Music Review: Monica Czausz Berney
by James Fitzsimmons
(L) The Walt Disney Concert Hall organ: (Photo: James Fitzsimmons) (R) Monica Czausz Berney
If you think of an organ as slow, stodgy, and grinding, you would be amazed by the pulse-pounding performance that Monica Czausz Berney delivered at Los Angeles's Walt Disney Concert Hall on March 13, 2022.
Berney, hailed in 2016 when she was just 22 as one of the top 20 organists under 30, performs regularly around the country and has won many organ competitions (1). I had been looking forward to hearing Berney at Disney Hall in 2020, but the pandemic put that event on hold until this year. It was worth the wait!
Visually and aurally, the Disney Hall concert organ is a force of nature. I was surprised to learn that the visible pipes, often referred to as "French fries" because of their long, sweeping curves, comprise only 2% of the instrument's 6134 pipes, the longest measuring 32 feet and the shortest 6 inches (2). The organ's range is described as "super pianissimo to breathtaking fortissimo" (3). Taking my seat amidst the hall's famous architecture and acoustics, I anticipated an explosion of sight and sound.
Surprisingly, Berney started her concert with light jazz, the Rondo from Sinfonietta, op. 49 by Nikolai Kapustin. Kapustin, a Russian composer of Ukrainian citizenship who passed away in 2020, fused classic and jazz styles, and this piece showed off the organ's versatility in a breezy presto that reminded me of Gershwin.
Berney continued with traditional organ fare, the Mendelssohn Allegro, Chorale, and Fugue, and the J.S. Bach Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 538, showing off her command of Romantic and Baroque music.
Next, Berney played Jeanne Demessieux's Te Deum, op. 11, a famed take on a traditional religious chant. Demessieux, a French organist and composer active in the mid-20th century, endured sexist attitudes toward her, though there were other excellent women organists of the day. Perhaps her male critics were intimidated by her mastery of all forms of organ music (including improvisation), her many recordings on 78s and LPs, and her ability to play pieces with demanding pedal work in high heels (4). It's clear that Berney finds Demessieux inspiring.
The soloist lightened up the program with Arabesques by Lebanese composer Naji Hakim. Berney enjoys commenting on each piece in an easy-going manner and described these dances as if one were looking for a dance class at a studio, opening the door to peek in at each class and finding the right one for the Rondeau finale.
Berney finished her concert with the third movement Scherzo from Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony. I've heard Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic perform this symphony live. Berney performed the piece as if one could conduct and play all sections of an orchestra simultaneously, leveraging the full range of the organ to bring out Tchaikovsky's fire and passion on a par with the LA Phil.
With Monica Czausz Berney's organ mastery, engaging stage presence, and ability to program an eclectic concert by alternating light and heavy pieces, I can't wait for her next Los Angeles concert!
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Sources:
1 https://www.thediapason.com/content/class-2016-20-leaders-under-age-30
2 http://www.rosales.com/instruments/op24/insideDHorgan.pdf
3 http://www.rosales.com/instruments/op24/index.htm
4 https://kirkcenter.org/reviews/jeanne-demessieux-a-great-organists-centenary/