On the final concert of the 50th Anniversary of the Casavant Organ, CSU’s Professor of Organ Joel Bacon performs selected pieces from the organ’s 1968 opening concert program. “CSU’s Casavant organ is a remarkable instrument – a great point of pride for the university and the community, and a joy for me personally to play and teach on,” remarked Dr. Bacon. “I hope the series of recitals celebrating its 50th anniversary reminds us all of how special it truly is.”

On August 4, 1968, Robert Cavarra played the first public recitals on the organ. Bach’s monumental “Fantasy and Fugue in G minor” opened the program. This dramatic work would surely have made a big impact on the listeners that day, who experienced our magnificent instrument for the first time. The rest of the recital was quite varied, designed to show off as many colorful sounds of the organ as possible.

Not long after this first program, the Austrian organist Anton Heiller, recognized as one of the greatest organists in world, came to CSU to perform. His recitals on October 20, 1968, were publicized as the “official dedication” of the Casavant organ. His program opened with the beautiful “Praeludium in d” by Georg Böhm, who is remembered for having taught organ to J.S. Bach. It ended with a major work by the German Romantic composer Max Reger, and an improvisation by Heiller on a submitted theme.

My program on Oct. 15 hopes to recreate for our listeners some of the experiences those first audiences had. The first half of my recital is comprised of Baroque works chosen from the programs of both Cavarra and Heiller. CSU’s organ was considered unusual in its time for being fashioned after Baroque ideals; skeptics wondered why a 20th century American instrument should resemble an instrument from 18th century Germany. Over the years, as we’ve come to recognize the great importance of this “golden age” of organ design in Europe, it is seen as a great advantage to have modern instruments well-suited to the repertoire of Bach and his contemporaries. Of course, CSU’s organ is beautiful and eclectic enough to handle a variety of repertoires from different time periods and regions. Both Cavarra and Heiller included Romantic and contemporary works on their recitals to demonstrate the breadth of the Casavant organ. My program will follow their lead in this regard, ending with a major Romantic work by Reger, and a toccata by the American composer Stephen Paulus.