A commission for this occasion by Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ (FOKO) began the musical program. The Concertino FOKO, Op. 1073, by Carson Cooman (b. 1982) was given its world premiere by Cornils, organ, and the Kotzschmar Festival Brass conducted by Conte. In the composer’s description: “The music begins with a raucous salvo by brass and percussion, attempting to wake up the sleeping organ. The sleepy organ responds with its quietest sounds, and the brass try again, getting a bit more of a response. After a third try, the organ bursts awake in a vibrant mini-toccata in which the brass and percussion joyfully join. A slower, lyrical middle section combines solo stops in the organ with solos for the brass. A cadenza for the organ pedals leads to a return of the opening music and a blazing and vibrant conclusion.” Cornils and the brass gave a (literally?) rousing performance of this effective pièce d’occasion offering both pleasant lyricism in the relaxed passages and exciting display in the more brilliant ones while displaying the seductive strings and smooth flutes of the rejuvenated organ.
— Geoffrey Wieting in The Boston Musical Intelligencer (click for full article)
