La Crosse Cathedral organist to perform Feb 18th

Brian Luckner, who put together a world-class recital series to dedicate the Cathedral’s new organ, will take center stage next week in the third recital in the series.

Luckner, organist and director of music at the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman, will perform on the new Noack pipe organ Friday at the cathedral. He will play music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Cesar Franck, Olivier Messiaen, Louis Vierne and Dietrich Buxtehude.

He said he is looking forward to the performance because he doesn’t give many solo recitals.

“My focus is on liturgical music, but the recital repertoire is not radically different than the repertoire I play on a regular basis,” Luckner said.

Olivier Latry, organist at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, and Martin Baker, organist at Westminster Cathedral in London, gave the first two recitals in the dedicatory series.

“This organ is a wonderful instrument as I thought it would be,” Luckner said. “It makes my work day more pleasant that I get to play that fine organ.

“It works well with choir and doesn’t overwhelm the choir,” he said. “It provides a good balance with the choir.”

Luckner said his recital repertoire is well-known organ music.

“It will show off the capabilities of this organ and the variety of colors,” he said. “It’s a sampler of sounds the organ can produce.”

Buxtehude’s “Praeludium in E minor” from the Early Baroque Period will display the crispness and clarity of the organ, Luckner said. Vierne’s third symphony will show the warm, lush and romantic side of the organ, he added.

With Bach’s “Passacaglia,” his favorite Bach piece, Luckner said he will change registrations almost continuously when he plays the piece.

Franck’s “Choral No. 2 in B minor” is a more aggressive sound, he said. Luckner will conclude with the fourth movement of Messiaen’s “The Birth of the Lord.”

“By the end, it’s full organ and rhythmically thrilling,” Luckner said.

La Crosse Tribune

What: Cathedral Organ Dedicatory Recital Series concert by Brian Luckner
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18
Where: Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman, 530 Main St.
Admission: Free; an offering will be taken