parsfan

I note that one of the most talented of Church musicians, Gordon Stewart, is to take up a post in a US church. He follows other British organists who held cathedral posts such as Graham Elliott and Christopher Brayne. Why do they do it? Is it money? The weather?

I attended the 0930 service at HTB yesterday. Rather surprisingly the organ was not used but a there was a band. Looking at the spec on NPOR, I was surpised how large this organ is. http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...ec_index=N14959 Any views on this organ's quality and present condition.

You may be aware that there is a CD recital of cello and organ: http://www.musicweb.uk.net/classrev/2005/M...gan_6962002.htm

Not keen on orchestral transcriptions of organ reperotire. Andrew Davis's transcription of the Bach Passacaglia was innoffensive but added nothing. If anything it reminded me why this work is one of the pillars of the organ repertore and does not belong in the orchestral sphere ! I view a transcription as the amuse bouche or pudding of an organ recital but never its main course !!

Coffee and donuts for the congregation would be nice. I note that Winchester still do a congregational chant at matins for one of the canticles. A foundation of that stature should be above that sort of thing. However, one Winchester tradition I love is the short introits by Prendergast/Surplice that precede Evensong. Specially the festal ones that end in Allelulia ! Then there is the Wykeham Arms and Wyke pie....

Yes, definitely heard it with my own ears !! Unless, you can buy them as a stand alone item or achieve the sound from an expander !! I always thought that a cymbelstern would make a nice addittion to the Beverley case, although this is probably the sort of vulgarity the conservative AS would baulk at !!

I think, Jeremy, that hearing Paul at LC would be cheaper. Big Sam will still be in a strop from not getting the Engulund job. Mid table I think for Bolton this season. Talking about Liverpool, I think the same charge can be made about Prof Tracey as CC. Limited repertoire. Has anyone ever heard him play a Vierne Symphony or Dupre? I was just reflecting how the topics on this discussion board wax and wane. Ally Pally and Worcester used to be hotly debated. No one mentions them anymore. JPM never contributes either which is a shame.

Another non-classical pianist that I enjoy is Caroll Gibbons. His recordings with the Savoy Hotel Orpheans are excellent. There is something abt the pre-war dance bands where they elevate popular songs into almost an art form.

One of the irritations of LC is at the end of service orders there is a pompous little paragraph instructing the punters not to applaud at the end of the organ voluntary. It states that the OV is part of the worship therefore to be enjoyed but not applauded. I would have no intention of appluading but resent being treated as an imbecile !

Good story- and brings back a memory of what a great conductor Georg Solti was. I think that his autobiography is one of the more interesting books by a musician. Talking abt conductors, I note that David Hill seems to do more and more conducting. As his assistant at Winchester it must have been immensley valuable to work with DH. I can imagine that anyone who spends time with this talented organist and choir director will learn much. And have a good laugh as well !!

I think that some transcriptions do still serve the purpose that Stephen describes. In particular the Overture to The Mastersingers by Wagner. Not may of us will probably attend the opera. As for Brendel he would ask 'What is a Rag' and 'Who is this Joplin chap'. He is such a man of letters and a homme seriueux. Its hard to think of anyone else in the music world of his stature. Haitink perhaps? Certainly no one in the organ world.

I have actually heard HO at Tony Manning's residence at Farnborough. His speciality was playing 'Flight of the Bumble Bee' on the pedals !! I agree very capable but serious? Apart from a disc of Franck is recordings seem to be aimed at sales on cruises. What I found of greater interest was the photos of HO at the Moeller at Calvary Church, Charlotte NC. Another US Giant !! What with that and Letourneau at St John the Divine, Houston, UK organs do seem a bit on the small side !! I think that we need to stop expending time discussing the merits of Messr Curley and Olivera and get back to discussing serious organists, such as Stephen and Paul, who play serious music and not transcriptions of the Blue Danube and Beethoven 5.

While it still works, it was becoming unreliable and it is in need of restoration. Even when it was fully operational, in latter years it was located off stage to allow room for the bands that entertain the punters in the summer season.

