Kueer Kultur Review: Smoky Mary’s Skinner’s Septuagesima

Smoky Mary’s Skinner’s Septuagesima

January 11^th, 2003 by Ruby Lips
All the usual suspects, resplendent in rumpled tweeds, hoary eyebrows arched and lips pursed in anticipation, emerged from their hovels and pieds a terre to hear McNeil Robinson play Saint Mary the Virgin’s Aeolian-Skinner on the occasion of the seventieth anniversary of the organ’s dedication. This recital was one of those high church events of the organ concert season, as it were. Besuited organists and aficionados packed the pews— and plucked the canapé platters clean during the reception after the performance.

Since its installation in 1933, this grand organ has more or less been perpetually in the process of incompletion, much like a certain cathedral uptown. The ornate wood casing, never put in place, supposedly remains stored somewhere in a basement, I was told by a crusty yet flamboyant organist older than the instrument itself. The massive assemblage of pipes remains industrially naked on a huge dark ledge high above the rear gallery.

One of the most recent additions, according to the recital program notes, is a floating chorus trumpet, which was originally installed at Saint Thomas Church in 1956, used by Marcel Duprė during a recording he made there, and then removed from that instrument shortly thereafter. Some years later, it was moved to Saint Mary the Virgin — and stored in its basement of treasures for 38 years! Ah well; masterworks take time, as a certain Roman painter who was fond of muscular naked men once pointed out to an impatient prelate. The trumpet, at last installed in the Virgin’s Skinner, was heard for the first time tonight in its new incarnation.

This evening’s performance was properly presided over by the Rector who sat throughout, clutching his bible, facing the audience from a seat just behind the marble chancel rail. The program began thunderously with Jean-Jacques Beauvarlet-Carpentier’s Fugue en sol mineur. Three intriguing pieces from the c.1580 Castell’ Arquato manuscripts followed. After that the audience was enthralled by more modern works; Reger’s Benedictus, op 59, and Tokkata in d-moll, op 59; and Duprė’s Sept Piėces, Op 27, Souvenir and Carillon. Words cannot describe how glorious the latter were. As the Duprė was to be followed by a brief intermission, the audience enthusiastically applauded and began to rise. But wait, what happened to Franck’s Choral II en si mineur that was to have preceded the Duprė? Most of us pretentious queens never knew the difference but the true musicians noticed. No worries, Mr. Robinson paused briefly and then played the Franck followed by much deserved further applause.

After the intermission came Franck’s Six Piėces, Final, Op. 21. The grand conclusion was a wonderful, seemingly endless, improvisation based upon hymn 519. Thunderous standing ovation applause and then an encore. What was it?, we whispered. “The same theme" as the improvisation, the crusty old organist said, rolling his eyes at our ignorance while the applause went on and on. And then Mr. Robinson sat down for a second encore. Now what was this, we whispered again. "THE SAME THEME AGAIN!" muttered the old organist shaking his head at our twittering lack of enlightenment.

And then came the canapés that we descended upon like the horde of unwashed savages we were.