Organ recitals in S:t Jacob's Church

Friday 15th of April 5 pm

Hallelujah! Gott zu loben

Program

William Mathias (1934-1992) 
Toccata giocosa op. 36 no. 2

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958) 
2. Rhosymedre ur Three Preludes Founded on Welsh Hymn Tunes

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) 
Passacaglia c-moll BWV 582
2. Adagio e dolce ur Sonate nr. 2 BWV 527

Max Reger (1873–1916) 
Fantasi över koralen Halleluja! Gott zu loben bleibe meine Seelenfreud op. 52:3

Programme notes

William Mathias, the Welsh composer, wrote his Toccata giocosa in 1967. The term giocosa means joyful, cheerful, or playful, and this character is reflected in the lively rhythms, changing time signatures, and virtuosic passages. The opening section features a powerful pedal theme and layered chords, which return shortly before the end of the piece as a recognizable motif. The middle section, by contrast, is marked by oppositions such as loud–soft, flute stops–trumpet fanfares, and sound textures–clear rhythmic figures. Its theme appears in various keys and combines short (staccato) and sustained (legato) notes. Particularly characteristic are the shifts between 7/8, 6/8, 2/4, and 4/4 time, giving the theme a strong sense of forward motion.

The English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams chose the hymn tune Rhosymedre for the second movement of his work Three Preludes Founded on Welsh Hymn Tunes. The melody was written in the 19th century by the Welsh composer John David Edwards, who named it after the village of Rhosymedre in North Wales, where he served as a priest for 40 years. The piece is also known under the title Lovely, referring to its expressive and lyrical character. Vaughan Williams sets the calm and steadily flowing melody against a contrasting, more lyrical and mobile accompaniment. This contrast also shapes the beginning and end of the piece, where motifs from the melody return. The dynamic structure consists of a gradual crescendo reaching its peak shortly before the end, followed by a decrescendo, concluding in pianissimo.

The Passacaglia in C minor is one of Johann Sebastian Bach’s most famous and important organ works. It is divided into two large sections: the passacaglia, which leads seamlessly into the fugue. The passacaglia theme is presented in the pedal at the outset and then repeated 20 times in varied forms. During these repetitions, the theme moves from the pedal into both the left and right hands. The gradual build-up culminates in the grand conclusion of the passacaglia, whose final chord simultaneously serves as the beginning of the fugue. In the fugue, the voices enter successively, and the dramatic tension builds once more. From a compositional perspective, the passacaglia theme is combined with the fugue subject. Shortly before the end, the work reaches its climax with the final entry of the passacaglia theme in the upper voice, together with the then unusual Neapolitan sixth chord in D-flat major. The concluding coda reaffirms the key of C minor and brings the work to a close.

Johann Sebastian Bach composed a total of Six sonatas for organ, known as “trio sonatas” because they consist of three independent voices distributed between the hands and feet. The upper voice is played by the right hand, the second by the left hand on a different manual, and the third in the pedal, played with the feet. Each voice moves independently, creating a significant compositional challenge. The second movement of a trio sonata is typically slower, providing contrast to the often faster first and third movements. The voices frequently imitate one another and intertwine like a perfectly balanced contrapuntal dance.

Halleluja! Gott zu loben bleibe meine Seelenfreud (“Hallelujah! To praise God shall remain my soul’s joy”) is the third chorale fantasia from Max Reger’s Op. 52, composed in 1900. The chorale text is based on Psalm 146, a psalm of praise, and in Reger’s interpretation it becomes a promise of salvation for all people. In the introduction, the rapid ascending runs are intended to depict the angels in heaven. The first verse is then set majestically, with a powerful pedal entry. Five further verses are musically depicted through different sound worlds—at times powerful, at times tender, at times serene. The melody moves between the voices and may appear in the pedal, the left hand, or the upper voice. The following fugue is built on a theme that is introduced successively and developed in several voices. The final, seventh verse leads into the work’s brilliant coda, where the fugue subject and chorale melody are combined and ultimately even звуч in canon.

— Programme notes by Alexandra Wolfgang

Curriculum Vitae

Alexandra Wolfgang, born in Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany), studied musicology (M.A.), archaeology, and church music (M.A.) in Freiburg, Vienna, and Oslo. She is currently completing the final year of her Master’s degree in church music at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, and this concert marks the conclusion of her studies.

Between 2017 and 2020, she worked part-time as an organist at St. Ulrich in Bollschweil (Germany), and from 2019 to 2023 she directed the church choir Mariä Himmelfahrt in Kirchhofen. In spring 2023, she served as interim conductor of the cathedral choir in Bad Säckingen, and from October 2024 to July 2025 she led the church choir at St. Georg in Ehrenstetten (Germany). In Sweden, she has worked as a substitute organist at the Catholic Cathedral in Stockholm during 2025, and since September of the same year she has been active at Ansgarskyrkan on Lidingö, where she directs both the Ansgar Choir and the church’s children’s choirs. From August 2026, she will take up the position of principal organist at Högalidskyrkan in Stockholm.

She has also received further artistic inspiration through masterclasses with, among others, Daniel Roth, Robert Quinney, Anne Laver, Annette Richards, Matthias Wager, and Ben van Oosten. In 2021, she was awarded the Deutschlandstipendium, a national scholarship for students with exceptional achievements, and in 2025 she received the national organ scholarship from the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.