Hmmm....I am not sure how you would classify Hector Olivera but as a serious organist? http://www.hectorolivera.com/ I think I have a complaint about CC it is that he does not seem to have developed as a musician. He is playing the same repertoire today as he did 25 years ago. He may entertain his audiences but does he challenge them? I suppose the upside of this is that if you do go and see him you know that you are not going to have to sit though the longeurs of the Whitlock Sonata !! I must say that his gushing manner is not to my taste. If you went around the part of Scotland, that I come from, talking to people like that you would soon end up lying in a corner with blood gushing from your head. I did see him, in the 80s at the McEwan Hall, Edinburgh and he made the comment that 'Television sucks out your brains'. About that he was absolutely right'

I agree with much of what Stephen says. I was tempted to hear TH at Windsor but I saw that Beethoven 5 was programmed and thought 'What is the point?'. I think anyone who majors on transcriptions will end up in a cul-de-sac and not be invited to perform at the major venues where we expect to hear serious repertoire composed for the organ.

The Tower ballroom is not completely closed during the winter months. It is open on Sat, Sun and Wednesdays. So the Wurlitzer does take a bit of a hammering all the year round. One sadness is that the organ's grand piano which used to be on stage is no longer fully functional and a Yahama expander is used instead.

There is also Jane Parker-Smith's LP for MFP recorded at Westminster Cathedral. A best seller and maybe her best recording?

I think we might have to register Carlo Curley as a protected species given the low opinion of him. As well as Westminster Cathedral, I suspect CC would also vote for Redcliffe. He made quite a decent Disc at SMR including a powerful account of the Elgar Sonata. Another decent disc that he recorded was Bach at a Frobenius somewhere in the Netherlands. What is no joy whatsoever is reading the articles on CC's website. His prose style is tortuous in the extreme. Like wading through treacle with chronic constipation !!

Many apologies. I was referring to Jeremy Filsell's recital series at St Peter's Eaton Square where he played the complete works of Dupre over a number of weeks. On the day that I composed the post that you refer to, Hans Fagius was due to play Franck's Grand Piece Symphonique at an Abbey recital. If anyone is in London this evening, David Sanger rounds off the Abbey's summer recital series at 1900. Be there or be elsewhere !!

I know also that some Cathedral Organists lend a hand by accompanying visiting choirs. That doesn't seem to be Stephen's lot though as Guildford seems to be a Visting Choir free zone. I suppose there is an argument that they are more bother than they are worth and that its good to let the building have a rest. VC can be a delight especially when they sing repertoire that the home choir do not. Oxbridge Choirs and choirs formed from ex Oxbridge choral scholars are the best. After a year of listening to trebles its great to hear sopranos, and they can be easy on the eye too !! Parish Church Choirs are usually grim. Unadventurous repertoire-not Stanford in C again-and voices that are not up to the repertoire that they sing. Their psalm singing can be appalling. I always think that US choirs will be good but many of them seem to be unable to attract younger voices and struggle with the demands of the repertoire. Its also disappointing that US choirs seem to regard some Cathedrals as being sexier than others. I am sure that they would enjoy singing at St Albans and Guildford as well as the Abbey and York.

Back to one hit wonders-Sicilienne by Martha Von Paradis !!

Interesting to hear how the RAH organ concerts are organised. How lucky Stephen and his colleagues are to have a six week summer break !! Talking abt St Paul's I wonder if anyone has any news about the restoration? This was supposed to begin last April but weekly recitals continue. I wonder if its a money problem or a timetabling problem at Manders?

What abt Nibel's Carillon Orleanis? Yet to hear it in a recital !

Yes, DGW is an advocate. Goodness knows why. Tedious beyond belief. As are the Bolcomb Gospel Preludes. SP and Sarah Baldock both play these. Lets hope the novelty wears off soon and we can get back to some propoer music.

Yes, Stephen, some cathedrals do well with assistants who improvise well. Hereford was also blessed at having David Briggs. As well as tailing off hymns another point in the SE where improvisers can shine is at the end of the reading of the Gospel. Martin Baker and Andrew Reid, at the Abbey, and Ian Bell at Bristol come to mind as organists who could improvise apocalyptic chaos at this point.