A Prayer for Peace: A Fully Improvised Organ Concert by Alexander Weimann

“A PRAYER FOR PEACE” is the title of Alexander Weimann’s solo improvised organ recital. The concert re-imagines the so-called Organ Mass, a tradition of religious music ever since organs were first introduced into the Church. This practice flowered during the French Baroque and which lives on in France to this day.

Improvisation no longer plays a big role in the classical music world, although it’s still a central part of the education, idiom and professional practice for church organists. It’s an important factor in ‘early music’ and the art of improvisation is of the essence in making music in the world of jazz.

“Improvising is one of my strongest musical passions. As a child practicing the piano, I had a hard time focusing on sheet music. I’d start off with good intentions, but after a few bars I’d often veer off the scripted path and wander into an unplanned period of oblivious improvising. Since then, I’ve studied church music and organ, also jazz piano, and after decades of making music of all kinds my fascination for improvisation has only grown. It’s a pleasure to perform this programme on the wonderful organ at West Vancouver United Church where I performed a Bach concert (The Well-Tempered Organ) this past July for EMV. I look forward to exploring more of its multiple possibilities for registration and sound.” – Alexander Weimann