Paul Carr
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Posts posted by Paul Carr
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Thanks, everyone, for the information - especially Paul Carr.
Best wishes
J
You're very welcome!
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Any members in the Midlands (or thereabouts!) may be interested to know, if they don't already, that Olivier Latry is giving a concert tomorrow evening at Emmanuel Parish Church, Wylde Green, Birmingham: 7.30pm start.
DW
See you there!
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...The only bad news is the weird swell pedals, which take a bit of getting used to
Ah, yes, I forgot to mention those! They're trigger swells with out the triggers, they're balanced - which means to close the boxes you have to get you foot underneath the pedal and push up!! Once you're used to them they're very rewarding and musical to use.
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Where he gone to Paul?
Reply by PM, not my place to broadcast it to the world...
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Shame to hear that Steve has left Blenheim - what a fantastic job being the under butler if it entitles you to play that organ any time you want. As it was, I met him whilst wandering around the palace, introduced myself and was flabbergasted to be allowed to spend the rest of the afternoon happily playing away whilst the tourists milled around. That tuba has to be one of the finest ever made.I hope his successor is as generous to visiting organists!
Contrabombarde
I don't think they'll be a successor, not for the organ role...
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Stephen Duckett is an accomplished organist and also Under Butler at the Palace, I believe he also arranges all the recitals there now. I am sure if you contact him he can tell you more about this instrument or you could contact Paul Carr a member of this board who has given several recitals on this instrument.
Yes, SD was the Duke's Under Butler and also the organ Curator for the last five years. He has really moved things forward there during that time, including getting the lovely Chapel organ cleaned, so that now it all works again! He left in March to move to pastures new. The Sunday Music Series, which he founded and includes many organ recitals continues, and is run by the Operations Department. Heather Carter is the contact at operations. Sunday Music is informal - the organ is towards the end of the tour through the palace, so everyone comes past. I usually play two 42 minute slots with a 15 minute break. Some people stay and hear the whole lot, others stay for one or two pieces and some hurry past quickly!!
As for the Willis, it's truely fabulous, but in need of TLC and £s. I played two Sunday Music recitals in May - none of the pistons function well these days, all of the Great pistons are off, the Swell just about work if you hold them in and wait, and wait... So it's a great exercise in hand registration!! Middle A was off on all swell stops and there are several notes in the lower octave of the pedal board off on all pedal stops, but still work through the couplers. However Solo to Pedal brings on an A flat at the moment, so best left alone! And, yes, the whole organ is well on the way to a semitone sharp... finally on the down side the action is very heavy, I like a weighty action, but playing this one for long results in aches the next morning!
But, if that makes it all sound a little sad, I must balance that by saying that the sounds are wonderful, especially if you're lucky enough to be there when the Long library is empty (after functions, for instance) as the oak floor makes it all so much more lively than the red carpet and soft furnishings!
Highlights: As Cynic has mentioned before it has one of the the finest examples of a Tuba around, a full length 32' Violone which just purrs, and a delightful choir division with lots of colour. The Great Chorus is extremely bright and lively and with the 16 and Quint 5 it has real gravitas.
You will fall in love with it.
(Advert alert!)
I'm playing there again on Sunday 20th September 1.00pm.
and see http://www.paulcarr.co.uk/PDF%20files/Blen...0May%202009.pdf
Hope that's useful.
P.
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Well, I wouldn't lightly contradict Mr Carr (especially as he played this very piece for my wedding), but if you cross your right leg behind your left and play the first note with your right toe, perhaps a bit further away from the black notes than you'd normally put a toe down, the first 8 notes become simple alternating toes (and 9 & 10 a very easy heel-toe). Takes a little getting used to, but once done is very secure because you don't have the problem that one foot has to play consecutive semiquavers a 4th or a 5th apart.
Yes, that works if you don't play with the bench as ridiculously far forwrad as I do,
and leaping an octave with your right foot, with just a semiquaver between at crotchet = 80 is leaving too much room for playing a variety of notes around the top B, or a mixture of notes at the same time, but still around top B!! ....notes become simple alternating toes....Because it's all simple really! Or perhaps not.
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Hi chaps
Slightly pretentious question here but I'd be interested to hear what other people do:
Dupre B Major Prelude and Fugue: what pedalling do people use for the fugue subject in the feet? The most difficult bit is the F# in the opening - is it best to use the left toe or the right toe? Do people try to do it legato and start on the left heel on bottom b, stretch the left toe to F# or is better to leave the left foot to the opening b, play the f# with the right toe - but then do people stretch their right heel to the top b or just slide across to toe the top b?
The next bit after the rest (d#-f#-top d#) is hardly any easier - do folk let the left foot take care of the first 2 notes while the right foot has plenty of time to find top d#? What compromises do people make over the legato touch for this piece?
It's a good piece and I was thinking about polishing it up later this year but wondered what other people did.
For the first entry: left toe, right toe (on F#) right heel, left toe on D#. Second entry: Left, left, right (D#) ...At crotchet = 84, I find that unless the pipe speech and action are really crisp (ie like practising on a toaster with no reverb on!!) you can get them even enough... The one I always dread, and am most likely to 'splash' is on the second page of the fugue after the key change to Bb major.
IMHO it's one of THE best organ pieces ever - enjoy!
P.
