St. Egidius Organ Restoration

Poprad hovorí “Ďakujeme za hudbu“

Jeden z najúspešnejších slovenských podnikateľov na Slovensku, britský majiteľ svetovo presláveného rezortu AquaCity Poprad, rodák z Čiech pán Ján Telensky, svojou štedrosťou pri sponzorovaní renovácie jedinečného Barokového orgánu, priniesol späť hudbu komunite v Poprade, ktorý sa nachádza na severovýchode Slovenska.

P.Telensky uhradil náklady na zreštaurovanie a umiestenenie orgánu z 18.storočia v kostole sv.Egídia, ktorý sa nachádza v rodnom meste jeho manželky, potom čo sa dopučul jeho smutný príbeh pri návšteve Popradu pri príležitosti volieb primátora mesta.

Orgán, ktorého rekonštrukcia trvala 18 mesiacov, bude v nedeľu 20.apríla požehnaný biskupom počas svätej omše, ktorej sa zúčastní britský veľvyslanec na Slovensku, jeho excelencia Michael Roberts, organista, ktorý bude hrať polhodinový koncert.

Organ bol v roku 1786 umiestnený v Rakúsko – Maďarskom meste na Orave. Organ bol zanedbaný a schátralý a nakoniec uprostred 90-tych rokov skončil v odpade. Po vypočutí si tohto príbehu, popradský dekan ThDr.Anton Opárty spolu so svojimi kolegami na Orave prosil, aby organ nebol vyhodený na smetisko a nakoniec ho previezol do kostola sv.Egídia v Poprade.

P. Telensky, ktorý je tiež majiteľom susedného svetoznámeho rezortu AquaCity, jeden z najväčších zamestnávateľov v regióne, sa ponúkol, že uhradí všetky náklady spojené s reštauráciou organu, ktorá zahŕňala spracovanie slonoviny z dvoch viedenských pián a zaobstaranie ebenového dreva z Afrických lesov.

Orgán bol zreštaurovaný miestnými majstrami, s použitím píšťaľ, ktoré boli vyrobené v českom meste Kutná Hora a boli pridané k už existujúcemu radu 20 píšťaľ vyrobených v Nemecku, čo robí tento organ unikátnym v štýle Baroko.

Bohatá výzdoba zahŕňa zlatých anjelov, ktorí sedia v rôznych výškach, čo znázorňuje tri slovenské pohoria: Tatra, Matra a Fatra. Dvaja z anjelov pozerajú na tretieho ako hrá na flaute. P.Telensky povedal, “Výzdoba je symbolom ducha našich čias. Žijeme vo svete kde veľmi málo ľudí vytvára príležitosti a kde ostatní ich iba kritizujú a zhadzujú”.

Britský veľvyslanec na Slovensku, p. Michael Roberts, vynikajúci organista, zahrá počas omše polhodinový koncert. P. Telensky, ktorý je sám vynikajúcim hudobníkom sa k nemu pripojí hrou na husle a marketingový manager v AquaCity, p.Ján Profant ich bude doprevádzať hrou na basu. Spoločne zahrajú druhú vetu Vivaldiho koncertu D Dur.

Komentár p.Telenského na náklady na reštaurovanie organu je nasledovný: “V Biblii sa hovorí `Keď ľavá ruka dáva, pravá o tom nesmie vedieť’. Obnova kresťanstva po páde komunizmu je bezcenná a dať takýto nástroj najstaršiemu kostolu v regióne, ktorý v minulosti nemal organ, je niečo čoho cenu nemôžte stanoviť”.

Krst organu bude o 10hodine SEČ a verejnosť aj zástupcovia médií sú vitaní.

Ďalšie informácie:-
Kostol sv.Egídia je ranogotický rímsko-katolícky kostol v centre mesta Poprad, ktoré sa nachádza na severovýchode Slovenska. Kostol je z 13. storočia, sú v ňom maľby z 15.storočia. Kostol bol počas socializmu zatvorený, prebývali v ňom bezdomovci a tuláci.

CHRISTENING OF THE NEW ORGAN IN ST EGIDIUS CHURCH, POPRAD

J S Bach: Chorale Prelude "Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier", BWV 731
This is one of many short, embellished accompaniments to a chorale familiar to Bach's congregations at Arnstadt or Weimar. Composed between 1706 and 1716, it sets the chorale melody in the right hand with written-out ornamentation. Beautifully illustrated by the flutes of the St Egidius organ, this prelude displays a strikingly fresh and delicate luminosity.

J S Bach: Toccata & Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565
The best-known of the organ works of Bach, and perhaps the most famous work in the entire organ repertoire. Doubts have been cast over its authorship (is it actually by Bach?) and its original form (was it originally for solo violin?). It made its film debut in Walt Disney's Fantasia. It is written in three sections. The famous opening toccata, full of rhetorical flourishes, is followed by a lengthy fugue which incorporates delightful echo effects. As the tension slowly builds up, an interrupted cadence heralds the concluding recitative returning to the improvisatory spirit of the opening.

