catholics didn’t grow up singing in church. As such, the most rollicking of the vocal selections was a Catholic hymn, “Immaculate Mary,” sung as the last piece on the program. The children had fun with a Walt Disney-esque version of “All Things Bright and Beautiful.”

Oboist Louis Hall gave a notable performance of Two Chorales for Oboe and Organ, by Johann Ludwig Krebs. And French hornist Scott Burditt was invaluable to the orchestra with his sonorous strains of music, which fared particularly well in the high ceiling in St. John’s.

Dana Robinson played the organ for most of the two-hour concert, but Tegels rejoined the orchestra for Sonate in C by Mozart. Originally used during Mass as a musical introduction to the gospel reading, this work was rousing — but more in the style of dance music than in what might generally be associated with religious fervor.

Though somewhat long for a Sunday night, the concert was a fine evening of excellent music. The summer series promises to be one of the better local offerings for music lovers.

The St. John’s Organ Society concerts are held 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, July-Sept. 7 at St. John’s Catholic Church in Bangor. The concerts are free.