richardjg

Many thanks - Richard Jeffrey-Gray here, DoM at Clifton. We had to make the whole thing do-able by a solo so it was a fair challenge - as well as the 12 musicians spread over 36 feet with no artificial aids (foldback, monitors etc.). The Mass was a collaboration with David Bednall, but we both wrote our own to be clear (see attachment). Just to report that the Rieger is in good fettle at the moment, a new heating system has made the atmosphere more stable. A consideration when listening to or recording it is that it is of course voiced for the Nave. Organs on a screen or aloft do not have this problem since they are already removed from the listener, but with ours people stand next to it and there it is harsh. So would any organ be at that distance! I'm a Howells man so enjoy other organs in the city, but bring his work to Clifton with the clarity of line and, yes, touch sensitivity of the action which offers an alternate Austrian voice, just as Harrison/Willis offer the Baroque masters an English one. Recording a Mander soon in Westminster and will be pleased to compare it to the my home G P England instrument in Stourbridge. I have long wanted to record my thanks to Manders for taking the time and trouble when I was 16 (in 1982) and researching this organ to produce a booklet for the rebuild of it. Their time and trouble in copying and sending relevant parts of the England notebooks is still appreciated, and welcomed me as a teenager to the friendly collegiality of the organ world. I hope Manders flourish with their new arrangements and look forward to some distinct English choruses both in restoration and in new instruments as time goes on. About the Missa Universalis.pdf