CONCERT
Protestant Church Kilchberg

Jöri Murk, Adliswil, master of panflute, captivated the audience with a clean,
full sound; rarely fluctuating in tune..             Picture: K.Hofer

Panflute and organ – a rare combination of instruments:

Sunday – a beautiful winter day. Who could blame the two interpreters, Hermann Hirs (organ) and Jöri Murk (panflute), that they didn’t believe a large number of public would be showing up? But not at all – at the beginning of the concert, the church, decorated with candlelight, was filled to the rafters. The ensemble of panflute and organ creates a certain fascination. The program of the concert consisted of, besides well-known and unknown classical pieces, also a number of Rumanian folklore. The panflute mainly achieved its popularity due to Rumanian folk music.

The concert was opened with the organ solo "Andante Grazioso" from A.Corelli. The calm sound at the beginning of the opus, which increased gradually and ended in a roaring, rattling fortissimo, revealed that Hermann Hirs is a master of registration who creates a maximum effect from a simple piece of music. Following one was waiting expectantly for the performance of panflute and organ. Would the problem of playing in clean tune be mastered? Would the organ not be too domineering? Likewise, the concerns were unnecessary. In the pieces "Largo and Sarabande" from G.F.Handel, the "Aria" from J.S.Bach and the "Ave verum" from W.A.Mozart, Jöri Murk captivated the public with a pure, full sound which was hardly wavering; Hermann Hirs elicited from the organ incredible pianissimos. Especially impressive was the ensemble in the "Sarabande", where it sounded like the panflute was a further stop of the organ. For diversity, the organ solo "Voluntary in C-Major" from H.Purcell however could fill with enthusiasm through its rich coloring.

With four Rumanian folksongs

Jöri Murk demonstrated his remarkable skills. Especially in calm pieces he showed the multitudes of sounds possible on a panflute fully. Like in "Serenissime" from G.Zamfir, where the palette of sounds reached from dark, smoky to a piercing whistle.

As one knows Hermann Hirs, he is always eager to perform rather unknown works. With "Voluntary in G-Major" he presented a treasure from the late baroque. After the "Song without Words" from F.Mendelson they performed the "Ave Maria" from F.Schubert. In these pieces the two performers showed their true skills and at the end it was like the organ was floating. In the 3 old Rumanian melodies, Jöri Murk was very convincing as soloist, and one could indulge fully in the delightful sounds of the panflute.

Only after the final "Fanfare" from H.Purcell, the public dared to express their enthusiasm with applause. By repeating Zamfir’s "Serenisssime" the two musicians expressed their thanks. Hermann Hirs and Jöri Murk gave a present of a thoughtful and happy evening to the public..