Lucasorg

Arrangements are as follows: Gillian Weir will be giving an inaugural recital on Friday 8th August 2008 at 11 am as part of the Three Choirs Festival - book online at www.3choirs.org, though I believe this is now sold out. Over the weekend of October 4th/5th we will be holding a formal dedication weekend as follows: Saturday 4th October 5.30 pm - Evensong and Dedication 8.00 pm - Recital by Thomas Trotter including Elgar - 2nd Sonata and works by Handel, Bolcom & Messiaen Tickets £15 from Worcester Live Box Office 01905 611427 Sunday 5th October 10.30 am - Sung Eucharist including the première of a new double organ mass by Adrian Lucas 4.00 pm - Choral Evensong

Arrangements are as follows: Gillian Weir will be giving an inaugural recital on Friday 8th August 2008 at 11 am as part of the Three Choirs Festival - book online at www.3choirs.org, though I believe this is now sold out.

I am sure David can answer that himself, but there is plenty of gravitas and the organ seems to generate an extra 1/2 to 1 second of echo compared with the old organ. It carries better down the nave and, particularly in the East end and Tower areas seems to approach the limits of comfortable volume for sustained listening....but without losing beauty or overall tonal structure. I could try describing the strings of choir and swell in words but ultimately, you have to hear them for yourselves! A

I don't think it feels that way when you're at it. It is certainly a very wide and tall console, but it is also spacious and easy on the eyes in use. Bear in mind that it is in a fairly dark corner of a dark cathedral and the polished maple helps to lift the darkness. Once you hear the sounds it makes, the spirit needs no further lifting! At present, the oddest thing to get used to is that the Transept stops are all nearest the middle - essential from a layout point of view - so until this next phase is complete these stops are all silent. That doesn't take long to accommodate and, ultimately, there are enough piston facilities to keep most bases covered. A

Just at the moment, it looks like a bomb's hit it!!! The console is partially covered while the scaffolding is coming down...the music desk is out till Monday for adjustments, the pedal board was off to adjust the depth of touch on the pistons, the jambs are coming out next week to be fitted more firmly...!!! You will have to wait a little for the next new console photos. I'm away next week on an examining tour, but for the time being I'll just post a few more photos of the console from the end of May to whet your appetite.... Try here... A

Here are a few more photos of the organ almost completely clear of scaffolding at last. It will be so good when the last remnants are all clear and the quire can be brought back into full use at last. Best wishes, A

Was I being unsympathetic?? I must apologize! Anyway, here's something to get you all jealous. I've just come back from an evening meeting with the builders where they wanted to hear lots of colour from the various choruses and solo stops across the organ as we've just got the Swell engines up and running at last. Reached into my bag and pulled out the Reubke and, with busked registration, played the latter two-thirds of it (no more as I started a little way in and...well...just kept going to the end. So much colour! Gorgeous flutes of all different styles. Strings to die for. Rich, bold choruses on the Great. Fiery Swell reeds. Solo colours on all departments to choose from...Delicious! What fun! A

Bonjour, Pierre, I think we should struggle to hit 80,000 unless we leave the thread open for the entire length of the organ's life! Still, let's hope the new instrument has enough clarity to keep the modernists happy, sufficient solo colour to keep the choral music brigade happy, plenty of breadth of 8' tone to keep the Hope Jones Society happy, and simultaneously to inspire enough cash donations to pay for the remaining transept division and Nave organ.... I think that would make a very happy thread on this board.....though how likely is that! A bientôt! A

Actually, I'm just waiting for the opportunity to get upstairs once the rest of the scaffolding is out and get some more shots. That will also be the point when we can uncover the console from its present protected state. I'd like to take some shots of the Sw Vox Humana and a few fish-eye views of the various soundboards....but don't let me stop the mud-slinging as I'm really looking forward to the point where this thread has more hits than the old one you lot were so kind as to start all those years ago! We're heading for somewhere over 42000 which should be achievable, I'd have thought..... May God bless you all!! A

Thank you!!! A

No, because they were so unspectacular! A

Thanks, John. We like it a lot! Regarding the Transept, the 32s always swept gracefully around the corner, gently shaking the floor. Unlike the 32 reed whose upper harmonics required location with the bulk of the organ to work well, these flues are much less critical. Ideally, one would have all the organ in one place, but we can live with this alternative, especially when there are precious few places in which 32' pipes can be located. There are also plenty of other precedents for this.....York, Salisbury, St Davids, Exeter, Norwich etc A

It's lovely to hear so many positive comments about the new organ, especially when the removal of its predecessor caused so much angst. Let's not forget, however, that the voicing is still at an early stage at the moment and there is much to do (mostly at night) between now and the end of the month...!! Here's to its completion!! A

