CHRISTOPH BULL “ROCKS ORGAN MUSIC” AT FIRST CONCERT OF “PEDALS AND PIPES”—PACIFIC SYMPHONY’S NEW ORGAN SERIES—WITH MUSIC BY BARBER AND BACH, A LITTLE IMPROV AND MORE!
Box Office: (714) 755-5799
www.PacificSymphony.org
Orange County, Calif.—Oct. 1, 2010—The first of three world-class organists—Christoph Bull—takes his seat at the magnificent 4,322-pipe William J. Gillespie Concert Organ for the first of three concerts featuring the instrument this season as part of Pacific Symphony’s new series, “Pedals and Pipes.”
The recital highlights the rich tradition of Bach and Bruhns, with the Romantic flair of Vierne, and honors Barber in his centennial with the beloved “Adagio for Strings” in the organ arrangement by Strickland—on Sunday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m., in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.
Acclaimed for showcasing the organ’s versatility, Bull, who is UCLA’s organist, improvises on themes—in addition to performing more traditional works. As the Los Angeles Times said: Bull has “tried to energize his organ recitals with music that appeals to more than just the traditional organ crowd.” For more information about the three-concert series ($78-$135) or for tickets to this concert only ($25-$59), call (714) 755-5799 or visit www.pacificsymphony.org.
“Bull serve[s] up a massive, moving sound [with] conspicuous musicality, serious chops and deep instrumental understanding.”—Los Angeles Times.
Bull’s official bio states that he likes “organ music, rock music and rocking organ music.” For this recital, Bull demonstrates the organ’s capabilities of conveying styles from all musical periods. In addition to Barber’s “Adagio for Strings,” arranged for organ by Strickland, the concert includes Prelude and Fugue in A minor, by Bach, “Carillon de Westminster,” by Vierne and “Little Prelude in E minor” by Bruhns. Praised for “bringing the organ into the 21st century,” Bull’s improvisations often accent his
contemporary influence of rock, jazz, electronica and cinema.
“My goals for this concert are to show the versatility, beauty and power of the organ and to give the series an energetic, exciting kick-off,” says Bull. “People should walk away with the feeling that the King of Instruments is a viable contemporary concert instrument.”
The “King” of the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall is the 30-ton, four stories tall, one-of-a-kind William J. Gillespie Concert Organ, built from steel, tin, oak, poplar, maple, lead and carbon fiber. The organ premiered at the first concert of Pacific Symphony’s 2008-09 season, after three years and 42,000 hours of direct labor by a team at C.B. Fisk.
“The organ added just the right amount of heft, brilliance and texture to make the ensemble sound as though it had acquired a new dimension”—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times
“I’m thrilled that the Gillespie organ is such an important and prominent part of the hall,” continues Bull. “I like its somewhat futuristic, space-age design, which reflects the fact that the pipe organ is the original high-tech instrument. The organ has a lot of power and versatility which makes it easy for me to take a journey through the different stylistic periods.”
Bull is university organist and professor at UCLA. Raised in Mannheim, Germany, he studied at the Hochschule für Kirchenmusik Heidelberg and Musikhochschule Freiburg. He moved to the Berklee College of Music in Boston to study
rock, pop, and make his own music. Bull finished his studies at the University of Southern California, and the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. He holds degrees in organ performance, sacred music and songwriting.
Bull has performed on pipe organs in the Catholic cathedrals of Moscow, Salzburg and Saint-Denis. In Los Angeles, he has given 11 performances at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, has performed at UCLA’s Royce Hall, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels—and also at the Whisky A Go-Go, the Viper Room and the Roxy. He opened for pop icon Cindy Lauper with violinist Lili Haydn.
The Symphony’s “Pedals and Pipes” series continues on Dec. 21 when sleigh
bells ring with Todd Wilson in the Holiday Organ Spectacular featuring such season favorites as “O Holy Night,” “Sleigh Ride” and “I Wonder as I Wander.” In April, the Symphony welcomes organist Ken Cowan to the hall for an organ recital with works by Widor Mozart and Wagner.
