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James Goldrick

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Everything posted by James Goldrick

  1. Does anyone know if the Henri Messerer transcription used by Olivier Latry on his 'Midnight from Notre-Dame' disc is available anywhere?
  2. I believe it was referred to as the 'Cathedral' Prelude & Fugue in Cesar Franck's recital programmes. I think it was the only piece he ever played, apart from his own works and improvisations. Would that one could have a concert organist career like that these days...
  3. First of all, may I commend to all of you this recording of GTB cruising effortlessly through the Bach Toccata in F BWV 540 at a superhuman pace. Certainly one of the most electrifying records ever made. However, the details list this as being recorded on the BBC Compton Organ at Maida Vale in 1933 (as does the EMI re-issue CD). Three years before the organ was built, according to NPOR. Is the recording from a later date, or was it recorded on another instrument? (Logic suggests the BBC Theatre in Langham Place [Compton - 1933]) JG
  4. I've always thought unequal temperament doesn't necessarily do Howells a disservice. I came to this conclusion after hearing one of the Psalm-Preludes in recital on the Mander at Sydney Grammar School (Vallotti), where those crunching dissonances gain an extra bite - particularly the clashing false relations. Similarly, I can't help but prefer the New College, Oxford recording of the New College Service for Priory to say, the newer Hyperion recording from Wells (Archer). The organ's temperament makes the Gloria's G-major modulation particularly luminous, as well as that wonderful chord immediately preceding 'and to the Son', which doesn't make such an impact in ET. That said, I'm sure the opening of the Gloucester Service would sound hideous in Werckmeister III
  5. The Great Hohl Flute at Christ Church Cathedral, Newcastle in Australia has to be one of the finest of its type. The pipework is Norman & Beard 1906, incorporated into the superb rebuild in 1963 by J.W. Walker. [stoplist] played by Michael Dudman (fixed broken link)
  6. Eleventh Church of Christ Scientist, Marylebone This looks to be quite an appealing specification with something of a sticky future ahead. "2008 - organ to be removed Jan. 2009 and scrapped unless another home can be found; (DPi);"
  7. Can anyone point me in the direction of tonally intact J.W. Walker organs with Clarion Mixtures?
  8. The proof of the pudding... Sir George Thalben-Ball plays Bach - Toccata in F BWV 540
  9. Here's a stunning Youtube video (audio-only) of Yves Devernay at Notre-Dame improvising a sortie for Easter Sunday Mass, straight after the conclusion of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus. It seems out of the four titulaires, Devernay was the true successor of Cochereau.
  10. If only... Unfortunately the St Andrew's Cathedral Letourneau is equipped only with two quite unpleasant 16,8 Bombardes. It is planned to re-instate the 1930 Whiteley Solo Division (With Tuba) from the organ's previous incarnation.
  11. Here's a recently added video of Sydney City Organist Robert Ampt demonstrating the Sydney Town Hall to our good host. Demonstrates: Solo Tubas Full Swell Full Great Full Organ Mutations (Great Twelfth and Echo Glockenspiel) Great, Swell and Pedal Mixtures 64' Contra Trombone 32' Contra Posaune Love the cathedral roll in the empty hall!
  12. There was a heroic example of a 32' H,N&B Diaphone from 1929 at Melbourne Town Hall. (Constructed at the firm's Melbourne factory, in fact.) However, in the unforgivable rebuild by Schantz in 2001 (where all but the pipework and case were discarded), the zinc pipes of the Diaphone were lost in a factory fire in the USA and were replaced by Schantz. Despite the efforts to prevent the vandalism of this whole project (led by the Christopher Dearnley and the Organ Historical Trust of Australia), it still causes one to smart at the destruction of the integrity of such a fine example of the British inter-war civic organ. Given the exorbitant price of the rebuild, one wonders how much of a stretch it would have been to commission an entirely new 'American Classic' of similar size, whilst respecting the integrity of an undeniably superb, if not entirely fashionable work of art. All that said, I can't help but be amused to wonder if perhaps the Schantz replacement was the first 32' Diaphone rank to be constructed from scratch in about 50 years. (If I am mistaken, please correct me; I feel there may be a glaringly obvious exception)
  13. As you say, just the answer I was looking for. Thank-you very much. I was beginning to despair when the answers were about the stop-domes. Upon re-reading, the wording of my question could have been better!
