The Organ, Master of them all - general organ thread

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

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Bulldog

Quote from: Coopmv on August 09, 2009, 02:39:52 PM


Many classical music lovers just do not like organ music, plain and simple.

It reminds them of the death phase. ;D

Marc

Quote from: premont on November 22, 2009, 08:57:12 AM
I own the two CDs, Bolliger has recorded in Denmark. I find him reliable and informed. Maybe not the most individual player, but as time goes by, I am beginning more and more to appreciate musicians without towering ego´s.

Not towering, alright. I like that statement.
But a strange feller he is indeed: going to Denmark to record historical Swiss organs?
:P

Que

Quote from: Marc on November 23, 2009, 09:55:01 AM
Not towering, alright. I like that statement.
But a strange feller he is indeed: going to Denmark to record historical Swiss organs?
:P

According to the site of the Sinus label he has done some travelling & recording around - all on historical organs.

Q

Marc

Thanks for mentioning him anyway.
Recommended by Premont & Que: it could have been worse. :-*

I'll be watching for him, and hopefully listening to him one day. :)

Marc


Que

Quote from: Marc on November 23, 2009, 01:33:30 PM
Thanks for mentioning him anyway.
Recommended by Premont & Que: it could have been worse. :-*

I'll be watching for him, and hopefully listening to him one day. :)

Correction: I was informing after him myself! :) 

So I'm with you in the desire to hear something by him. If we are to believe the press quotes on the site, he is at least a very able organist. Mayb I'll try some of the bargain stuff on offer at jpc.

Q

Marc

Quote from: Que on November 23, 2009, 05:35:56 PM
Correction: I was informing after him myself! :) 

So I'm with you in the desire to hear something by him. If we are to believe the press quotes on the site, he is at least a very able organist. Mayb I'll try some of the bargain stuff on offer at jpc.

I was blinded by your word 'tempting' and forgot about the verb 'to seem'. ;)

listener

My long reply can wait.  The computer crashed and I'll have to re-write and re-scan.
but here's a link to a site with a lot of information
http://www.gothic-catalog.com/
and this one will give you a radio program that can be accessed when you want it
http://pipedreams.publicradio.org/

Favourite organs are the Silbermann at Marmoutier, the Riepp at Ottobeuren and the Gabler at Weingarten.

"Keep your hand on the throttle and your eye on the rail as you walk through life's pathway."

Marc

Quote from: listener on November 24, 2009, 01:03:01 AM
My long reply can wait.  The computer crashed and I'll have to re-write and re-scan.
but here's a link to a site with a lot of information
http://www.gothic-catalog.com/
and this one will give you a radio program that can be accessed when you want it
http://pipedreams.publicradio.org/

Favourite organs are the Silbermann at Marmoutier, the Riepp at Ottobeuren and the Gabler at Weingarten.

Thanks for the links, and good luck with the PC!

listener

As interesting as the repertoire for organ is the sound of the organs themselves.   There are regional differences, the preferences of the builders, tunings, and the buildings they are in.
Worth getting a sampling:  Bach and Buxtehude on North  German organs, South German organs (Riepp and Gabler), Alsace - Silbermann family (Daquin Noëls are appropriate at this time of year),
the reeds of southern France ( e.g. St. Maximin-en-Provence), the horizontal trumpets of Spanish organs (Covarrubias is particularly impressive)...   then there's the inoffensive quality of most British organs, the flutes of limited range of early Italian, and then....

For repertoire that is sort of decadent look for Charles Ives' Variations on America and Lefebure-Wely Sorties which sound as if they were written for cinema Wurlitzers.

"Keep your hand on the throttle and your eye on the rail as you walk through life's pathway."

Marc

Quote from: listener on November 24, 2009, 11:17:23 AM
As interesting as the repertoire for organ is the sound of the organs themselves.   There are regional differences, the preferences of the builders, tunings, and the buildings they are in.
Worth getting a sampling:  Bach and Buxtehude on North  German organs, South German organs (Riepp and Gabler), Alsace - Silbermann family (Daquin Noëls are appropriate at this time of year),
the reeds of southern France ( e.g. St. Maximin-en-Provence), the horizontal trumpets of Spanish organs (Covarrubias is particularly impressive)...   then there's the inoffensive quality of most British organs, the flutes of limited range of early Italian, and then....

For repertoire that is sort of decadent look for Charles Ives' Variations on America and Lefebure-Wely Sorties which sound as if they were written for cinema Wurlitzers.

Good heavens!
You want me bankrupt?
;D

I´ve only just begun, but I´m trying to get the differences. ???

For a start I compare Schnitger & (Gottfried) Silbermann organs as much as I can. Roughly said is this my experience: the Silbermanns sound more granular (=reedy?). Maybe even more balanced (less influence of the praestant/principal stops?).

But I feel quite OK whilst listening to Schnitgers, really. (I´m referring to discs of Bach, Buxtehude, sometimes Pachelbel .... those guys.)

