David Brock’s 15th annual Hot August Pipes juxtaposes themes in polymetric fashions.
If it is difficult to explain, just imagine trying to play it.
“Fancy Footworks,” featuring music for virtuoso pedal is a dexterous demonstration of the hands and feet.
“It’s quite a technical challenge,” Brock said. “A music lover would really appreciate it because nobody plays it. I am not afraid to give it my best shot. I practiced it for a year, set it down for a year and then I picked it up again a few months ago.
“I know three organists who have done it. It’s too big a beast for church work, and it’s too complicated for most concert organists to take the time to learn it. It just eats so much of your practice time to learn it.”
Brock will play three not-so-easy pieces.
Opening the program: J. S. Bach’s “Toccata in F, BWV 540,” a combination of a pedal solo work, an organ concerto and a trio sonata.
“It’s an incredibly complex and rich work that shows Bach’s mastery of the organ and of compositional technique,” Brock said.
“Homage a Frescobaldi,” was written by by blind French composer and organist Jean Langlais. Brock will perform “Epilogue,” the final of the piece’s eight movements.
The concert concludes with jazz. “Fast and Sinister” is a movement from Leo Sowerby’s “Symphony for Organ.” Brock’s hands will play in a standard jazz 5-4 time, as in Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five,” while the feet will be in another meter.
“The biggest challenge with organ music is coordination and the second is articulation,” said Brock, who said he focuses on his feet while he uses muscle memory for his hands.
15th annual Hot August Pipes
“Fancy Footworks,” featuring music for the virtuoso pedal
7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13 – St. Patrick;s Episcopal Church, 341 Village Blvd., Incline Village
6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 18 – Soiree at private residence in Stateline, Nevada
7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 23 – Trinity Episcopal Church, 200 Island Avenue, Reno
Concert Tickets: $20 general admission cash/ check, $15 in advance at
Soiree Tickets: $55 advance reservations only, limited to 40 tickets.
Tickets at www.davidbrockmusic.com. or
The Cork and More: 1032 Al Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe,
