from Barbara Dennerlein ....

Jazz concert in Bad Dürkheim

Last weekend, Barbara played a jazz concert at St. Ludwig Church in Bad Dürkheim and elated her audience. The newspaper "Die Rheinpfalz" wrote: "The new pipe organ had been consecrated almost exactly seven years ago. Thanks to jazz organist Barbara Dennerlein one could experience very unusual sounds from the instrument. For those who not regularly go to church or to organ concerts might think that the organ was constructed especially for this.

The concert on Saturday turned out to be a multi media event. A large screen had been assembled in the altar room. Thus, the visitors could watch the artist playing and changing the stops. This fascinated the audience in the folly occupied church.

Barbara Dennerlein intended to elate with music instead of Palatinate wine. "It is always great to explore a new organ", she said, who already knows many organs world-wide. She began with a low organ point, the camera focused on her excellent play with the legs on the bass pedal, wearing special shoes for this. She changed from g-minor to as-minor and created tension and dynamics with the chromatic shift, as it is known from light music. She wove  in jazzy sixth chords and created sound clusters by using the palm of her hands and her under arm to move the keyboard up and down in waves. After these cluster chords she appeased the fan of classical music with quotes of Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fuge, and one involuntarily wondered if Bach would be a jazz musician today.

She chose "Spiritual Movement Nr. 1" as opening piece. It provided everything: rhythm, the breathe of the organ is noticeable. The church as a concert and rest room. Inner deceleration, in reverence for the constructors of this unadorned church and the artists of organ construction and the musician who made all this visible and audible. ...

After Dennerlein's exploration of the organ's tonal range followed "Waltzing Pipes", a blues.
A solo on the bass pedal, similar sounds changed a bit and were enriched by additional courses. And it turned out that the organ is "fast", Dennerlein set the pipe work easily in movement.

She had composed "Sensitivity" after a stay in Brazil. A hidden switch, and the instrument released jungle sounds that no one would have expected. "Korean Smile" arouse by a trip to Seoul, the organ sounded like a Glockenspiel, meditative with slow soothing waves that she hid in her mystic billowing chords."