The Organ, Master of them all - general organ thread

Started by Harry, January 08, 2008, 01:08:57 AM

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Elk

A friend brought 2 more recordings of the Brahms over: Bowyer's and Ghielmi's. The Bowyer is quick, but each voice so beautifully recorded, hard to fault- another worthy choice.

Mandryka

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premont

Quote from: Mandryka on January 21, 2023, 06:18:04 AMA little bit of Titelouze . . . . on a gorgeous little reed organ!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpPWuBEojko&ab_channel=GerardvanReenen

Thanks, very beautiful and introvert expressive (and of course no fuss with the registrations), much like his similarly introvert clavichord recording of Hexachordum Apollinis.
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Papy Oli

#1044
"Organ stops, saving the king of instruments"

Came across this documentary randomly last night on the BBC Iplayer, heart-breaking and heart-warming in equal measures, through the passion of this organ "rescuer". A good watch for those who can access it. Interesting to see the "innards" of organ for a newbie like me. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001gmv3/organ-stops-saving-the-king-of-instruments

Description: Narrated by organ enthusiast Huw Edwards, Organ Stops follows a handful of eccentric devotees rescuing and restoring abandoned pipe organs from closing churches. As Martin Renshaw trawls churches for hidden gems in the form of precious instruments, he meets people like 95-year-old organist Blanche Beer, whose long life has been shaped by music and community.

In a Durham church, a wonderful organ is discovered that becomes the redemptive story at the heart of the film. The organ is saved and lovingly restored, becoming the musical heart of a vibrant church in London.

A poignant documentary about loss and rebirth, and the role music plays in our lives.


PS: You can rent the documentary on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/organstops

PPS: For the UK viewers, it is a slightly odd hearing Huw Edwards (for non-UK, a famous BBC news presenter) narrating parts of the documentary. It turns out he is a keen organist himself and vice-president of the National Churches trust. Here is his article on his passion for organ and the works on churches and saving organs: https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/news/organ-stops-huw-edwards-narrates-new-film-bbc
Olivier

Mandryka

Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Mandryka

#1046


Weir makes big claims for this set of a dozen fugues,  a sort of French AoF she says - and maybe she's got a point if we restrict things to the first published AoF. She slows things down, which reduces the feeling of the Italian style, and gives the music a special nobility. I think that was a good decision. The organ at Thionville, early 18th century, imported to Thionville from Metz,  is fine and is well recorded. It is a powerful and sensual organ. Weir's registrations are restrained, not at all symphonic, the overall feeling is of serious music. Sensual gravity.

 I think this is one of the great recordings of French organ music, and I think Roberday is probably a great composer of organ music.

https://www.musiqueorguequebec.ca/orgues/france/thionvillesm.html
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premont

Quote from: Mandryka on February 07, 2023, 12:18:11 AM

Weir makes big claims for this set of a dozen fugues,  a sort of French AoF she says - and maybe she's got a point if we restrict things to the first published AoF. She slows things down, which reduces the feeling of the Italian style, and gives the music a special nobility. I think that was a good decision. The organ at Thionville, early 18th century, imported to Thionville from Metz,  is fine and is well recorded. It is a powerful and sensual organ. Weir's registrations are restrained, not at all symphonic, the overall feeling is of serious music. Sensual gravity.

 I think this is one of the great recordings of French organ music, and I think Roberday is probably a great composer of organ music.

https://www.musiqueorguequebec.ca/orgues/france/thionvillesm.html

Your mention of the Kern orgel in Thionville made me think that Weir re-recorded the Roberday fugues, but I have not been able to find a new recording by her on that organ, and according to Presto this (according to the picture you have posted) is actually her old recording (Argo 1974 recently re-released by Eloquence) on the modern Kuhn organ of St. Leonhardt Basel. Once I owned it on LP.

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9248437--gillian-weir-a-celebration-vol-7-roberday

https://orgel-basel.ch/de/orgeln/st-leonhard
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Mandryka

Quote from: premont on February 08, 2023, 12:47:44 AMYour mention of the Kern orgel in Thionville made me think that Weir re-recorded the Roberday fugues, but I have not been able to find a new recording by her on that organ, and according to Presto this (according to the picture you have posted) is actually her old recording (Argo 1974 recently re-released by Eloquence) on the modern Kuhn organ of St. Leonhardt Basel. Once I owned it on LP.

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9248437--gillian-weir-a-celebration-vol-7-roberday

https://orgel-basel.ch/de/orgeln/st-leonhard

Oh!   I said it jumped to the conclusion it was at Thionville was because of the listing on France Orgue -- is it just a mistake?

https://www.france-orgue.fr/disque/index.php?zpg=dsq.fra.rch&org=weir&tit=&oeu=roberday&ins=&cdo=1&dvo=1&vno=1&cmd=Rechercher&edi=

I still think it's a great recording.
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premont

Quote from: Mandryka on February 08, 2023, 01:29:37 AMOh!  I said it jumped to the conclusion it was at Thionville was because of the listing on France Orgue -- is it just a mistake?

