notanorganist Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Organist Wayne Marshall live in Manchester. BBC Radio 3 / Online Tuesday 4th October 19.30 - 22.00 hrs Live from the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester. To celebrate his 50th birthday and to mark 15 years as organist of the Bridgewater Hall, Wayne Marshall performs a selection of his favourite works for the instrument including music by Bach, Liszt and Widor. JS Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565. JS Bach: Prelude and Fugue in C Major BWV 547. Liszt: Fantasy and Fugue on B-A-C-H. Rossini (arr. de la Mare): William Tell Overture. Vierne: Final from Symphony No.1. Saint-Saëns: Danse Macabre. Widor: Toccata from Symphony No.5. Wayne Marshall, organ. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0159w8d Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusingMuso Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Organist Wayne Marshall live in Manchester. BBC Radio 3 / Online Tuesday 4th October 19.30 - 22.00 hrs Live from the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester. To celebrate his 50th birthday and to mark 15 years as organist of the Bridgewater Hall, Wayne Marshall performs a selection of his favourite works for the instrument including music by Bach, Liszt and Widor. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0159w8d ========================== What a feast! The Organist entertains follows at 21.30 on Radio 2. Mmmmmm........decisions, decisions. MM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vox Humana Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Two and a half hours for that lot? He must be slowing down in his old age! Seriously, how splendid of Radio 3 to broadcast an organ recital. More, please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusingMuso Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Two and a half hours for that lot? He must be slowing down in his old age! Seriously, how splendid of Radio 3 to broadcast an organ recital. More, please! =========================== Ah! Don't forget the half-hour introduction, biography and opening speech. Only then will the chequered flag fall! MM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Sayer Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Organist Wayne Marshall live in Manchester. BBC Radio 3 / Online Tuesday 4th October 19.30 - 22.00 hrs Live from the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester. To celebrate his 50th birthday and to mark 15 years as organist of the Bridgewater Hall, Wayne Marshall performs a selection of his favourite works for the instrument including music by Bach, Liszt and Widor. JS Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565. JS Bach: Prelude and Fugue in C Major BWV 547. Liszt: Fantasy and Fugue on B-A-C-H. Rossini (arr. de la Mare): William Tell Overture. Vierne: Final from Symphony No.1. Saint-Saëns: Danse Macabre. Widor: Toccata from Symphony No.5. Wayne Marshall, organ. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0159w8d All rather showy and noisy. JS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DouglasCorr Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 I wonder if there will be any new world speed records? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Coram Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Yes, it's good that the organ's on air, but what a shame that the BBC will fill up its annual allocation of 2.5 hours of organ broadcasting with something about which virtually every organist listening will complain. This could be used to justify hacking it back even further in the future. (Of course, now the message boards have been axed, the complaints won't get through - except through here.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vox Humana Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 (Of course, now the message boards have been axed, the complaints won't get through - except through here.) And possibly the Radio 3 forum: http://www.for3.org/forums/index.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alistair McEwan Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Two and a half hours for that lot? He must be slowing down in his old age! Seriously, how splendid of Radio 3 to broadcast an organ recital. More, please! The Bridgewater Hall website states that WM will end his recital with an improvisation on themes suggested by the audience. Two and a half hours sounds about right. Wayne always gives value for money!! A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcnd5584 Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Yes, it's good that the organ's on air, but what a shame that the BBC will fill up its annual allocation of 2.5 hours of organ broadcasting with something about which virtually every organist listening will complain. This could be used to justify hacking it back even further in the future. (Of course, now the message boards have been axed, the complaints won't get through - except through here.) Absolutely. I realise that the BBC (and probably Wayne Marshall) wish to appeal to as many listeners as possible, but really - is it not about time that the '565', Widor's Toccata and even the Liszt BACH were retired gracefully.... There is a wealt of wonderful organ music out there (without even recourse to transcriptions). If listeners were given the opportunity to hear some other, perfectly accessible repertoire, they might actually enjoy it as much - if not more - than the tired old war-horses which are to be trotted out (well, 'trotted' is perhaps not the best description of the likely speeds involved) yet again. This is like the LPO only ever playing Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, Eine Kleine... and the Overture to Figaro. I am not suggesting that it would be better to programme some Sorabji, or the Schoenberg Variations on a Recitative, but this is getting absurd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Price Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 All rather showy and noisy. JS Won't bother- methinks t'will all be far too fast as usual!! CP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusingMuso Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Absolutely. I realise that the BBC (and probably Wayne Marshall) wish to appeal to as many listeners as possible, but really - is it not about time that the '565', Widor's Toccata and even the Liszt BACH were retired gracefully.... There is a wealt of wonderful organ music out there (without even recourse to transcriptions). If listeners were given the opportunity to hear some other, perfectly accessible repertoire, they might actually enjoy it as much - if not more - than the tired old war-horses which are to be trotted out (well, 'trotted' is perhaps not the best description of the likely speeds involved) yet again. This is like the LPO only ever playing Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, Eine Kleine... and the Overture to Figaro. I am not suggesting that it would be better to programme some Sorabji, or the Schoenberg Variations on a Recitative, but this is getting absurd. ======================================= I quite agree, because these same three pieces, (all of them rather musically weak), have been done to death all my life. If the object of the exercise is to "popularise" the organ, then the Xaver Varnus aprroach (Hungary), has far more appeal, where transcriptions involve organ with other instruments, with music from both the classical and lighter genres. It isn't just the organ which is neglected these days, but also the harpsichord (pcnd's favourite instrument ). Considering that a full appreciation of the classical repertoire is incomplete without a good working knowledge of both instruments and their repertoire, what does this say about the BBC? The organ probably has the biggest and oldest repertoire of all solo instruments. MM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vox Humana Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 It isn't just the organ which is neglected these days, but also the harpsichord (pcnd's favourite instrument ). Come to that, how often do you hear a harp recital on Radio 3? Perhaps there is the occasional one now - I don't follow the listings avidly these days - but not so long ago the vista was every bit as barren as it is for organ music - and, unlike the organ, the harp is widely popular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Oakley Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Won't bother- methinks t'will all be far too fast as usual!! CP Emphaticaly agreed! And what's the betting he's planted someone in the audience who suggests he improvises on a Gershwin theme? