September 2024
This week, Northern Beaches Mums spoke with organist Marko Sever and acclaimed violinist & Artistic Director Madeleine Easton to discuss Bach Akademie Australia’s In the Steps of Bach – The Road to Lübeck performing this week in Sydney and Newcastle.
Can you tell us about your career as an organist? How did you get your start?
Marko Sever: I was thrust onto the organ console when I was at school, and my music teacher said I had a knack for it. I fell in love with the beast, and the rest is history! I got my big break a few years ago when I got a job at Westminster Cathedral in London, but I loved Australia too much that I decided to come back. 300 days of sunshine – you can’t beat it!
What do you most enjoy about performing live?
MS: There’s a very human element to live performances – it somehow feels more fresh and spontaneous, as opposed to something that’s highly edited on Spotify or iTunes. There’s also a nervous energy about performing live that makes you play differently. If you can harness the nerves, it can make your performances even more eccentric than you’d otherwise dare!
Can you tell us more about your relationship with Bach Akademie Australia? Have you performed with the ensemble before?
MS: When I got back to Sydney in 2022, Maddy snapped me up to play in one of her concerts, and it was a thrill to be able to play my favourite composer’s music through a different medium. While I regularly play Bach’s solo organ repertoire, his Cantatas became a new way to experience his music because you’re having to work with other musicians as an unified organism. Bach Akademie Australia is possibly the finest example of this in the southern hemisphere.
How would you describe In the Steps of Bach – The Road to Lübeck in three words?
MS: Elegant, effervescent, human.
Can you share some insights into the creative process behind creating In the Steps of Bach – The Road to Lübeck?
Madeleine Easton: The first thing I did was research the music Bach took with him in his backpack on that long 400km trek north, got to know it, and began the process of putting together a program of music that would be engaging and interesting to listen to, interspersing the organ works with instruments works, then ending with the Bach Cantata. It takes a while to come to the finished program, but it’s a fun process!
What can audiences expect from this upcoming concert?
ME: Audiences can expect to be blown away by the sheer sound and magnificence of the newly refurbished organ at St James’ Church and also in Christchurch Cathedral Newcastle. Bach’s long walk has given us an incredible opportunity to showcase these instruments and perform music people might not have heard alongside famous works of of Bach, Buxtehude and Pachelbel. It will be epic!!!
This concert series performs at St James Church, Sydney on Friday 20 September 7:30pm and at Christ Church Cathedral, Newcastle on Sunday 22 September 2:30pm.