Yes a mistake. It's evidently the Basel recording. France-orgue isn't always correct.

Quote from: Mandryka on February 08, 2023, 01:29:37 AMI still think it's a great recording.

I'm not sure that I have uploaded the Claude Terasse recording on the Sarlat organ of five of the pieces to you? And have you heard Isoir's recording or Eric Brottier's?
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Mandryka

Quote from: premont on February 08, 2023, 01:47:14 AMYes a mistake. It's evidently the Basel recording. France-orgue isn't always correct.

I'm not sure that I have uploaded the Claude Terasse recording on the Sarlat organ of five of the pieces to you? And have you heard Isoir's recording or Eric Brottier's?

Yes I've heard both of these, but I don't think they detract from Weir's achievement in that recording, partly because of the gravitas she brings to the music.

I was prompted to go back to Roberday after listening to Berben's new CD.
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premont

Quote from: Mandryka on February 08, 2023, 03:14:23 AMpartly because of the gravitas she brings to the music.

This is not how I recall it - rather I found it somewhat leight-weight, but it is more than thirty years since I last heard it. I am going to re-acquire it, my taste may have changed since then.
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Mandryka

#1052
I'd be really surprised if you didn't enjoy it @premont  -- it's been a constant source of pleasure for me for many years now.  But this may be a way for you to check before taking the plunge

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=weir+roberday+
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premont

Quote from: Mandryka on February 08, 2023, 09:43:25 AMI'd be really surprised if you didn't enjoy it @premont  -- it's been a constant source of pleasure for me for many years now.  But this may be a way for you to check before taking the plunge

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=weir+roberday+

Thanx, but my - as to these things - impatient nature has forced me to acquire it already.
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premont

Quote from: Mandryka on February 08, 2023, 09:43:25 AMI'd be really surprised if you didn't enjoy it premont  -- it's been a constant source of pleasure for me for many years now.  But this may be a way for you to check before taking the plunge

Having listened to the recording I admit that Weir's interpretation is more considered and weighty than I recalled, except for a few of the fugues (particularly no. eight) where her approach seems to contradict the character of the music. Maybe she doesn't look at the fugues as individual pieces but wants to play them in a contrasting (listener-friendly) sequence.

But most of all I have problems with the organ. I know that it is relatively new and constitutes a reconstruction of the original Andreas Silbermann organ which was lost. Despite this I think the organ sounds relatively generic - not French enough except for a few reed stops. Nowhere can I find information of the tuning, but my ears tell me that it is tuned close to equally (probably some late heavily modified meantone). In the case of Roberday I think pure meantone (1/4 comma) would be appropriate, and the tuning of this organ "neutralizes" Roberday's often very chromatic writing. Roberday's fugues predate Andreas Silbermann's active time with at least 40 years, and a Silbermann organ (or a copy thereof) may even be anachronistic for the music.

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Mandryka

#1055
Does anyone know if Johan Caspar Ferdinand Fischer's Ariadne Musica is only doable on organ, or can it be played on a harpsichord like WTC? Anyway, listening now for the first time to Schoonbroodt's recording of the whole caboodle, though I've heard one or two excerpts played by Leonhardt. Bach, it is not, and I'm not sure I'll be able to get past F minor.  Leonhardt made the music sound more interesting I think.


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premont

Quote from: Mandryka on February 12, 2023, 01:45:27 AMDoes anyone know if Johan Caspar Ferdinand Fischer's Ariadne Musica is only doable on organ, or can it be played on a harpsichord like WTC? Anyway, listening now for the first time to Schoonbroodt's recording of the whole caboodle, though I've heard one or two excerpts played by Leonhardt. Bach, it is not, and I'm not sure I'll be able to get past F minor.  Leonhardt made the music sound more interesting I think.


Pedal is prescribed in many of the pieces. But except this there is no reason why the work couldn't be played on a pedal harpsichord, as the many long organ points in the pedal may be re-percussed on harpsichord.
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Mandryka

#1057
Quote from: premont on February 12, 2023, 01:58:10 AMPedal is prescribed in many of the pieces. But except this there is no reason why the work couldn't be played on a pedal harpsichord, as the many long organ points in the pedal may be re-percussed on harpsichord.

Thanks - I've switched to Leonhardt's performance now and that's very good indeed. I'm reading a book by Gilles Cantagrel on Bach and he mentioned it in connection with WTC.
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premont

#1058
Yes, it's obvious that Bach took some of his ideas of the WTC I from Fischer. More obvious than the ideas he might have taken from Dieupart for the English Suites.
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lordlance

Any recommendations for organ Concertos and symphonies that are generally more grandiose in sound?
If you are interested in listening to orchestrations of solo/chamber music, you might be interested in this thread.
Also looking for recommendations on neglected conductors thread.