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Come and hear it in the flesh on Saturday 27th June at 3.00pm, Programme: http://www.paulcarr.co.uk/PDF%20files/St%2...June%202009.pdf
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And he has some pretty amazing students/followers/assistants too - some of us on here heard this player recently - her 'repertoire' pieces were as staggeringly interpreted as her transcriptions. The Toccata from Ravel's Tombeau de Couperin had me stunned. A few present got decidedly 'snotty' about it but there was masses of musicianship, an outstanding technique and the right organ handled with taste.
A
Absolutely. I've heard her play the whole of Ravel's Tombeau de Couperin at St Eustache, from memory too!!
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...Jean Guillou actually had very little input into the most recent work.
I heard Jean Guillou say this in person. He seemed to be a little miffed that everyone presumes that he designed it, possibly because he makes it sound so 'Guillou' when he plays it. He also spoke of the many 'wasted' stops, those that were not colourful/characteristic enough for him.
He's an amazing character and love or hate his compositions, arrangements and performances, you can't help admiring him.
P.
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He opened the new organ in St Marys Bridgnorth 2 weeks ago, I have heard he played brilliantly and held the congregation in their seats. Long may he continue to enthrall audiences.
...and he's at St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham on Wednesday 24th June at 7.30pm. (- for just a fiver too!)
P.
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What was yours? I transcribed and used La Quenouille from the Bretagne CD (see the Bombarde/Ocarina thread) and it was very effective . So now over to you....
Peter
[back to the original question
]Wordsley
5.45am (!): Improvised Sortie on Thine be the Glory. (ie the last hymn)
St Paul's Birmingham
10am: pre: Howells: Saraband for the Morning of Easter; post: Harris: Fantasy on Easter Hymn
6.30pm: Andriessen: O Filii et Filiae
P.
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My coat is waiting
Easily done. (perhaps too easily? BBC webmaster please note!)
I dashed back one Sunday to hear David Goode's Prom Concert last year, only to find that the schedule I'd seen it on was from the year before!! Duh.
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From where I was standing it looked like a loaf of bread atop the right side of the console. Any why not!!!
Malcolm
It was a loaf - the very same one Simon Johnson was standing holding outside earlier!
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Here is that very performance, Paul (mine, not TT's): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRvnZgpPoWo
Ahhhh.... fabulous!
Just as I remembered it!
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Well.. there's always Sometimes I feel like a motherless child from Bolcom's Gospel Preludes. It's dedicated to Marvin Gaye, a 'Motown classic' by any definition. Not sure the mood would match nuptials mind you
The fact that the mood may or may not match nuptials is the least of your problems. This piece is VERY, very difficult!!! Fantastic though (If you like that sort of thing!) I only ever half-learnt it, too much like hard work. I must re-visit it and button it up sometime.
Best performance ever* : Ian Ball's last recital before leaving Gloucester cathedral. Never heard that organ sound so smooth! Simply beautiful.
Paul.
* Sorry - should qualify this by saying that it seems no one else plays/can play it!
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Yes, just adding my thanks too - a fabulous experience.
Sitting just a few feet from the choir (directed by Simon) in their Nave position next to the mobile console, for the 5pm Eucharist was very special too, such an incredible sound under that dome - and uniquely the St Paul's sound too.
Fabulous.
The sudden shift from disappointment when JPM said "We can't use the west end at the moment because there's a router out" to excitement when Simon said "But the west trumpets still work - do you want to hear them?" was quite a rollercoaster of emotion!
Needless to say - they didn't disappoint.
Again, many thanks to Simon and John for their time.
(Oh, and thanks to the guy in the triforium with a vacuum for eventually turning it off!)
Where to next chaps?
Paul CARR
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That's very kind Paul. Is that the same piece by a different name that you can see and hear here on track 8?
Thanks
Yes, that very recording is what caused me to seek it out! Also Roy Massey used to play it at Hereford quite often...
P.
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Does anyone know who publishes the Best transcriptions? Bardon Music do some, but not all. Among other things, I'm after the March from 'The Damnation of Faust'.
Thanks
The Hungarian March "Rakoczy" ??
It's in Schott's Yellow Album... not sure if that is still available from anywhere though.
I have it and if it's no longer in print, and it's legal to do so, I'd be happy to scan it in for you...
It's a great piece - almost as much WTB as Berlioz!
P.
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Errr, if the original poster feels that the intellectual challenge posed by designing a stop list of a certain size on a snowy day is too simple, why not add in an additional layer of complexity? How about asking, when listing your design, to specify pipe scaling and windpressure? That'll sort the men from the boys!
Or could result in:
Pipe scales = wide
Wind pressure = heavy
[blame the snow, fetches coat and wellies]
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Can you enlighten those of us who weren't there?
I was responsible for some registering of Vierne and Widor that included some coupling of the Tuba (with octaves and suboctaves
) which may be considered of questionable taste... not least by me, but it was one of those things that just had to be done! ...and please don't ask why.
BTW It certainly packed a punch in the Quire!
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....Oh, and I don't care if I don't hear anymore coupled Tubas for a bit!
Sorry!
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Today's challenge part 1 is to complete the sentence
"design a coherent scheme of no more than 3"
(unless I'm being hugely obtuse?)
...oak trees?
Oh, have just seen the top of your first post.
and leaping an octave with your right foot, with just a semiquaver between at crotchet = 80 is leaving too much room for playing a variety of notes around the top B, or a mixture of notes at the same time, but still around top B!! 
Cameron Carpenter
in The Organ
Posted
Although it's being advertised that he's at Bridgewater Hall, Manchester next May.