Ahead of the new season and the guest appearances of brilliant orchestras and individuals, we talk to the British virtuoso who returns to Lisinski after three years, where he has performed several times. The first time was back in 1984, in a duet with our pianist Mladen Janjanin, with whom he studied at the Royal College of Music in London. Wayne Marshall last performed at Lisinski in 2024, as a pianist and conductor with the Slovenian Philharmonic.

This time, on February 13, 2027, he is coming with his organ solo concert. It will also feature improvisations that are particularly dear to him, including those on Croatian themes!

Many times in our conversation, the maestro spontaneously switched to Croatian because he has traveled all over our country. By the way, he officially lives in Malta, but, not counting his constant tours around the world, he is mostly in the United Kingdom, where his wife Jennifer, son James and daughter Martina, who are studying there, are.

Zagreb is a city of great culture, and my best friend, pianist Mladen Janjanin, also lives there. We have been friends for almost half a century, since our studies in London, and I often come to Croatia.

Not necessarily, not at all. It all depends on the quality of the instrument, how it is built, where it is located, what the sound is like in that church or hall...

Certainly, the ones in Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. The ones in Westminster Abbey in London are also excellent, then the beautiful organ of the cathedral in Toulouse, France… There are many great organs in Europe, but also outside of it.

Of course, the acoustics in a hall are quite different, that is the main difference. In a church, the tones are heard for a longer time, while concert halls are more “dry”, but there is no too big echo. In a concert hall, the sound of the organ is more direct because you play in front of the audience, and the audience can see the organist clearly. In a church, you are at the back, up in the choir, and the audience usually cannot even see the player, except when he gets up and bows.

Yes, I really want to offer the audience a diverse program of organ compositions. I want it to be both beautiful and very exciting! I will start with my own improvisation, Intrada. Next is the contemporary Canadian composer Andrew Ager, born in 1962, and his Toccata and Fugue, Op. 30, No. 1. Ager writes symphonies, operas, chamber and solo music that is very close to jazz, which I love very much.

Furthermore, there is the Frenchman Jean Roger-Ducasse (1873-1954) and his beautiful Pastorale that shows all the colors of the organ. Then, the American composer, organist and pedagogue George C. Baker, born in 1951, who is interestingly also a doctor. He writes in the spirit of the French romantic organ tradition and is also one of my favorite composers. From this Texan, we will hear the Toccata The Wild Ouest (Wild West). From the pen of the Austrian composer Franz Schmidt (1874-1939), whose life was full of blows but who wrote wonderful music, I will play Variations and Fugue on a theme from his opera Fredigundis. Finally, the Sixth Symphony in G minor, Op. 42, No. 2 by the French composer Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937) will conclude the program before I play one of my own improvisations again, this time on popular Croatian musical themes!

Not yet, wait, (laughter), let it be a surprise! But I really enjoy improvisations!

For me, definitely! The organ is like an entire orchestra. It is an instrument that can express, in short, the different dimensions of music.

First of all, a lot of feeling for music. Then a rich imagination is necessary, but also top-notch technique. An improviser has to create music “on the spot” and in a way that the audience can enjoy and find interesting.

Quite a lot! My son James is studying music at Cambridge, piano, and has a band in which he plays electric guitar. My daughter Martina sings and plays bassoon. My wife Jennifer helps me organize my career, and she also has a beautiful bakery and bakes excellent bread and pastries!

I am fascinated by Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein and others who connected classical music and jazz. I am delighted by the emotions they convey through their compositions.

I recently discovered your incredible composer Dora Pejačević! Her Symphony in F-sharp minor is fascinating! I would love to conduct her one day. Dora is a great and incredibly exciting composer. Her music should be performed more and I am glad that this is happening more and more often in the world.

I am very much looking forward to sharing the experience with the audience in Zagreb again! I believe that many music lovers will come, and I will announce everything well before the concert on my Facebook page. I am sure that it will be a great experience. Dear Croatian friends, see you!

 

Hrvoje Dečak / KDVL

 

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