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HANS HEINTZE e la si minore di Bach

Tramite YouTube, oggi è possibile ascoltare tanti giovani organisti cimentarsi con le opere più importanti di Johann Sebastian Bach e non si fa fatica a constatare quanto queste esecuzioni siano per lo più frutto di studio approssimato, cioè privo di quelle indicazioni che normalmente, sino a qualche decennio fa, si apprendevano nei corsi organistici dei vari conservatori.
Tanti diligenti e precisi schiaccianote, o come li ha definiti un noto organista italiano degli anni ’70, “saltimbanchi delle tastiere”, ma senza alcuna lontana parvenza di pregressa analisi compositiva architettonica e strutturale dei brani, soprattutto di quelli che esigerebbero da ogni interprete la preoccupazione di far capire a chi ascolta che quanto si sta suonando è un’opera d’arte ricca di specifiche e dettagliate connotazioni stilistiche ed espressive.
Ci si accorge di quanto qui appena affermato, se compariamo queste “nuove”, “precise” e “presuntuose” esecuzioni con quelle incise in LP soprattutto negli anni ’50, ’60 e ’70 del secolo scorso da illustri interpreti. Alludiamo alle incisioni discografiche di Anton Heiller, Hans Heintze, Helmut Walcha, Hans Vollenweider, Eduard Müller, Michael Schneider, Ferdinando Germani, Alessandro Esposito, Gianfranco Spinelli, Gaston Litaize, André Isoir, Marie Claire Alain, Heinz Wunderlich, Ludwig Doerr, Wilhelm Krumbach tanto per citarne alcuni.
Molte delle esecuzioni odierne appaiono, nel confronto, dei “vagiti organistici”, privi cioè di qualsiasi tensione ritmico-espressiva proprio del brano in esecuzione.
Si prenda ad esempio il Preludio e fuga in si minore BWV 544, uno dei brani organistici più strutturati e complessi della maturità bachiana.
Si ascoltino le diverse esecuzioni del Preludio e fuga in si minore presenti su YouTube, alcune precedute addirittura da lunghe premesse musicologiche, e confrontiamole, ad esempio, con quella di Hans Heintze in un LP inciso nel 1962 sull’organo della chiesa di San Ludgeri costruito da Arp Schnitger a Norden (Germania) che qui vi proponiamo:

J. S. Bach: Works For Organ, Vol. 11
(Prelude & Fugue in B minor, BWV 544; Toccata, Adagio & Fugue in C, BWV 564; Trio Sonata in C, BWV 529; Prelude & Fugue in D, BWV 532) / Hans Heintze, Organ [Vinyl LP] [Stereo]
HANS HEINTZE (Artista) Formato: Vinile

Hans Heintze

Hans Heintze (Conductor, Organ)
Born: 1911 – Bremen, Germany
Died: March 5, 2003 – Germany
The great organist and church musician, Hans Heintze, was born into a minister house and grew up in Bremen. He studied in Leipzig with Günther Ramin.

First stations of Hans Heintze’s work were Bad Oldesloe (1932-1933) and the Sophienkirche in Dresden (1934-1939), whereupon followed the appointment to the organist of St. Thomas Church in Leipzig as a successor of Günther Ramin. His term of office from 1940 to 1948 was interrupted by long periods of summoning to the army and the war shank. As a director of church music at St. Johannis in Lüneburg from 1949 to 1956, he had in the foreground big tasks in services and concerts. During this time he led a Bach Festival of the Neuen Bachgesellschaft (New Bach Company). Into his period in Lüneburg fell the appointments to Hochschule für Musik in Detmold and later Berlin as Professor for organ in connection with the office for church musician at the church “Zum Heilsbronnen”.
In 1958, the municipality of the Bremen’s Cathedral appointed Hans Heintze as a successor of Professor Richard Liesche to Domkantor and Cathedral organist. 17 years in this office were fulfilled by untiring work and highest artistic sense of responsibility. He actually set very high standards in the organ playing, which were then applied also to his pupils. From his school followed organists, who hold today important church musician positions. Emphasis of his outstanding organ interpretations in his homeland and abroad was the works of Bach and Reger. They were documented by recordings and radio programmes. His repertoire covered almost all styles and eras of the organ literature.

Hans Heintze’s activities in the area of oratorio church music included the participation of the Domchor (Cathedral Choir) at the music service and the weekly “Motetten” series. Apart from all the big works of J.S. Bach, Mozart and Johannes Brahms, there were important performances with works of Igor Stravinsky (Psalm Symphony), Franc Martin (Golgotha), Penderecki (Lukas-Passion), Janáček (Glagolitic Mass), Luigi Dallapiccola (Männer im Feuerofen), Ernst Pepping, Johann Nepomuk David and others. In 1971 he arranged in Bremen and was responsible for the 46th German Neue Bachgesellschaft: Bachfest.

Hans Heintze and the Domchor had big successes also abroad (Paris, Edinburgh, Barcelona, Holland, etc.). Beside all his artistic work he found still strength for various offices: Member in the board of directors of the Neuen Bach-Gesellschaft (New Bach Company) Leipzig, director of regional church music of the Bremischen Evangelischen Kirche, lecturer in organ at the Bremen’s Hochschule für Künste (temporarily also as director of the church music department).

In acknowledgement of his achievements, Hans Heintze received the “Medaille für Kunst und Wissenschaft” from the Bremen Senate, as well as the Ehrenring (Honour Ring) of the Philharmonischen Staatsorchesters. He always took part in the work of his colleagues, helpfully and advisory as a director of regional church music. After departing from the service in 1975, he was still variously active in the church music up to his death.

Lettera di Hans Heintze ad Angelo Rosso