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New "english" Concert Organ In Germany


John Sayer

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They are excellent, no doubt; try one whenever you can.

Aubertin is one of the best builders of our time, and, with that,

they can restore and rebuild in others styles as their's.

Ask Nigell Allcoat about Thann, for example, an organ I heard

once again this last August.

Aubertin has even completely rebuild an organ with 100% pneumatic

action.

Give them an Harrison, they will restore it -ditto with Kern, who

already did-...

But even an excellent modern organ won't do well if you have

dozens of the same in a dedicate area.

Here the fashions ever fail.

 

Pierre

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Watch an Installation video of the Duisburg organ:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mHSHTIjGoM

 

A friend reported, that first results of voicing and playing are very impressive. The Englishmen have but to judge, if the instrument meets the Town Hall tradition. German organists are wondering if this instrument, even if beeing very fine, would have a different life than other concert organs in Germany, meaning that after a splendid inauguration festival, they fall asleep for mostly the whole year.

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Watch an Installation video of the Duisburg organ:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mHSHTIjGoM

 

A friend reported, that first results of voicing and playing are very impressive. The Englishmen have but to judge, if the instrument meets the Town Hall tradition. German organists are wondering if this instrument, even if beeing very fine, would have a different life than other concert organs in Germany, meaning that after a splendid inauguration festival, they fall asleep for mostly the whole year.

Slider seals on a Romantic soundboard, and surely I didn't see a row of lever arm magnets. I'll let them off the slider solenoids. Just an illustration of how far you take a pure philosophy. Design looks a bit vertical to me for the concept as well. Will be interested to hear how they sell the instrument. Leathered lips and double risers does not a Romantic organ make.

 

AJS

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Slider seals on a Romantic soundboard, and surely I didn't see a row of lever arm magnets. I'll let them off the slider solenoids. Just an illustration of how far you take a pure philosophy. Design looks a bit vertical to me for the concept as well. Will be interested to hear how they sell the instrument. Leathered lips and double risers does not a Romantic organ make.

I am not quite sure what you mean by "vertical", but felt remembered of a sentence Robert Ampt said about his splendid Sydney Hill on YouTube: "Well, the one thing the organ (120+ stops) lacks is mutations".

 

Bound to make registering Messiaen, for one, a tricky experience, but it's the way they wanted it. I still don't quite get the rationale. May be, if the interest in the instrument persists, we get a déja-vu twelve years from now, and a "Positiv" division will be massaged into the music closet -- Cornet décomposé, Cymbale and a "Cremona".

 

Best,

Friedrich

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I am not quite sure what you mean by "vertical", but felt remembered of a sentence Robert Ampt said about his splendid Sydney Hill on YouTube: "Well, the one thing the organ (120+ stops) lacks is mutations".

 

Bound to make registering Messiaen, for one, a tricky experience, but it's the way they wanted it. I still don't quite get the rationale. May be, if the interest in the instrument persists, we get a déja-vu twelve years from now, and a "Positiv" division will be massaged into the music closet -- Cornet décomposé, Cymbale and a "Cremona".

 

Best,

Friedrich

By vertical in this case I meant the physical disposition. It looks a bit like tone cabinets and quasi werkprinzip. Will be interested to see if the main chorus has another division plonked on top of it, I do hope not. The sound and concept of organs like this are at their best when they can breathe and develop their tone, and are not projected at the room. I am very happy though to bow to the expert ears that will have heard the space first hand and may have a different view because of it.

 

AJS

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Wondering if this will be just as "auf Englisch" as the Rover75 ...

 

Why not an English organbui.....

 

 

shut up .....

 

Why not ask this question? Of course they will have had some reasons to choose Eule (I do not know them...), but on the other hand, I would not hesitate do go to the sources when asking for an instrument in English style.

 

(well, even if this is not the issue here in our parish, I'm really happy to welcome our host here on coming friday!)

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"I would not hesitate do go to the sources when asking for an instrument in English style."

(Quote)

 

There is obviously something wrong in the EC today.

In my area, the german builders did much work from the 17th to the

19th century, from Peter Goldfuss just before 1700 up to Gebrüder Link

in 1914, not to mention Walcker, Dreymann... between the two wars, Klais built a

dozen very good organs in Belgium.

BUT....In 2009, it is simply impossible to have a german builder restore

them. Whenever a job is decided, it goes always to a belgian builder,

be him qualified or not for the kind of organ concerned.

 

There has been two sad examples lately (I won't give any name nor

place, even in private).

 

The european union was more effective, by far, during the 19th century

(despite the many quarrels and wars!).

 

As I said, we are at risk on the continent to need some decades to learn

to build credible british-style organs, while the "real thing" is

available nearby -the organs, and the builders-.

 

Pierre

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If it is a Public Hall then the competition rules of the EU come into play via the Public Procurement Directive. But surely there is nothing to stop German builders working for churches in Belgium (or am I missing the point because the churches are owned by the state?).

PJW

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If it is a Public Hall then the competition rules of the EU come into play via the Public Procurement Directive. But surely there is nothing to stop German builders working for churches in Belgium (or am I missing the point because the churches are owned by the state?).

PJW

 

There are means to "round the rules", this is what is named "non financial barriers".

Not only in Belgium, this obtains in all EC countries.

We have Neelie Kroes fighting against them, but she has bigger fishes than

the organ business to begin with !

 

Anyway, should any organ-builder experience such barriers, it could be

interesting to drop her a line or two:

 

http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/kroes/index_en.html

 

Who knows ? If she was flooded with organ affairs, the organ file

could climb somewhat towards the summit of the pile !

 

Pierre

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