It seems that organist Gordon Turk has found the ideal demonstration piece for the outsized acoustical marvel that is the Great Auditorium in Ocean Grove.
Turk, who has been organist in residence at Ocean Grove since 1974, will be the soloist in Joseph Jongen’s “Symphonie Concertante,” a work that he has described as “the biggest and most magnificent piece written for the combination of organ and orchestra.”
The work will conclude the “Summer Stars” classical concert series in grand fashion on August 4 at 7:30 p.m. The MidAtlantic Opera Company Orchestra will be conducted by Jason Tramm. Also on the program will be Paul Dukas’ “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” Mezzo-soprano Margaret Mezzacappa, a Metropolitan Opera National Auditions winner, will sing famous arias from Italian opera.
The “Symphonie Concertante” is probably the most celebrated work by Jongen, who was born in Liège, Belgium, in 1873. The piece was commissioned by Rodman Wanamaker in 1926 for performance in his Philadelphia department store on the largest functioning pipe organ in the world. Wanamaker died before the project could come to fruition. It wasn’t until 2008 that the work was performed on the instrument for which it was originally intended, with Peter Richard Conte at the console and Rossen Milanov conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Originally installed in 1908 by Robert Hope-Jones, the auditorium’s organ is one of the 20 largest in the world. It has been restored and greatly expanded by Turk and curator John Shaw. The organ has five manuals, 190 ranks and 11,753 pipes.
Remarkably, the Great Auditorium was constructed by shipbuilders in only 90 days in 1894. It is the largest enclosed auditorium in New Jersey. The picturesque, wooden structure houses 6,250 seats. Its barrel-vaulted ceiling is a practical throwback to the days before amplification. In its original layout, the hall had close to 10,000 seats, reflective of its mission as a facility for camp meetings. The auditorium continues to host religious services and visiting evangelists.
The venue’s enormous capacity and superior acoustical properties made it a popular venue for musicians from the golden age, from Enrico Caruso to John Philip Sousa. Leonard Bernstein affectionately called it “The Great Barn,” comparing its acoustics favorably to those of Carnegie Hall.
You can find out more about the concert, the performers, the instrument, and this remarkable structure in my article in today’s Trenton Times.
http://www.nj.com/times-entertainment/index.ssf/2016/07/classical_music_gordon_turk_mi.html
