BRATTLEBORO — On Sunday, October 7, at 2 p.m., the Estey Organ Museum presents “An Afternoon at the Opera,” a concert featuring music from the grand operas, performed on the famous 1909 Estey pipe organ at First Baptist Church in downtown Brattleboro.
Local mezzo-soprano Jenna Rae will join organist Clark Anderson for performances of music by Mozart, Verdi, Richard Strauss, Wagner, Massenet, and Offenbach.
“It may sound odd to play opera music on a pipe organ,” said Anderson, “but this organ is so orchestral in its tonal design that it is a perfect instrument for accompanying singers performing opera, since it is able to mimic the colors and expression of an orchestra. The splendid acoustics in the church are an added bonus.”
The 1909 organ dates from the golden age of musical transcriptions. Before recordings and radio or television, the only way most people could hear opera was through transcriptions of the music for organ or piano, usually performed at home.
“There are literally thousands of such transcriptions, and many of them sound quite wonderful on the organ, and especially this particular instrument,” he says.
One transcription Anderson will perform is Ride of the Valkyries from Wagner's Die Walküre.
“I read recently that this was probably the single most popular and requested opera transcription ever for organ,” Anderson said. “And no wonder - it knocks your socks off, and it's terrific fun to play.”
This concert is a fundraising event for the Estey Organ Museum. Tickets are available at the door for a suggested donation of $15. For more information about the museum, visit www.esteyorganmuseum.org.