J S Bach: Chorale Prelude "Herzlich Tut mich verlangen", BWV 727
Another short embellished accompaniment to an even better known chorale.

Herbert Howells: Psalm-Prelude, Opus 32, No 1
The characteristic cadences of the music of Herbert Howells are very familiar to those brought up in the tradition of English church music. His contribution to the modern organ repertoire is probably the most significant of any British composer. The first of a set he wrote in 1915 aged just 24, this Prelude illuminates in music the sixth verse of Psalm 34:
"This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles."
Many of the features that characterise Howells' organ music can be heard here: an architectural sweep from the still opening through the blazing and impassioned climax to the quietest of endings. The period when this work was written marked the first of several melancholic stages in the composer's life when many of his friends were enduring the horrors of the First World War.

J Brahms: Choral Prelude "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen", Op 122
Brahms was one of the few romantic composers to revive the chorale prelude art-form. This one comes from a set composed in 1896 in memory of Clara Schumann and a year before his own death. The mood is one of profound despondency and grief.

William Mathias: Processional
Composed in 1964, this is a popular organ piece by a modern Welsh composer whose music featured at the wedding service of Prince Charles and Diana.

Organist
Michael Roberts was Organ Scholar in the early 1980s at Oxford University's Brasenose College where he met his wife, the pianist Margaret Ozanne. While she has pursued a professional career in music performing with the Holywell Ensemble and teaching at Surrey University, he has turned to diplomacy - although he still enjoys conducting choirs whenever he can.
They have been posted to Brussels, Athens and Ankara. In August 2007 they moved to Bratislava where Michael is British Ambassador.

Poprad turns out to say `Thank you for the music’

One of Slovakia’s most successful businessmen, British owner of the world-renowned AquaCity resort Poprad, Czech born Mr. Jan Telensky, has brought church music back to the community of Poprad in north east Slovakia with his generous sponsorship of the restoration of an unique Baroque church organ.

Mr. Telensky paid for the 18th century organ to be restored and installed in the Church of St. Egidius in his wife’s home town after hearing of his plight while visiting Poprad for the mayoral elections.

The organ, which took 18 months to restore, will be blessed by the Bishop on Sunday 20th April in a `Christening’ service at which the British Ambassador to Slovakia, Mr. Michael Roberts, an accomplished organist, will play a half hour recital.

Built in the Austro Hungarian town of Orava in 1786, the organ was neglected and gradually fell into decay, before being dumped and in the mid 1990’s. Hearing of its plight, the Dean of Poprad, Father Oparti, pleaded with his colleagues in Orava not to throw it on the scrap heap and took it to the 13C church of St. Egidius in Poprad.

Mr. Telensky, who also owns the neighbouring, world-renowned AquaCity Resort, one of the region’s largest employer, offered to pay for the total restoration of the organ, which included reclaiming the ivory from two Viennese grand pianos and sourcing ebony from sustainable forests in Africa.

The organ was rebuilt by local organ masters, using pipes made in the Czech town of Kutma Hora, and an additional register to the existing 20 registers, made in Germany, making it unique for a Baroque organ.

The opulent decoration on it includes gold angels, seated at different levels, to represent Slovakia’s three mountains of Tatra, Matra and Fatra. Two of the angels are watching the other playing a flute. Mr. Telensky said, “The decoration is symbolic of the spirit of our times. We live in a world where a small minority of people create the opportunities, the others criticise them and put them down”.

The British Ambassador to Slovakia, Mr. Michael Roberts, a distinguished organist, will perform a half an hour recital during the service. Mr. Telensky, himself an accomplished musician, will join him, playing violin, and AquaCity marketing manager, Mr. Jan Profant, playing double bass, performing Vivaldi’s second movement of the Concerto in D Minor for violin, organ and strings.

Commenting on the cost of the restoration, Mr. Jan Telensky said “The bible tells us that `When the left hand gives the right one must never know about’. The restoration of Christianity following communism is priceless and to give such an instrument to the oldest church in this region, which in the past didn’t have an organ, is something you can’t put a price on”.

The `Christening’ service for the newly restored organ will take place at 10am CET and members of the public and press are warmly invited to attend.
End.

Press contact: Mary Stuart-Miller, 0044 1403 738844. e-mail m.stuart-miller@virgin.net

Further information:-
The Church of St. Egidius is an early Gothic, Roman Catholic church in the centre of the north eastern Slovakian town of Poprad, dating from the late 13th century, housing wall paintings from the 15th century. It was closed during the communist era under threat of subsidence, though vagrants and the homeless were allowed to reside there.

St. Egidius Organ Restoration

Poprad hovorí “Ďakujeme za hudbu“

Reštaurovanie organu v kostole sv.Egídia

St. Egidius Church Organ Restoration

Poprad turns out to say `Thank you for the music’