Stjepan Šulek: Triptych for organ

In Šulek’s oeuvre, the organ is represented by two works: the monumental Concerto for Organ and Symphony Orchestra from 1974, and the Triptych for Solo Organ from 1982. Although the circumstances surrounding the composition of the former are well known – namely, the inauguration of the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall organ in Zagreb – the origins of the latter remain comparatively obscure. Nevertheless, both pieces may be associated with Anđelko Klobučar (1931 – 2016), organist of Zagreb Cathedral, who gave the premieres of both compositions. Thus, the premiere of the Concerto was held on June 24, 1974 on the then newly built four-manual organ of the Walcker workshop (Klobučar performed as a soloist the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Šulek himself), while Klobučar’s only known performance of the Triptych was at a concert in the Franciscan church on Zagreb’s Kaptol on October 21, 1985.5 Significantly, both works bear subtitles characteristic of Šulek’s artistic worldview, conveying messages of warning (Concerto: Memento! …) and hope (Triptych: Dona nobis pacem …).
The The Triptych for Organ (Dona nobis pacem…) is of much more modest proportions, and – to some extent – less artistically ambitious as well. Here, Šulek draws equally upon the examples of Bach and Beethoven, his lifelong musical ideals.6 The relatively rare performances of this work may largely be attributed to the limited accessibility of the score, which – until now – has never been published.

(Pavao Mašić, translated by Mia Pleša)

HDS, Cantus, 2026.
Edition numbers: Can. ‭404-3770
ISMN 979-0-801363-77-0