PETER Sweeney brought the National Concert Hall's complete Bach series of organ recitals to an exciting end on Friday evening. I have heard many of the recitals in this two-years-long series, which featured organists from many countries. This one will linger in the memory longer than most of them.
One of Sweeney's longstanding idiosyncrasies is his penchant for an exaggerated articulation, the placing and timing of which often seems wilful, even arbitrary. On Friday the penchant was still there but applied in a way which was integrated with his distinctive view of each piece.
That integration came from Sweeney's interpretative panache as much as from Bach's notes, for the playing rode rough-shod over conventional concepts of Bach style. The colourful registration, for example, largely ignored the unified chorus work which, among many organists, is an article of faith. The result was especially apt in the four chorale preludes on Allein Gott in der Hoh sei Ehr BWV 711, 715, 716 and 717, and in the Canzona BWV 588.
One of the highlights was a beautifully shaped and paced performance of the prelude on Schmucke dich, o liebe Seele BWV 654. While the style of that performance was close to general perceptions of the piece, the recital was dominated by Sweeney's individualistic approach and especially by his tendency to press each piece into a conceptual extremity. The Fugue in G BWV 577 ("The Jig") went at a spanking pace and with plenty of air - just like a real jig; and still it had that clarity of part writing which was one of the recital's strengths.
The ultimate extremity came in the final item, the famous Fantasia and Fugue in G, minor BWV 542. Bravura passages were dashed off and Bach's bold contrasts of texture and key were highlighted by forceful rubato. The Fugues went at a cracking speed and made a thrilling end to one of the most audacious organ recitals I have heard in a long time.
