Trondheim, July 13th
Only now, sitting on the plane on this return journey, I begin to realise how fascinating and important my experience in Trondheim, though brief, was. From a professional point of view, having the opportunity to experience and discover the sonorities of the 1741 Wagner organ housed in Nidaros Cathedral, in the silence and the never sleeping light of a summer evening, has greatly enhanced my organ and art of organ-making cultural background. The instrument proved to be above my expectations: each individual register has its own character and, above all, its own unique poetics; all oft hem, however, blended together, sound harmonious and unified. The organo pleno, with the 16-foot base of the main organ and supported by the pedal reeds, reveals all its potential for performing baroque music as well as mendelssohnian sonorities. The eight-foot fonds d‘orgue encloses a wealth of harmonics that allows the performer to sing in every part of the keyboard.
Trondheim is a buzzing, touristy city, a city that never sleeps during summer and constantly offers entertainment, culture… and good food. The great cathedral of Nidaros represents a bit of the hub of all this, a crossroads that welcomes hundreds if not thousands of tourists every day. This way, concerts also see a good attendance (yesterday there were around 200 people). In addition to Trondheim residents, who are faithful to the music festivals organised in the cathedral, there were people from all over the world: Chinese, Americans, Dutch, Italians, Peruvians ...
This is perhaps the most beautiful moment of a musician's life: when profession merges with emotion, becoming pure passion. After the concert, I chatted with some of those present. We talked about the organ, music, travel, different cultures. That evening, in the streets of the city, someone in the audience at the concert stopped me to say hello, to congratulate me, to take a memory photo together.
Andreas, the substitute organist from Nidaros, who assisted me during my Norwegian stay, proved
to be a valued colleague and friend.
I can only be enthusiastic about this experience, with the wish to return to Trondheim soon!
Alberto Gaspardo