Pipe Organ Concert at International Christian University
I went to a pipe organ concert by organist Mitsune Uchida held at International Christian University (ICU).
Since this was my first time attending a concert held in a university chapel, I left my home in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, feeling a mix of nervousness and excitement about what kind of experience it would be.
After transferring trains and arriving at Musashi-Sakai Station in Tokyo, I took a local bus for about 12 minutes. Upon reaching my destination, I found a campus nestled in a forest so lush that I couldn't believe I was still in Tokyo. Perhaps because it was a Saturday afternoon, the university grounds were very quiet.
As I passed by some blonde international female students, I heard them chatting in 100% English. I could feel the unique atmosphere that is truly International Christian University (ICU), to the point where I wondered if I was really still in Japan (laughs).
With that, I walked through the trees and eventually saw a large chapel come into view.
Entering the chapel, I saw an organ built by the Austrian firm Rieger in 1970 (3 manuals, pedalboard, and 36 stops) at the front.
It harmonized beautifully with the wooden walls and ceiling, and its appearance felt somewhat like a Japanese modern design.
Since the seating for the day was unreserved, I decided to listen from the balcony.
▼ Photography was prohibited inside the chapel on the day, so please watch the video below.
The program for the day consisted of a series of organ works spanning about 500 years, from the 16th to the 21st century.
The oldest work was "Maria zart" by A. Schlick.
Schlick, who was active in the early 16th century, is said to be one of the starting points of German organ music.
Although the work is over 200 years older than Bach's, the ancient, simple melody of prayer blended naturally into the modern chapel space, and a solemn time flowed by.
Looking at the history of German organ music in broad strokes, it goes
Schlick → Buxtehude → Bach
but in this program, I was able to hear the very beginning of that long flow of time.
After that, works by Bach, Shostakovich, Schumann, and others were performed, and the program concluded with the "Fantasia and Fugue on B-A-C-H, Op. 46" by the early 20th-century German composer and organist Max Reger.
Max Reger is said to be a composer who combined
Bach's counterpoint
Brahms's structural integrity
Wagner's harmony
.
The massive work that Reger, who deeply loved Bach, composed based on the B-A-C-H motif was overwhelmingly powerful.
In this way, the flow of organ music spanning about 500 years, from Schlick in the 16th century to Reger in the 20th, and even Masahiro Ishijima in the 21st, unfolded in a single, continuous thread within the concert program, making for a moment where I felt an indescribable sense of gratitude.
Until now, I have mainly listened to organ concerts in concert halls, but since last year, I have also started visiting concerts held in churches from time to time. (St. Mary's Cathedral, Tokyo,St. Luke's Chapel,Reinanzaka Church)
When viewed as an acoustic space, each church has its own characteristics, but the "serenity" of the ICU chapel was particularly impressive.
There was no coughing between pieces, and there were moments when the sound in the vast chapel space completely vanished; I feel that this extraordinary silence was another "element of music" for the day.
The organ is a massive instrument, or rather an architectural space, and I felt once again that the experience of what comes after the sound fades is also part of the charm of organ music.
International Christian University (ICU) has another pipe organ concert scheduled for this autumn.
※ For details,click here
Why not visit once in search of a time to step away from the hustle and bustle and enjoy some tranquility?
Program
Fantasia on "Komm, heiliger Geist, Herre Gott" BWV 651 / J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
Maria zart / A. Schlick (1460-1527)
Registrations / Masahiro Ishijima (1960-)
Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele BWV 654 / J.S. Bach
Prelude and Fugue in G Major BWV 541 / J.S. Bach
Passacaglia from "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District" / D. Shostakovich (1906-1975)
From Studies for Pedal Piano
From Studien für den Pedalflügel op. 56 / R. Schumann (1810-1856)
Fantasia and Fugue on B-A-C-H / M. Reger (1873-1916)
Mitsune Uchida Profile
She began playing the organ at the age of 12, graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, and completed her master's degree at the same university. During her studies, she received the Ataka Prize and the Acanthus Music Prize. She studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich with a DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) scholarship, and after completing her master's degree, she received grants from the Nomura Foundation and the City of Hamburg to study in the Konzertexamen program at the Hamburg University of Music and Theatre.
She studied organ under Hiroko Asai, Kensuke Ohira, Rie Hiroe, Bernhard Haas, and Wolfgang Zerer, and harpsichord under Mami Hirosawa, Genzo Takehisa, and Christine Schornsheim. She won 3rd prize at the 14th Gottfried Silbermann Organ Competition and the 24th Wiesbaden Bach Prize Organ Competition.
In April 2025, she was appointed Music Director at Hotel Nikko Fukuoka, where she plans and performs in monthly regular concerts at the affiliated chapel, 'Chapel Priere.' She is a member of the Japan Organist Association.
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