I thought we sang the Gloucester Service....???!!!! A

Yes, we're really pleased at how well the sound gets down the nave. The Great and Pedal are in a particularly good position for this. Also, since the scaffolding has been half down, the boxes are all shut so we're looking forward to the "unleashed" sound when we've got them open! A

It came with a standard Canon 18-55 Zoom, then I added another Canon 75-300 Zoom. Then I reached last week and realised that, with a slightly wider lens, I could get a better shot of one case from inside the other....so I went out and bought a Tokina 10-20 Zoom and one or two of the most recent shots are with that! Haven't got back inside to take the shot I'm after yet though.... A

Just one or two things to sort out with the Swell engines, but otherwise, it's sounding amazing! A

And so the organ emerges from the scaffolding at last. Check out these latest pictures of the new organ.... A

The Hill Double Open Wood 32 and Double Open Diapason 32 (as it was originally called by Hill and later renamed Contra Violone) as well as the Open Wood 16 and Violone 16. A

err...it's Adrian...but never mind! The old rank on the pedal is the former Choir Open Diapason, now reincarnated as the Choral Bass. I heard it for the first time this morning and it has huge presence and clarity. A

Ken always conceived the new organ with the 2 32' ranks as part of it, but the pedal stops within the choir have been voiced to give as rich a sound as is possible in such a small area. I think it will work very well, though we shall miss the profundity of these grand old ranks until they become available. All donations towards future work gratefully received! A

And here are a few more photos to whet your whistles. Once the scaffolding is down, I shall have to start taking sonic photographs instead...that could be a challenge! A

That's a tough one to answer in words. As the scaffolding is still currently in position, the organ sounds very muffled from the console, but from the crossing and the high altar, it projects with consummate clarity. Playing the organ from the mini voicing console up on the scaffolding is hair-raising - literally! The response of the building from there is also immense and very colourful - resonating much more than it used to do with the old organ. Now, how do you explain voicing in words????..... There is a huge range of colour in the new instrument. The Great chorus has a certain warmth whilst sparkling with great clarity. The Open is rich and fills the building on its own, while the Gamba adds a keen edge when required. The reeds cap the chorus and complement it, whilst being well able to stand on their own two feet as solo stops - Chris (my no.2) thought I was playing on the Tuba yesterday, though I was actually on the Great Trumpet. The Tuba knocked him sideways! Meanwhile the Great flute chorus is based on a truly huge and romantic metal open flute which also has great clarity and personality. The mutations all balance to perfection but can also add richness to the principals. The violone is cleverly judged to support the whole division, whilst working beautifully on its own and, separately, as a member of the pedal division. The Swell is still in need of quite a bit of work at the moment, but the reeds are fiery whilst still able to blend; the strings are keen and warm, while the principal chorus is solid with a lovely mixture on top. The Vox and Oboe are yet to be put in place (tomorrow possibly). The Choir has a lightness of touch at present, though the Trumpet is colourful as a chorus reed and the mixture crowns the tutti gently, but with a firm hand. The strings are also keen (keener!) and warm and complement those on the Swell. The Solo has a terrific range of colour, more so than a typical Willis Solo as the Cor Anglais and Hautbois are much more individual than normal. The Solo flute is liquid and works well with both the reeds and the H-J String. The flutes here are perky and the Sesquialtera is bright and adds another dimension. The Pedal is incomplete as yet, but it already has strength and warmth whilst retaining colour and variety. Is it new or old in sound.....??? Well yes to both. I would say it has the clarity of a modern instrument on each and every stop, though it also has all the warmth and depth of tone you would expect in a typical cathedral organ (and more in places). It won't have its 32' flues and Open Wood etc until we have the cash to do phase 2 (Transept) but in the meantime, I wonder how much we will really miss them - it is already so full of colour. Hope that's useful! A

Our latest batch of photos is here - watch out for next week when the scaffolding comes down and we all get a clear, unobstructed view for the first time. The Great is now sounding splendid with all stops tuned and generally voiced, at least for those pipes on the facade. There is always a little fine adjustment to be made in other areas. The pedal still lacks its upperwork, but those will go in once the bigger ranks are all stable and balanced. The Swell has a few teething problems as yet, but the reeds sound magnificent. Strings on Choir and Swell are gloriously rich and complement eachother, growing still further when added to the Great Gamba and Violone along with the Solo Hope-Jones Viole d'Orchestre. Then you can add the Sub and Super couplers.....UMMMM You all need to come and hear it! Best wishes, A

Seriously....here are a few more photos of more pipework going in on both sides. Voicing is now well under way and we are to take the scaffolding down during the week beginning 30th June. Pay a visit if you're in the area to get a first glimpse! Best wishes, A