- Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
The Seventh-day Adventist Church Orchestra Symphony of Praise in performance during Sunday's 'Evening of Inspirational Classics' at the Meadowvale Seventh-day Adventist Church on Chancery Street, St. Andrew.
Michael Reckord, Contributor
DR. KAESTNER Robertson, a Jamaican pianist and organist and professor of music at Atlantic Union College, Massachusetts, in the United States was the guest performer at the concert, 'Inspirational Classics', organised by Meadowvale Seventh-day Adventist Church on Sunday.
His contribution to the concert, which consisted of several organ pieces, was well received.
In fact, he got a standing ovation after his final item, Carillon de Westminster (Louis Vierne), and the MC Elder Noel Thompson, was moved to speak of "the overwhelming magnificence of Dr Kaestner's playing".
Dr Robertson played in three segments of the evening's programme. The first was four 'Preludes/Postludes based on Hymn Tunes', the best-known hymn being Hark, the Herald Angels Sing. He returned to accompany the Adventist Praise Chorale with Schubert's composition for the 23rd Psalm, after which he performed three spirituals: Every Time I Feel the Spirit, Kum Ba Yah and Roll, Jordan, Roll.
His final segment was titled 'Four Concert Pieces', all of which had a French connection. They were Toccata (Eugene Gigout), Divertissement and Grand Choeur (Gordon Young), Toccata on von Himmel Hoch (Garth Edmundson) and Carillon de Westminster.
Dr. Robertson's items were cleverly arranged in that the offerings came in an ascending order of audience popularity.
The first segment drew light applause, the second more, and the third, the most.
OTHER PERFORMERS
Other performers were the Meadowvale Speech Chorale, a speech and drama group led by youth director, Celia Salmon, saxophonist, Lennox Smart, the SDA Orchestra Symphony of Praise (a year-old, 25-piece orchestra, though only 15 were on the platform on Sunday), and the Praise Chorale.
The chorale was the best of the SDA performers and one was not surprised when informed by the MC that the 18-strong, eight-year-old ensemble had performed in Antigua, New York City and Washington, D.C.
Under the baton of their conductor, Snr. Supt. George Moodie, the Chorale's presentation of All Creatures of Our God and King (words by St Francis of Assisi - 1225) showed excellent tone, precision and feeling.
The artistic presentations kicked off with the Speech Chorale's offering of a poem, My Lord, My God, which featured a group of Jamaicans from various walks of life meeting to praise God.
In their second item, I Shall Return, the group, dressed as peasant travellers expressed their desire for Jesus' return. The group's presentations were mediocre and they demonstrated more enthusiasm than texture and modulation of feeling.
The orchestra presented, first, César Franck's Panis Angelicus and, second, In a Monastery Garden (by A. W. Keteibey), both beautiful pieces when well played. The orchestra, which is only a year old and still has much to learn, did not do the pieces justice.
The proceeds from the concert go to the Sunbeam Basic School. The school opened its doors in September 1992 with a staff of four - the principal, two teachers, one ancillary worker and 55 students. Today, the school has some 190 students as well as a principal, seven teachers and three ancillary workers. The audience was told that the school's most pressing needs were space, a play area and equipment.