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handsoff Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Although organ music is always welcome for its rarity on R3 this seems a strange event to celebrate. Other far more notable organists and anniversaries have gone unmarked. Thomas Trotter's 25th year as Birmingham City Organist was, as far as I aware, ignored by the BBC and he is clearly a far better ambassador for the instrument than Wayne Marshall. Was Francis Jackson's 90th birthday marked? I shall never, try as I may, forget WM's rendition (rend: to tear apart) of Messiaen at the Proms a couple of years ago... I shall record it and listen to selected items simply because I have never heard this organ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Ball Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Remember to turn your hi-hi up to 11. You don't want the neighbours complaining that the BH organ is too quiet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbarber49 Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 =======================================The organ probably has the biggest and oldest repertoire of all solo instruments. MM Though sadly, Bach and Franck apart, mostly not of the same level as the greatest piano music. Certainly not of equal interest to non-organists. And we could have done with a few more decent concertos, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcnd5584 Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Remember to turn your hi-hi up to 11. You don't want the neighbours complaining that the BH organ is too quiet. To be honest, I shall not even bother tuning in - aside from the fact that I would not wish my neighbours to subject me to Elvis (or something equally distateful) at high volume, I really do not want to hear this well-trodden repertoire again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusingMuso Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Though sadly, Bach and Franck apart, mostly not of the same level as the greatest piano music. Certainly not of equal interest to non-organists. And we could have done with a few more decent concertos, of course. ========================= This could be the subject for a whole new thread, but actually, if one draws a line at 1750, the organ repertoire is on a par with anything written prior to this. There are probably over a thousand organ concertos to choose from, but how many do we know that weren't written by Handel? English organists and audiences may not like Reger, but across America, mainland Europe (except France), his music is probably heard at least as frequently as that of Bach's. When I look at programmes for English recitals, I am inclined to despair. "I see they're going to have Vierne, Bach and Howells this Saturday; almost everywhere!" Having travelled a bit, I tend to groan when I look at the listings. MM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusingMuso Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Remember to turn your hi-hi up to 11. You don't want the neighbours complaining that the BH organ is too quiet. ======================== It isn't the organ Ian. Let's have a "revival" of a rather interesting exchange we had some years back, about the acoustic properties of modern concert halls and the materials they use in them. It was a very interesting voyage of discovery for me, and answered a few pertinent questions. MM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Richell Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Although organ music is always welcome for its rarity on R3 this seems a strange event to celebrate. Other far more notable organists and anniversaries have gone unmarked. Thomas Trotter's 25th year as Birmingham City Organist was, as far as I aware, ignored by the BBC and he is clearly a far better ambassador for the instrument than Wayne Marshall. Was Francis Jackson's 90th birthday marked? I shall never, try as I may, forget WM's rendition (rend: to tear apart) of Messiaen at the Proms a couple of years ago... I shall record it and listen to selected items simply because I have never heard this organ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Richell Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 I agree that there are far more notable organists and anniversaries to celebrate. Personally I would not cross the road to hear Wayne Marshall, and most certainly I will not be there even if I had a free ticket Colin Richell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Ball Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 ======================== It isn't the organ Ian. MM Oh. Forgive me. I must remember to blame the engine next time I drive an under-powered 'family' car, or blame insufficient RAM next time I use a slow computer being sold for gaming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusingMuso Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Oh. Forgive me. I must remember to blame the engine next time I drive an under-powered 'family' car, or blame insufficient RAM next time I use a slow computer being sold for gaming. ============================= You may blame whom you will, but the man who designed the economical family car would just laugh at you. My own car will touch 150mph, but I certainly pay for it, with an average consumption of 17mpg around town and 25mpg on normal roads. It's called horses for courses. Before I get into the science of all this, perhaps you should ask yourself a few questions:- a) Who should take the blame for the organ of York Minster, which doesn't fill the building unless the big Tuba is used? b ) What would the organ of Clifton RC cathedral sound like in the Royal Festival Hall, if it were just moved there as it is? c) What would a Wurlitzer theatre organ sound like in the Bridgewater Hall? d) What did they do to make the new organ in the Disney Concert Hall a musical success? e) What do you know about modern building materials? f) What do you know about computerised acoustic modelling? In fact, forget about organs altogether, and imagine what "Coll Reg" would sound like if you were to stand behind a cathedral choir, singing inside an anachoic chamber and facing away from you. Would you be underwhelmed or overwhelmed? There are things you need to know! MM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Coram Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Never mind all that. Ian's right. The organ was bespoke to the hall, was supposed to be a concert organ, and it's inadequate. If it had been scaled and voiced and winded properly for the building, then there wouldn't be a problem. If the hall wasn't ready, then more fool the builders for agreeing to press ahead without knowing the surroundings they'd be working in. The organs of York Minster and Salisbury Cathedral and numerous others were never intended to completely fill the nave in that way, as most services were in the Quire with maybe a bit of overspill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now