  14. As it says in the Topic Title, this is a minor query, but today I was practising on a relatively untouched 1890 Hill & Son organ in Newcastle, Australia (See below). The white circular insert surrounding the Gt. Open Diapason knob kept popping out with the stop itself. As I was writing a note in the tuner's book, I could not think of the right term to use. Is there an official term for these 'white circular inserts'? St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Newcastle
  15. Yes, I noticed the French march was a trait Cochereau inherited from his teacher. There's the splendid conclusion to the Sortie on 'Adeste Fideles', the amusing Finale to the Variations on 'O Filii et Filiae' from the 3-CD set. (I can't pick the tune, but there's a hint of Battle Hymn of the Republic!) and above all the Prelude, Chorale & Variations on 'Marche des Rois' (from Improvise sur des Noels); IMHO the greatest Cochereau improvisation I've yet heard. I agree with every observation you make, and I'll just say that I believe Cochereau surpassed his maitre in all improvisational genres except Fugue. However, I do think that in the D-minor Finale, Dupre's toccata figuration is far more coherent than the typical Cochereau toccata. This is why I think the less frenzied of Cochereau's toccatas are more succesful, eg. the Adeste Fideles sortie.
  16. I've seen Virgil Fox do the same thing for the final note of BWV 532!
  17. I too put Cochereau above Dupre. Tournemire too. My favourite Dupre improv is the Symphonie in D-minor from Cologne Cathedral (1957). The fantastic fourth movement toccata has the closest I've heard of Dupre displaying 'reckless abandon' thanks in part to the splendidly simple theme. Incidentally, does anyone know the publisher of 'Zephyrs' a Dupre improv reconstructed by Rollin Smith from an organ-roll?
  18. I've never really enjoyed Guillou as an improviser. Guillou's (loud) improvs all seem to build up to a frenzied climax, and then he just ceases playing without any sense of finality or anti-climax. It's probably some deliberate anti-establishment statement, so typical of Guillou; I just find it disappointing. Also, Roth always seems to have harmonic and timbral colour as top priority, whilst Guillou is all about making statements. To me, it's the difference between a poet and an orator. Incidentally, my top 5 improvisers are: (chronologically) 1. Tournemire 2. Dupré 3. Langlais 4. Cochereau 5. Roth Not too dissimilar really...
  19. Dear pcnd, If you are in doubt about Roth's position amongst Cochereau and Pincemaille etc., I must recommend you these two videos: Large-scale Improvisation Daniel Roth - Sortie (1999) (4m16s is a real goosebumps moment) Also, try to get your hands on the CD 'La Tradition de Saint-Sulpice' for a stunning improv on Kyrie 'Orbis Factor'. I'm dying to get the Widor Mass CD where Roth improvises in various 19th Century styles, and the new Vierne Messe Solennelle CD where he and Eric Lebrun improvise in dialogue a la Widor and Faure.
  20. Hereford Cathedral Sydney Town Hall ---------------------- Not in the same league, but I was absolutely smitten with this instrument when I played it last year: St. Brigid's Catholic Church, Red Hill (Queensland) (A near perfect example of how a small specification is transformed by a sympathetic acoustic... and the Trumpet is to die for)
  21. I thought I might open this subject for discussion, since I don't believe it has been a thread on this board, as of yet. In your opinion, what is the greatest piece of organ music written by a British composer? This extends from the Robertsbridge Codex to the contrapuntal masterwork that might have been composed last week in a pub in Staffordshire. My choice goes to Elgar's Sonata in G Op.28, which I predict will be a contender in the majority of people's opinions. That said, the often surprising diversity of opinion is one of the most notable charac teristics of the Mander Board community. My second choice goes to Thalben-Ball's incomparable Elegy in B-flat and third place to Howells' Psalm-Prelude Set 2, No.1 'De Profundis". The only difficulty in my choice was whether to consider the Willan Introduction, Passacaglia & Fugue. Willan had only been living in Canada for three years when this work was published, so there is a slight grey area whether this is a Canadian work or a British one. I look forward to further contributions. James Goldrick
  22. Here's the funniest man on Earth giving useful tips on liturgical improvisation: Bill Bailey - The Church Organist P.S. Bill Bailey for Eurovision '08!!
  23. I apologise that I'm not expanding on your question, but this motif has always had me slightly flummoxed. I once thought it might be a phrase of Gregorian chant, because Naji Hakim uses the same motif as the basis of the third movement of his Hommage a Igor Stravinsky triptych. Is this a reference to his predecessor at Trinite or is there a common root to both compositions?
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