2062 Esquimalt Ave
West Vancouver
BC V7V 1S4
Born and raised in Belgium, Peeters began his studies at the Lemmens Institute in Mechelen. In 1923 he became an organ teacher at the Institute; simultaneously acquiring the position of chief organist at the Cathedral in Mechelen, which he held for most of his life. As an organist and pedagogue, Peeters enjoyed great renown, giving concerts and liturgical masterclasses all over the world. He was a prodigious composer, most of his music being written for the organ, choir or both. Shortly before his death, he was honoured by King Baudouin, bestowing the title of ‘Baron Peeters’. Flor Peeters made a special study of Renaissance music, particularly the school of Flemish polyphony. These styles were absorbed into his own music, along with twentieth-century techniques. These influences can be heard in this work, which was published in 1950. It consists of a series of variations on a chorale (or hymn) – in this case carrying a celebratory Easter text – leading up to a toccata-style climax, and a final triumphant statement of the chorale itself.
Jazz prelude on “Die ganze Welt hast du uns überlassen” (2003)…………Hans-Martin Kiefer (melody: Rudolf Siemoneit)
A group of contemporary German composers has been active in exploring jazz idioms for the pipe organ. Apart from the role of the fabled Hammond organ in jazz, gospel and pop, this has not been a traditional idiom for the pipe organ, least of all in a liturgical context! The editors of their recently-published collections – Uwe-Karsten Gross and Gunther Martin Göttsche – state that this music “…is intended to bear witness to the wealth of colours which can be expressed in jazz”. This particular composition by Hans-Martin Kiefer – based on a contemporary hymn (or chorus) by Rudolf Siemoneit – is set in a ‘blues’ style. The text translates “You have left to us the whole world”, a text reflecting on Creation and our responsibility towards it.