Llandaff Cathedral

[DQB123]

I see from the BBC Welsh News is announcing (with video clip) that Llandaff Cathedral is to have a new £1.4 million organ by Nicholson.

[AJJ]

I see from the BBC Welsh News is announcing (with video clip) that Llandaff Cathedral is to have a new £1.4 million organ by Nicholson.

 

Apparently to be the largest new cathedral organ in the UK since Coventry - here is something about it. Anyone know any more details?

 

AJJ

[Barry Jordan]

Apparently to be the largest new cathedral organ in the UK since Coventry - here is something about it. Anyone know any more details?

 

AJJ

 

Do you think that Richard Moorhouse really said, "The British organ gives us the repertoire we need for the songs that the choir sings." I do hope not.

 

B

[heva]

Fortunately Nicholson & Co. have "some" pipework in store, not?

[Arp Schnitger]

BBC Wales news feature on the new organ.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8600201.stm

 

Good to see that the editor managed to get pictures and music in sync by the end!

[handsoff]

The new organ was featured on Radio 3's "In Tune" tonight. I caught about 50% of the Final from Widor VI - very fine it sounded too.

 

There's something on R3 tomorrow (Saturday) - I think it may be Music Matters at 12.15 but I was busy cooking and missed most of the announcement.

 

P

[Paul Carr]

The new organ was featured on Radio 3's "In Tune" tonight. I caught about 50% of the Final from Widor VI - very fine it sounded too.

 

There's something on R3 tomorrow (Saturday) - I think it may be Music Matters at 12.15 but I was busy cooking and missed most of the announcement.

 

P

Yes, it's 'Music Matters' and it's on now!!

[pcnd5584]

I note from the news clip that the Solo jamb is virtually empty - presumably the solitary drawstop at the top of the panel is for the Tuba, which has been put in already.

 

Does anyone know when it is planned to install the rest of the Solo Organ - or is it totally dependent on raising the necessary funds?

[handsoff]

Yes, it's 'Music Matters' and it's on now!!

 

D'oh - I was listening to the Youtube clip from New York at the time - it'll be on the good old BBC Play It Again device

[Arp Schnitger]

On this Easter Eve, Doctor Who didn't have to play it to save the world- maybe it wasn't ready just then, but the rest of the Close got plenty of exposure...

[themythes]

Very good to see the clip from the BBC about the new organ at Llandaff Cathedral and even better to know that it is in use and nearly complete.

 

Pcnd probably knows that Guy Russell, who is Nicholsons’ tonal director and who was interviewed briefly, was a chorister at Wimborne Minster in the sixties (late, I think); it was during my own tenure of office as the Minster Assistant Organist, though my repertoire was, and still is, nothing like as extensive as that of the current incumbent!

 

David Harrison

[Colin Harvey]

On this Easter Eve, Doctor Who didn't have to play it to save the world- maybe it wasn't ready just then, but the rest of the Close got plenty of exposure...

Yes! One of my basses (who knows Richard Moorhouse quite well) said he was amazed to see Llandaff Cathedral Close as "the duck pond" on last night's Dr Who. Quite a few shots right outside the organist's house.

 

I thought the new organ at Llandaff, like the new Doctor, sounded very promising on the very brief clips over my PC speakers - my impression was of rich, quite dark, sounding Great reeds, in the late English Romantic style - very tasty - but final judgement will have to wait until we've heard it all in the flesh. I'm sure we (and they) can't wait to complete the solo organ!

[pcnd5584]

Very good to see the clip from the BBC about the new organ at Llandaff Cathedral and even better to know that it is in use and nearly complete.

 

Pcnd probably knows that Guy Russell, who is Nicholsons’ tonal director and who was interviewed briefly, was a chorister at Wimborne Minster in the sixties (late, I think); it was during my own tenure of office as the Minster Assistant Organist, though my repertoire was, and still is, nothing like as extensive as that of the current incumbent!

 

David Harrison

 

He was indeed - I believe that his mother is on the rota for providing flower arrangements.

 

However, I was unaware that you were one of my predecessors - I would be interested to know under whom you served, David. Was it David Blott - or his successor?

 

Happy Easter.

[themythes]

He was indeed - I believe that his mother is on the rota for providing flower arrangements.

 

However, I was unaware that you were one of my predecessors - I would be interested to know under whom you served, David. Was it David Blott - or his successor?

 

Happy Easter.

 

I recall serving for a while, from 1965, with David Blott and then Michael Austin arrived a year or so later; I shared the duties to some extent with John Slater from Canford School, but I do remember my time at the Minster with enormous pleasure. I am frequently in the Southampton area, so I will PM you to arrange a meeting, perhaps.