Pleaze, shoot me if I talk nonsense.  0:)

listener

It's like railfanning.  There are steam/diesel, freight/passenger, rider/watcher, modeler (subcategories N-scale, O-scale, H-scale)/non-modeler/ephemera collectors etc.  I observed the manias early on and managed to stay interested without getting fixated.   With organ music, watch for sale prices on items that interest you and if you travel try to hear some live.  That will probably require attending church services....(for some a really repellent idea if of the wrong denomination). 
"Keep your hand on the throttle and your eye on the rail as you walk through life's pathway."

Marc

Railfanning! Nice comparison!
For years I stayed rather neutral towards organ music, but this year I suddenly got the flu.
Which means I had an expensive spring & summer, and I listened  live to instruments of Schnitger, Hinsz, Huisz and Timpe. All of them North German influenced I guess.

I'd rather not talk about the money spent on discs. :-[

But apparantly I'm charmed by a large amount of organ sounds, although I prefer, say, the 17th/18th century instruments (and the music of that period), or the so-called modern neo-baroque ones. Of the latter, I 'discovered' recently that I very much seem to like the Bernard Aubertin ones, played by a.o. Olivier Vernet & Benjamin Alard. 

premont

Quote from: listener on November 24, 2009, 11:17:23 AM
As interesting as the repertoire for organ is the sound of the organs themselves.   There are regional differences, the preferences of the builders, tunings, and the buildings they are in.

You probably already own this outstanding European organ journey, containing among others Helmut Winther´s Bruhns Toccata´s as well as some Spanish organ music played by Francis Chapelet. A must for organ fan´s.

Link:
http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Historische-Orgeln-in-Europa/hnum/3749757
γνῶθι σεαυτόν

premont

Quote from: Marc on November 24, 2009, 12:09:03 PM

...I 'discovered' recently that I very much seem to like the Bernard Aubertin ones, played by a.o.  Benjamin Alard.

The Triosonatas I suppose. How does he play them?

I know from elsewhere the sound of the organ he plays. A full and relative soft sound, very original, not like anything I have heard before.
γνῶθι σεαυτόν

listener

Got the hm set on CD and some on the original vinyl (kept for the notes and illustrations)
I pulled this (ebs 6012) off the shelf after the last post,  nice recording of the Weingarten organ with a very good annotation.  Bach Passacaglia 582, Aria ..italiana 989, Pastorale 590 and Toccata & F 540, plus a demo track of the "Kuckuck und Nachtigall."   There are recordings that do use the "La Force" stop, a 42-stop C-note.

A lot of organists new to me listed above, I'll look for them here.
"Keep your hand on the throttle and your eye on the rail as you walk through life's pathway."

premont

Quote from: listener on November 24, 2009, 12:44:41 PM
Got the hm set on CD and some on the original vinyl (kept for the notes and illustrations)
I pulled this (ebs 6012) off the shelf after the last post,  nice recording of the Weingarten organ with a very good annotation.

Yes, a good recording of this organ - one of the most difficult organs to record.
I also like Bleicher´s rather serious style.
γνῶθι σεαυτόν

Marc

Quote from: premont on November 24, 2009, 12:31:51 PM
The Triosonatas I suppose. How does he play them?

Colourful. :)
(I also added a short message at the Bach organ thread.)

Quote from: premont
I know from elsewhere the sound of the organ he plays. A full and relative soft sound, very original, not like anything I have heard before.

Listening to the Adagio of BWV 525 right now, like a comforting prayer.
Lots of nice pics in the booklet btw, but no list of registration choices (there is a stop list, though). And the registration thing is something that I can't say that many about, and I want to learn more about.
I only had one short (Dutch) introduction/explanation at the Le Picard-choir organ of the Groningen Martinikerk. There are principals (praestants), flutes and reeds (tongue works, literally translated from Dutch to English), that's what I learned. Summarized: the strings, flutes and other wind instruments of the orchestra? O yes, if I remember it well, the Vox humana also belonged to the reed stops. Is this sort-of-correct? ???

What am I asking?
I should make a study of this site:
http://www.organstops.org/
:D

listener

The Chandos CD I showed in my first reply above with Piet Kee at Weingarten (CHAN 0520) includes the registrations for each piece.  Walther's Jesu, meine Freude variations concludes with the La Force stop.  Mikes are a bit closer, and there is some nice separation in echo sections but no loss of room resonance.  Kee happily includes 3 tracks to show off the "gadgets" - cymbala/Zimbelstern, 2 carillons and the  cuckoo and nightingale.  2 Chaconnes by Pachelbel, and Bach 534 P&F in f in the programme.
Neighbors above and to the side are out this evening so I can enjoy the 32ft pedal stops.
"Keep your hand on the throttle and your eye on the rail as you walk through life's pathway."

Marc

Quote from: listener on November 24, 2009, 08:12:08 PM
The Chandos CD I showed in my first reply above with Piet Kee at Weingarten (CHAN 0520) includes the registrations for each piece. 
That's how it should be.
Although I understand that it's not done with bargain-priced compilation discs/samplers.

Quote from: listener
Neighbors above and to the side are out this evening so I can enjoy the 32ft pedal stops.
;D