pwhodges

Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle calls for an organ at the fifth door. I'd never particularly noticed it in with the full orchestra until I heard the recording of it from a recent prom - the RAH organ comes over like no other! There are also two quiet bars near the end which the organ plays alone, but I've never understood why he bothered. Paul

I'm delighted to hear that, and may seek out copies for that reason. Well, 2-channel UHJ doesn't include height information, just full horizontal surround. Are you saying that you have these recordings in three or four channel UHJ (as opposed to the original B-format), because, if so, you may be the only person in the world who has ever done this! Paul

Boundary-layer microphones (which is what this technique gives you) are perfectly respectable, and have advantages in in some situations. Unexpectedly, they can reduce the level of ambient relative to direct sound while retaining (but not increasing, as stated in another post) the low-frequency response of an omni (directional mics have an inherent tendency to be bass-light), a combination that is advantageous for recording organs. However, they also limit your options for positioning, and I would only turn to them if other techniques failed to produce the desired result. Paul

I've just been enjoying David Sanger's Meridian CD of Lefébure-Wély from Exeter College, Oxford. I can't really imagine three whole CDs of it, though. And of course Balfour Gardiner's Evening Hymn should be in Latin! Paul

To get threading, just click on "Outline" at the top of the root message. Paul

As did the choir I sang in 50 years ago. Paul (Whose piano grade 4 examiner was Sumsion)

Alistair Ross takes about 7'00" on this recording. Paul

I found this in the 2004/2005 annual review (downloadable here), which also has an artist's impression of the new hall interior, showing the organ. It says that only one third of the organ will be reinstalled initially... Paul

The slowest I've heard it done is a recording by Alistair Ross at High Wycombe Parish Church in the early 1970s (on a privately produced audiophile LP called "Pieces of Eight"). The notes explained that it wasn't possible to make the organ play any faster! Paul

I wasn't there, but I have the LP. My personal favourite track is The Lost Chord... Paul

I like Hans Fagius (on BIS), which can be got for around £35 (or as part of the fabulous Brilliant Classics complete Bach box for £100). Paul