john carter

The technology is certainly there, but comes at a cost. It requires extra bandwidth to provide the additional service, which would need to come from somewhere. I would have been unhappy if the outstanding quality of the primary transmission had been compromised to provide a facility that relatively few out of millions of viewers would use.

Possibly Compton? Having grown up with the system, I appreciate the benefits - and have suffered the pitfalls, when pressing just too hard in a moment of panic. Double touch cancelling on stop keys is similarly useful but dangerous - when adding the Mixture and ending up with that alone. You only do it once!

Hooray! Someone with something positive to say. I think, given the pressure of the occasion, Messrs O'Donnell and Quinney are to be congratulated on an excellent job and were well supported by all their musicians. As to Blaenwern, please remember that perhaps 1000 of those present are not accomplished singers. Few of us have any experience of that size of congregation. I think it was a wise decision in the circumstances.

QUOTE(cjr@colinrichell.fsnet.co.uk @ Apr 29 2011, 11:19 AM) I cannot believe that the ROYAL Academy of Music is considering purchasing a new organ from abroad. Are you telling me that there is not one English organ builder who could not have provided a suitable instrument for the Academy ? I think it is disgraceful that we cannot support our own manufacturing industry, and I hope that at least the English companies were asked to quote for the new instrument. The same thing has happened with the car industry which is now controlled from abroad. Is anyone else indignant about the RAM policy of not supporting the UK companies ? Colin Richell. And, apologising for repetition, I have explained that you cannot choose to support a supplier merely because they happen to come from your own country - especially if you are spending someone else's money! My experience of the successful contractor is that they are perfectly competent to provide an excellent instrument. While I agree with Nigel Allcoat and "innate" that the computer mock-up of the design does not look particularly attractive, I think we should remember that it is a mock up, not a finished product. I am not sure either that an ornate case is any more appropriate for the hall - and it certainly has no bearing on the music it makes.

So the Rutter left you disappointed? Well that's just tough! It wasn't for you, it was for the Royal couple and the millions of other people who watched the service. To me, being perfectly listenable is a worthy achievement. The "Rutter Haters", as you describe them, ought to be in retreat - what have they ever done, apart from moan?

As a Charity, I dare say the RAM have no option but to open the project for public tender. Having done so, the trustees have no option but to appoint the supplier who offers a product that meets the specification at a competitive price. I am sure any organ builder who was unsuccessful could request feedback to enable them to uderstand where they fell short and be more competitive in the future. There is no point in being indignant, the UK is no longer an island nation and it is necessary to compete on quality, price and delivery to win a contract. I was once pilloried by staff when I accepted a French tender, rather than the Japanese product they all preferred. I too thought the Japanese product was better, but when it came down to the responsible use of public money, there was no room for sentiment. There may well be people at the RAM who would like to support a UK company, but not at any price.

Thinking of organ enthusiasts and cars, I suppose Pierre would be an advocate of the early Hillman "Imp", which if my memory serves me right, had a pneumatic throttle linkage.

Especially as the majority of people, apart from a few experts here, are unlikely to notice one iota of difference - except that it works when required! JC

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Do you have any idea why Ralph Downes would want to make that decision? I wouldn't have thought the difference in space or cost would be very significant in terms of the overall project. JC

Highly unlikely, I would have thought. I agree with pcnd's original verdict. For me the sound lacks any of the richness and colour that the music surely requires. A sort of "size zero" Elgar. JC

Perhaps the question everybody should be asking is - does the organ make good music? If it does, perhaps it isn't necessary to tell which sound is produced which way. The approach taken here is not quite the one that I would have chosen, but if the instrument meets the needs of those it serves, then there could have been far worse alternatives. JC

I have no more to add to the advice given so far, but I do question the wisdom of letting churches go so cold. I have introduced a system this year that maintains the building at sixteen degrees Celsius. As the fabric never goes completely cold, the place warms up to comfortable temperatures in a relatively short time, as it does if there are any short-notice requirements that haven't been programmed into the system. It is too early to be certain, but the gas consumption doesn't seem to be any more than when we switched it off daily and there is a significant saving in electricity as we are not having to put in additional fan heaters. Even if it is slightly more expensive, our mainly elderly congregation are kept warm and comfortable, which we consider most important. JC

Virgil's brother? Perhaps not, but here is a clue just copied from the internet: Barry Ferguson (b. 1942) was a boy Chorister (eventually Head Chorister) at Exeter (and accomplished enough, by then, to play for choir practice), and later a music scholar at Clifton College in Bristol under the famous one-armed organist Douglas Fox. Now I suddenly understand the reference to buttering toast with one hand. JC

You could try doing what I have done and have dual operating systems that can be chosen at startup. For the majority of tasks, I find Windows 7 better than any previous version, but there is one particular piece of custom software that I wish to retain, which is not compatible with Windows 7, and the dual boot option lets me do so. I also have the option of XP Pro working as a Virtual PC within Windows 7. It is convenient for quick tasks, but it does not always respond instantly so is not quite so good for editing. JC

But, returning to the topic, I found this morning's programme on Radio 4 musically very agreeable. While I was satisfied today, I am happy that listeners with different tastes might also find something they enjoy on other Sunday mornings. JC

I am well aware of what you actually wrote in your first posting here. In the context of other discussion in the thread it was hardly surprising that I misinterpreted your contribution. I find it equally difficult to interpret the real meaning behind the words: I am very pleased to learn that Musing Muso is in fact an "expert" or the suggestion that what I said about him might possibly be untrue. Indeed, your tone sounds distinctly patronising. On your other point, the quality or cheapness of the YouTube clip has no bearing on the interpretation of the music. JC

May I remind you that the original criticism in this thread was about the YouTube performance of the Reubke Sonata. That criticism was neither uninformed nor "bitchy" as you so charmingly put it. Musing Muso (a whimsical pseudonym, not one to hide his identity - most forum members know who he is) is indeed an "expert" who is unfailingly supportive of great performers present and future. As far as the video is concerned, I have to agree with MM, I could not hear the words! I do not doubt Nathan Laube has prodigious talent, but I do not think it is unfair to say that this particular performance did not do full justice to the work.

We got off the point some time ago. This is a tiresome storm in a teacup that contributes nothing of value to this forum! JC

I have no disagreement about the sound, it's wonderful, but why is it so fast at the start? To me, it's just a jumble of notes. My copy has the direction très vitement, but this goes too far for my taste in that acoustic. JC

I am certainly not implying that one should throw the composer's intentions out of the window. I am not a composer, never will be, but throughout my life I have led creative projects. Others have come along and, while working with my original plan, have incorporated extra elements that I had not considered, improving the end result. I'm not insulted, I'm delighted. It is that synergy of creator and interpreter that brings out something special in a piece of work and we should never stop looking for something extra, even after 250 years. JC

I agree completely MM.

Would Alfred Brendel choose to play Beethoven on a piano with the sound of one from 1800, or would he choose the best sounding instrument available in 2010? Surely there is a difference between understanding how the music sounded to the composer and imitating that sound? JC

I have to do the funeral of a close friend next week. I'm thinking of using Toccata in 7 by John Rutter at the end of the service. I have never seen any reference to the work in these pages so does anyone have any views? JC