 

David Harrison

[themythes]

Post deleted

 

DRH

[ajsphead]

What a very nice, well rounded modern English organ. Congratulations to Nicholsons for meeting their brief so well. I did enjoy Matt Smith's performance although I'm not sure he's in the same league as David Tennant.

 

AJS

[bombarde32]

Apparently to be the largest new cathedral organ in the UK since Coventry - here is something about it. Anyone know any more details?

 

AJJ

 

 

ChCh Oxford being one of the largest totally NEW organs 'recently' also at 3524 pipes!

[Philip J Wells]

ChCh Oxford being one of the largest totally NEW organs 'recently' also at 3524 pipes!

 

But to be pedantic Christ Church Oxford reused the old organ case, whereas Llandaff has two new cases and the case at Coventry (pipe racks) was also new.

 

PJW

[pcnd5584]

But to be pedantic Christ Church Oxford reused the old organ case, whereas Llandaff has two new cases and the case at Coventry (pipe racks) was also new.

 

PJW

Strictly speaking (since we are being pedantic), at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, only part of the old case was re-used. Below impost level the main case is largely new, as is the extension to the west which houses the Pedal Organ. The old Choir Organ case (designed by Gilbert Scott) was again moved, this time to face east. At Llandaff Cathedral, there appear to be four new cases (two facing west down the Nave aisles, and two facing each other across the choir stalls). With regard to Coventry Cathedral, it might be better to refer to the 'caseless' nature of the organ. The description 'pipe racks' could imply the use of non-speaking pipes. According to an article in a back-issue of The Organ written by David Lepine, first organist to the new cathedral, there are no dummy pipes on display at Coventry Cathedral. *

 

 

 

* The Organ, No. 165: Vol. XLII (July, 1962); page five. Musical Opinion, London.

[pcnd5584]

ChCh Oxford being one of the largest totally NEW organs 'recently' also at 3524 pipes!

 

In the interests of pedantry, I think that this instrument actually contains 3,585 pipes. Even allowing for the unlikely possibility that all the case pipes are non-speaking, this would then add a further sixty six pipes, making a total of 3,651 pipes.

[pwhodges]

The old Choir Organ case (designed by Gilbert Scott) was again moved, this time to face east.

Christ Church's Choir case only faced west for a few years over a century ago; it wasn't moved in the modern rebuild. I suppose it may appear so if you are recalling seeing the organ without it, but that was because it was taken down as unsafe when the old organ was removed in the mid 1970s.

 

Paul

[pcnd5584]

Christ Church's Choir case only faced west for a few years over a century ago; it wasn't moved in the modern rebuild. I suppose it may appear so if you are recalling seeing the organ without it, but that was because it was taken down as unsafe when the old organ was removed in the mid 1970s.

 

Paul

Well, almost a century ago - sometime between 1910 and 1922, in fact. My original post does read as if it were re-sited at the time of the 1975 reconstruction. I must check things more carefully when posting after midnight (the time stamp is an hour behind)....

[John Sayer]

Christ Church's Choir case only faced west for a few years over a century ago; it wasn't moved in the modern rebuild. I suppose it may appear so if you are recalling seeing the organ without it, but that was because it was taken down as unsafe when the old organ was removed in the mid 1970s.

 

Paul

 

 

I always felt Gilbert Scott's chaire case was out of proportion with the main Bernard Smith case, i.e. both too big and projecting out too far. Rieger reduced it in depth in 1979: it's a pity they didn't make it smaller at the same time, perhaps by scaling it down from 8ft to 6ft.

 

But then the insertion of a swell division below the impost upset the whole ensemble anyway......

 

JS

[pcnd5584]

I always felt Gilbert Scott's chaire case was out of proportion with the main Bernard Smith case, i.e. both too big and projecting out too far. Rieger reduced it in depth in 1979: it's a pity they didn't make it smaller at the same time, perhaps by scaling it down from 8ft to 6ft.

 

But then the insertion of a swell division below the impost upset the whole ensemble anyway......

 

JS

 

I would agree with this. The main case is now perched uncomfortably high upon a raised impost and the scale of the carved fretwork screening the Swell shutters is at odds with the rest of the composition.

[sprondel]

What a very nice, well rounded modern English organ.

AJS

 

Was the case design, by any chance, done by Simon Platt? Judging from his work for Gerhard Grenzing -- Niigata centre, Brussels and Madrid cathedrals etc --, I'd say he likes to show a lot of wooden surfaces in his cases, and the decorative elements at Llandaff seem to match his overall style as well. In fact, I find his case designs quite attractive, if a bit heavy sometimes. Nicholson's site doesn't tell anything about it, or I did not find out where.

 

Best,

Friedrich