Spain in the spotlight

With two concerts and a one-day masterclass, music lovers in Fribourg can discover the Spanish Baroque music of the Siglo de Oro. Andrés Cea Galán, a specialist in Iberian music, will give a recital on September 26 and a masterclass on the 27th. In the evening, the Sacqueboutiers de Toulouse will perform a concert of Spanish music.

For the traditional recital on the great organs of the Cathédrale Saint-Nicolas, this year's festival will welcome Erwan Le Prado on September 25. The concert on Sunday September 29 will take place in the church of Bulle, with André Bochud at the organ.

Jérôme Dorival will hold a lecture on Louis-Nicolas Clérambault on September 26. On the 28th, the Accroche-Chœur, accompanied by Nicolas Viatte and the children's choir Les Enchanteurs, will present a program in "Homage to Maurice Duruflé".

This year too, a special place has been reserved for children and their families, with a show combining organ and electro-acoustic music. Several performances for schools and a special session for families will take place on September 27 at the Collège Saint-Michel church.

With the aim of attracting a wider audience, the Académie d'Orgue de Fribourg decided to organize two "regional" concerts as part of the festival itself. In Charmey on July 13, Maurizio Croci performed the three Vivaldi Concertos transcribed for organ by J. S. Bach. A concert on the Villaz-Saint-Pierre organ will be devoted entirely to the art of improvisation on October 20. David Franke, a young German organist, will use themes suggested by the audience to create on the spot.

Another new feature of this 2013 edition: three-quarters of an hour before the start of each organ concert, the artist awaits the audience at the podium for a presentation of his program.

Find out more: www.academieorgue.ch