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Bombarde 32!


AJJ

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Mine came yesterday - rather fun - especially if you are into sonic brain blowing - also with some nice shots of the building. The improvisation from the BBC mag. CD is on there too and some bits and pieces at the end that I have not listened to yet. It also loaded nicely onto my iPod to use later - sermons perhaps! (Sorry Revs. Tony, Patrick, Quentin et al!)

 

AJJ

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"It also loaded nicely onto my iPod to use later - sermons perhaps! "

(Quote)

 

To hear the 32' Bombarde ? :blink:

 

Pierre

So sad to think that people would rather listen to organ music than a good sermon....

Tee Hee ;)

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Guest Patrick Coleman

I'll scrub the sermon if you like as long as I can listen too - or perhaps in return for a 32' Bombarde to add to Bertha.

 

After all, why bother spending time preparing a sermon when you can listen to music that someone else has spent time preparing? :blink:

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"It also loaded nicely onto my iPod to use later - sermons perhaps! "

(Quote)

 

To hear the 32' Bombarde ? :blink:

 

Pierre

 

And the rest! ;) (Widor Toccata plus improvisation)

 

AJJ

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Mine also arrived yesterday. I have to say I am rather disappointed with it, it's very short, and if I'm not mistaken the improvisation is in mono. The shots of St Sernin are I think all stills. When you boil it down the toccata is all there is, the CD was much more rewarding.

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Mine came yesterday - rather fun - especially if you are into sonic brain blowing - also with some nice shots of the building. The improvisation from the BBC mag. CD is on there too and some bits and pieces at the end that I have not listened to yet. It also loaded nicely onto my iPod to use later - sermons perhaps! (Sorry Revs. Tony, Patrick, Quentin et al!)

 

AJJ

I've obviously missed something here. Where would you get this DVD please?

 

R.

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I'll scrub the sermon if you like as long as I can listen too - or perhaps in return for a 32' Bombarde to add to Bertha.

 

After all, why bother spending time preparing a sermon when you can listen to music that someone else has spent time preparing? :blink:

 

 

============================

 

 

Am I the only person to detest 32ft Bombardes?

 

Give me a good Hill 32ft Trombone.....weight and substance over noisy sabre-rattling anytime!

 

MM

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Never liked the Cavaille Coll at St Sernin I'm afraid. Comes across as simply too harsh - the reeds especially so. And does it have a real 32' Bombarde?

 

Yes it does have a 32' Contre bombarde on the pedals. I heard it about four years ago (didn't play it but did play the CC at Caen) and was absolutely bowled over by both organs. But then I always was a bit of a soft touch for anything French. My recollection of S. Sernin is that the jeux de fond in particular were exactly what I expected, and most of them are by CC. Some of the stops are stated to be by Daublaine. R

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Well I'm an avid supporter of Cavaille Coll but his work at St Sernin is not one of my favourites. The 32' Bombarde on the pedals is clearly listed but the bottom octave for me has never been convincing. But then it could be masked by the positively screechy reeds which for me are voiced totally OTT.

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Well I'm an avid supporter of Cavaille Coll but his work at St Sernin is not one of my favourites. The 32' Bombarde on the pedals is clearly listed but the bottom octave for me has never been convincing. But then it could be masked by the positively screechy reeds which for me are voiced totally OTT.

 

Which CC do members like best? R

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I'll lay odds that St Sulpice ends up way out in front! Either that or St Ouen. Nah, it's got to be St Sulpice.

 

I must confess that, to my shame, I've never heard either of them "in the flesh" yet. However, from what I've heard in recordings, St. Ouen is just about at the top of my list of organs I'd like to hear and play.

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No surprises but St Sulpice and St Ouen are my top two. I've listened to St Sulpice in the flesh many times, St Ouen three times. They are very different beasts. St Sulpice is tremendously grand with an incredible plenum, the analogy of the 'old Bentley' is a good one. St Ouen is incredibly dynamic from a list of only 64 stops, its 32' Bombarde perhaps for me the very best of its kind in the world. To listen to St Ouen on full organ is an amazing experience, the tremendous enveloping roar of the reeds simply breathtaking, without being OTT. This is where St Sernin falls down I'm afraid.

 

I've given up deciding which is best. Without doubt though listening to Widor on 'Widor's Organ' at St Sulpice is an unbeatable experience. When you're there you can forget all other Organs and locations, you can certainly bin all the Anglo-American organs ever made as they all pale into total obscurity when listening to this majestic organ. It is a tremendous shame that we have little to compare in England with regard to these two masterpieces. But then I suppose it's part of the fun to go over to France in the first place.

