Doctor of Music Recital
April 15, 2016
C. B. Fisk, Op. 135 http://www.cbfisk.com/instruments/opus_135
Auer Hall
Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University Bloomington

Max Reger wrote this monumental chorale fantasia on Martin Luther's hymn, Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott (A Mighty Fortress is Our God) in 1898. Reger dedicated it to his friend and virtuoso organist, Karl Straube. This hymn (also known as "The Battle Hymn of the Reformation") is one of the most cherished hymns in the Lutheran church.

I have to admit that I am puzzled by the first two verses as every few lines of text alternates between two very distant keys (D Major and B-flat Major). The effect is dramatic but very jarring.

I love the third verse with its dramatic text painting for each line--the melody struggling to be heard in the tenor voice between the chaotic chords in the manuals and double pedal as the "devils threaten to devour us," or how the melody rings out triumphantly in the top voice during the next line, "We will not fear" over a virtuosic bass line in the pedals. Finally, there is that long 2-page diminuendo with its chromatic and lush harmonies, which ends on the words "one little word shall fell him." Thrilling music!

Phantasie über den Choral "Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott" Op. 27 by Max Reger

Doctor of Music Recital
April 15, 2016
C. B. Fisk, Op. 135 http://www.cbfisk.com/instruments/opus_135
Auer Hall
Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University Bloomington

Symphony No. 3 in F-sharp Minor, Op. 28: Allegro maestoso (I) by Louis Vierne

Symphony No. 3 in F-sharp Minor, Op. 28: Cantilène (II) by Louis Vierne

Doctor of Music Recital
April 15, 2016
C. B. Fisk, Op. 135 www.cbfisk.com/instruments/opus_135
Auer Hall
Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University Bloomington

Symphony No. 3 in F-sharp Minor, Op. 28: Intermezzo (III) by Louis Vierne

Symphony No. 3 in F-sharp Minor, Op. 28: Adagio (IV) by Louis Vierne

Doctor of Music Recital
March 6, 2017
C. B. Fisk, Op. 135 www.cbfisk.com/instruments/opus_135
Auer Hall
Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University Bloomington

Carillon appears in Marcel Dupré’s Sept Pièces, Op. 27 from 1931. Dupré performed the entire suite of pieces during his recitals in the 1930s. Each piece is dedicated to the friends he made during his concert tours of the United States and Canada during the 1920s, including Lynwood Farnam, Ernest Skinner, and Albert Riemenschneider. Carillon was dedicated to Frederick C. Meyer, Director of Music at the West Point Military Academy. The Cadet Chapel on the campus houses both a large pipe organ and carillon. 

The piece recalls the bells of the Church of the Immaculate Conception, in Elbeuf, where Dupré’s father was the organist. One can hear the quarter-hour chime melody in the opening eighth-note motif. The pedal enters with a leaping ninth theme in half-notes. These ninths appear in both diminution and inversion, which contribute much to the development section.

With only two instances of an eighth-rest to breathe between sections, the development has a relentless quality with the constant pealing quarter chime motif. A leaping octave ostinato in the pedals on the notes E and F builds to the return of the tonic key of A Major. The quarter chime motif is now heard in augmentation, first as syncopated chords in the left hand, and then as the main melody leading into the unexpected key of B-flat major. Here, the quarter chime is heard in both eighth-notes and half-notes. An insistent succession of detached quarter-note chords outlines the quarter chime over a chromatic bass before ending in the bright key of A Major.

Carillon, from Seven Pieces, Op. 27 by Marcel Dupré

Doctor of Music Recital--in memory of my father and educator, Dennis Rogahn
March 6, 2017
C. B. Fisk, Op. 135 www.cbfisk.com/instruments/opus_135
Auer Hall
Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University Bloomington

Kyrie 3: Cromorne en taille à deux parties from Messe pour orgue (1699) by Nicolas de Grigny

Perpetuum Mobile, from Twelve Pieces, Op. 80 by Max Reger (1873–1916)

Intermezzo, from Twelve Pieces, Op. 80 by Max Reger (1873–1916)

Doctor of Music Recital
March 6, 2017
C. B. Fisk, Op. 135 www.cbfisk.com/instruments/opus_135
Auer Hall
Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University Bloomington

Here is a recording of the last movement of Vierne's Symphony No. 5. I have to admit that this symphony has become my favorite one. With this final movement, you'll have to imagine that you've already heard 30+ minutes of musical pain and agony. The Finale begins joyously, but the second theme is filled with anguish. I love the conflict this creates, and this tension does not resolve until the end. Personally, the music speaks to me during our challenging times.

Final, from Symphony No. 5 in A Minor, Op. 47 (1923–4) by Louis Vierne (1870–1937)

2010 Choralfest
Bloomington AGO Festival Singers
Ryan Tibbets, conductor
Peter Rogahn, organist
St. Meinrad Archabbey
St. Meinrad, IN

A Celebration of Chant - An Evening of Choral and Organ Music inspired by Chant

Blessed City, Heavenly Salem -- Edward C. Bairstow

Peter Rogahn enjoys a varied career as an organist, pianist, choral director, and teacher. His mission is to share his passion for music with others through performing, teaching, and mentoring. Peter Rogahn recently joined the Music Ministry at First Presbyterian Church of Nashville in October 2019, where he serves as Organist and Assistant Director of Music.

Peter previously served as Precentor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. A believer in the positive impact of music in education, he served for four years as Choral Accompanist and Instructional Assistant at Lawrence North High School, Indianapolis, where he accompanied the school’s six choirs and assisted with music theory, piano, and electronic music classes. During his time in Indianapolis, he also accompanied several choral ensembles including the University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis Children’s Choir, and Center Grove High School choirs. 

His performance experience spans a variety of settings in solo and ensemble. Recent performances include a recital at Third Baptist Church in St. Louis, the 2015 Indianapolis Pipe Organ Festival, a recital at St. Thomas Church in New York City, and Pedal to the Metal, a concert featuring pieces for the organ pedals at St. Paul's Episcopal in Indianapolis. He is a prizewinner of several competitions, including 2nd prize at the Twin Cities American Guild of Organists scholarship competition in 2005, and 1st prize ratings from the Texas Federation of Music Clubs State Festivals in organ and hymn playing from 2000-2003. He also won the 2007 Concordia College Senior Honors Concerto Competition, where he performed Samuel Barber’s Toccata Festiva with the Concordia College Orchestra.

Peter is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Music degree in Organ Performance at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He is a recipient of the Indiana University Artistic Excellence Award and the Indiana University Graduate Tuition Award. Peter holds a Performer Diploma and a Master of Music degree from Indiana. He received his Bachelor of Music degree from Concordia College, Moorhead, MN. His principal teachers have included: Christopher Young, Peter Nygaard, and Harold Rutz.

Peter Rogahn, Organist

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