Being born and dying on 'the 4th of July', your nation's independence day and the national holiday of your 'second homeland' — that's not given to everyone. But Flor Peeters (1903-1986) had it. Last Saturday, July 4th, saw a thunderous celebration in Mechelen's Sint-Romboutskathedraal, where the Master spent half a century building an important part of his musical legacy.
The monumental Stevens organ was played by his successor Peter Pieters and by Stijn Hanssens, himself a student of Peter Pieters and director of the Halle Academy of Arts. Soccer, cycling, fairs, and barbecue season had no hold on those truly interested.
Introduced by Pastor Filip Hacour, both organists explained their program. This yielded interesting details and proved worthwhile. For Flor Peeters' music, however impressive, isn't always immediately accessible. This is the case, for example, with the much-praised opus 66, 'Lied Symphony' from 1948. More so than 'Lied to the Ocean', 'Lied to the Desert', 'Lied to the Mountains', and 'Lied to the Sun', the promising 'Lied to the Flowers' doesn't deliver that spontaneous overwhelming feeling of "yes, that's it!". True to its title, it's a colorful jumble of motifs but lacks a connecting, flowing thread. It is precisely this abundance, this versatility in Peeters' work, this blend of French charm and Germanic rigor, of liturgical and folk elements, of tradition and modernism, of harmony and dissonance, these experiments with polyrhythm and polytonality, that demand effort from the listener. Yet most pieces received high marks.
It began impressively with an early work from 1925. The 'Symphonic Fantasy' was the culmination of Peeters' training, which proceeded at lightning speed. Opposite the graceful post-Romantic influence of Franck and Tournemire stands the solid construction of the Germanic tradition of Reger and Karg. The result is a sturdy ABA structure with solid outer sections, an animated middle section, and an almost symphonic finale.
Ten years and many concert tours later, he returned to our authentic Flemish 'Heer Jezus heeft een hofken'. He varied it in a modernistic way and didn't shy away from dissonance. Another ten years on, in 1945, Flor Peeters reworked the middle section of his Sonata for Trumpet and Piano at the request of Berten De Keyzer, sexton, organist, journalist, organ enthusiast and author, who through his organ journal 'De Schalmei' made an active contribution to Flemish organ literature. This resulted in a delightful 'Aria', sustained by a broad meditative melody.
After an imposing finale of 'Toccata, Fugue and Hymn on Ave Maria Stella', Stijn Hanssens took up the hymn theme in 'Four Pieces opus 71' with a powerful approach. What followed, 'Largo', he called "one of the most beautiful compositions by Flor Peeters". Rightly so, with that flowing movement, the warm melody and the richly nuanced accompaniment. The same intensity spoke from 'Elegy'. Peeters composed it after his mother's death, with whom he had a strong bond, especially since he lost his father very young.
Another personal connection concerned 'Abbey Peace'. In 1927, when organ concerts in churches were not self-evident, Flor Peeters attended a liturgical congress at Tongerlo Abbey and received permission to perform there. In gratitude, he wrote 'Abbey Peace' "In sincere affection to my good friend Fr. Tharcicius Valvekens, dedicated from the heart". The native of Kempen from Tielen knew how to capture Kempen's tranquility in sound. No more typical finale than the 'Flemish Rhapsody' was unimaginable. In a letter from the States to his Marieke, Flor told how he wrote it on a train between Hamburg and Cologne. Homesickness for his Flemish roots perhaps inspired him to a melodious reverie on our familiar 'Ik zag Cecilia komen'.
