Choir Man Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 For those that missed it last week, Jonathan Scott's recital from the Royal Albert Hall is available on iPlayer. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p08n8ns0/bbc-proms-2020-the-symphonic-organ A fantastic instrument (thanks partly to our hosts) played in the way it was intended to be. (Dare I also say that the acoustic in the RAH is enhanced for the lack of a live audience) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
contraviolone Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 2 hours ago, Choir Man said: For those that missed it last week, Jonathan Scott's recital from the Royal Albert Hall is available on iPlayer. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p08n8ns0/bbc-proms-2020-the-symphonic-organ A fantastic instrument (thanks partly to our hosts) played in the way it was intended to be. (Dare I also say that the acoustic in the RAH is enhanced for the lack of a live audience) Certainly enhanced by no audience, no coughing and hacking and no bodies to absorb the sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johannes Riponensis Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 In the good old days they used to raise the orchestral canopy for organ recitals and to good effect, especially for those listening in the arena. The, one day, during the lifting, a light fitting (or part of one) fell on the percussion section of the orchestra below. Fortunately, the stage was empty. As a result he canopy has not been moved since, but it does mean some of the sound goes over the top of it. The best place to listen these days is from the balcony or even the gallery, in direct line of fire from the heavy reeds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
East Kent Trombone Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 I wonder who is taking over the tuning since Manders went bust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
contraviolone Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 20 hours ago, East Kent Trombone said: I wonder who is taking over the tuning since Manders went bust. I believe (although I may well be wrong) that the contract for this was lost some time ago. From this youtube video it may be assumed the current Custodian of the organ tunes the instrument: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4iUnBnNJxs What alarms me is the significant amounts of dirt and dust on the pipework. What on earth are they thinking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S_L Posted September 13, 2020 Share Posted September 13, 2020 It was good to hear the Albert Hall organ leading the singing of 'Jerusalem' last night rather than the Elgar orchestration usually used. And, what seems to have become the norm, to hear the hauntingly beautiful rendition of the National Anthem by Benjamin Britten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Robinson Posted September 13, 2020 Share Posted September 13, 2020 1 hour ago, S_L said: It was good to hear the Albert Hall organ leading the singing of 'Jerusalem' last night rather than the Elgar orchestration usually used. And, what seems to have become the norm, to hear the hauntingly beautiful rendition of the National Anthem by Benjamin Britten. Yes! Who needs an orchestra when you have an organ of that size? AND, you'd save a lot of money, paying for only one musician rather than 80+ ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbouffant Posted September 13, 2020 Share Posted September 13, 2020 2 hours ago, S_L said: It was good to hear the Albert Hall organ leading the singing of 'Jerusalem' last night rather than the Elgar orchestration usually used. I'm not so sure about this. The organ version was nicely played (was it GTB's arrangement we used to have in AMR?) but it was all very one dimensional compared to the colour and verve of the Elgar. The Wallen 'realisation' only sprang to life for me in verse 2 when the Elgar elements were clearly evident in the overall texture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lausanne Posted September 14, 2020 Share Posted September 14, 2020 Perhaps my TV's sound system is better than others - or was it the generous volume I always require for the last night of the proms - but I felt that the organ was sounding as good as ever. This year I made a special effort to sing along with all the old favourites, particularly given the last minute U-turn of the BBC. Weirdly the main thing I missed was the raucous cacophony of car horns and klaxons during the horn pipe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Cooke Posted September 14, 2020 Share Posted September 14, 2020 7 hours ago, mrbouffant said: I'm not so sure about this. The organ version was nicely played (was it GTB's arrangement we used to have in AMR?) but it was all very one dimensional compared to the colour and verve of the Elgar. The Wallen 'realisation' only sprang to life for me in verse 2 when the Elgar elements were clearly evident in the overall texture. Very apposite that Joseph Wicks' organ arrangement of the Elgar orchestration has just been published - see here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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