Victor Solo

Showcasing a solo organ recital, Victor Solo features seven sets of organ works. A narrator, possibly the organ player, announces work titles before each set. The video then displays superimposed views of the organist and the interior of the cathedral. Each set features a different angle of the organist and the architecture. Fitting to the tranquil chorale and preludes, the video artist gives minimal treatment with image processing. 

Except for the last set by Olivier Messiaen, which features more dissonance and adventurous harmony, the camera actively zooms in and out, contrary to the static presentation in the preceding sets, alongside the image processor’s solarizing function.

The organist plays the following compositions: Johann Sebastian Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in E Minor and Fantasia C Minor, BWV 562 (ca. 1730), Ernst Pepping’s “Es kommt ein Schiff, geladen” and “Sonne der Gerechtigkeit” from Kleines Orgelbuch (pub. 1941), Helmut Walcha’s “Den die Hirten lobten sehre” from Choralvorspiele (pub. 1954), Francois Couperin’s “Dialogue sur les grands jeux” from Messe pour les Paroisses (1690), Johannes Brahms’ “Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen” from Elf Choralvorspiele op. posth. 122 (Eleven Chorale Preludes) (1896), and Olivier Messiaen’s Apparition de l'église éternelle (Apparition of the eternal church) (1932).

–Gordon Dic-Lun Fung

For more information, visit the Phil Morton Memorial Research Archive page. 

The date for this title is approximate.