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No surprises but St Sulpice and St Ouen are my top two. I've listened to St Sulpice in the flesh many times, St Ouen three times. They are very different beasts. St Sulpice is tremendously grand with an incredible plenum, the analogy of the 'old Bentley' is a good one. St Ouen is incredibly dynamic from a list of only 64 stops, its 32' Bombarde perhaps for me the very best of its kind in the world. To listen to St Ouen on full organ is an amazing experience, the tremendous enveloping roar of the reeds simply breathtaking, without being OTT. This is where St Sernin falls down I'm afraid.

 

I've given up deciding which is best. Without doubt though listening to Widor on 'Widor's Organ' at St Sulpice is an unbeatable experience. When you're there you can forget all other Organs and locations, you can certainly bin all the Anglo-American organs ever made as they all pale into total obscurity when listening to this majestic organ. It is a tremendous shame that we have little to compare in England with regard to these two masterpieces. But then I suppose it's part of the fun to go over to France in the first place.

 

Saint Ouen is first in my top five, and curiously enough, Saint Denis which I did'nt know 8 years ago has become the second in this top five since I'm lucky enough to listen to it on a very regular basis. I say "curiously", because ACC considered it as a prototype. He wanted 4 manuels unstead of 3, he wanted to add a set of chamades: due to a lack of money his projects were not finaly met. As for, the Bombarde 32: it sounds extremely strong and violent and when the nave is empty the tutti seems stronger than the one of NDP!

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No surprises but St Sulpice and St Ouen are my top two. I've listened to St Sulpice in the flesh many times, St Ouen three times. They are very different beasts. St Sulpice is tremendously grand with an incredible plenum, the analogy of the 'old Bentley' is a good one. St Ouen is incredibly dynamic from a list of only 64 stops, its 32' Bombarde perhaps for me the very best of its kind in the world. To listen to St Ouen on full organ is an amazing experience, the tremendous enveloping roar of the reeds simply breathtaking, without being OTT. This is where St Sernin falls down I'm afraid.

I'd second this assessment, having also heard all three of these works of genius at the hands of their titulaires. St. Sernin has a big, somewhat brash sound which speaks very directly to the listener rather than to the building - more so than even one would expect from the many recordings. St Sulpice and St. Ouen, having buildings acoustically fabulous where "anything would sound good" are more smoothly integrated, and in each case one thing I found remarkable was the incredible acoustical presence they have without sounding loud at all. The tutti are loud, but in an enveloping "I could drink this in all day" kind of way rather than the other kind of loud, which you will hear if you cross the river after the St. Sulpice audition. The tutti at St. Sulpice is like an good St. Emilion, ripe with velvet chocolate and depth, with layers of complexity which gradually reveal themselves to the listener.

 

I'm not much given to unqualified admiration of anything, but what I can say is that for me St. Sulpice's younger and smaller brother, at St. Ouen, as heard in the building, represents the absolute pinnacle of the romantic organ music listener experience; not because there aren't other romantic organs which render other repertoire (e.g. Reger, Howells) more effectively, but because this masterpiece in this building does what it does in such astonishing style. Widor was guilty of understatement, if anything, with the famous characterisation he gave at the opening recital. No recording* or hearing of other organs live can prepare you for the breathtaking colour of the sound in the building. The tutti will make you cry. The chorus is massive without stodge, with glittering mixtures and the positioning and colourful snappy overtone-rich voicing of the chamades lends a great zing and transparency to it. The rich blend between the mixtures and the high-pitched reeds seems to be lost in the recordings. The miraculous contre bombarde manages to completely balance and integrate with the tutti at the same time as standing completely apart with that explosive effect which some of us enjoy and which satisfies emotionally rather than musically.

 

Anyone who appreciates fine organs has to make the pilgrimage to Rouen at least once in their lifetime. We are incredibly lucky that CC had the opportunity, at the end of his illustrious career, to work with such a fabulous acoustic, perfect middle-height west end positioning, and such a goldmine of historic pipework, and that he used his skill, genius, and money to such spectacular advantage. We're also incredibly lucky that a century of vigilance has resisted modernisation, electrification and other "improvements". On the other hand, it's unfortunate that, unlike St, Sulpice, it can only be heard at a handful of autumn recitals each year, which are, shockingly, attended by just a handful of people!

 

* Daniel Roth plays fabulously on JAV SACD and is very well recorded, bit still no comparison with being there.

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Maybe, having noted swalmsley's comments about the St. Ouen recitals, this would be an opportune time to ask when would be the best time to visit Paris? My wife and I have decided on a fortnight in Autumn 2009 but would appreciate some advice on the timing. We have sort of planned on 2 weeks self-catering (for the flexibility) in September/October and wonder if this is going to result in plenty of music being available? I think Rouen is about 60 minutes train journey from Paris and the chance to hear the organ there must not be missed. Thank you in advance for any advice.

 

Sorry to hijack the thread, but to return to it - St.Sulpice and St. Ouen equal first - but this is based only on recordings!

 

P

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