The Organ Forum

Orgrinder010:

For me it is Saint-Saens -Allegro (from Symphony No. 3 'Organ' Performed by the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Loire Region in 1990).....Oh how I would love to be seated at that console playing along with the orchestra.

I have to agree.  Since I first heard the "Organ" Symphony in 1981, I've been hooked.  Not a terribly difficult piece, but certainly majestic.  That piece has inspired me to:

1. Begin playing for the local Symphony.
2. Purchase an organ the Symphony can use.
3. Get back into playing organ after a 3 year hiatus.

I have so much to thank (blame?) good old Camille for.

Michael 

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Allen Organs (505-B & ADC-6000), Frazee Pipe Organ (2/13 w/chimes),
Pump Organs (Estey, Sears & Roebuck, Mason & Hamlin, Chicago Cottage, Williams & Sons, Angelius, Cornish)
Pianos (Ivers sq. grand ca.1865, Ivers & Pond Upright-1929, Technics SX-PR600)

Orgrinder010:

 

For me it is Saint-Saens -Allegro (from Symphony No. 3 'Organ' Performed by the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Loire Region in 1990). Listen That one single recording always sends shivers up my spine anytime I hear it. Oh how I would love to be seated at that console playing along with the orchestra. 

 

A good friend (who is a conductor) and I have this on the agenda for next year - we hope to perform the symphony in its entirety framed with a couple of organ works.

"But do me a favour: don't ever attempt Elgar's Enigma Variations on the organ.  Lately this transcription has had some currency on other forums.  Blimey, no.  An organ transcription sounds like nothing more than a Reger monstrosity.  Just terrible.  For those of us who are alert to Elgar's utter and uncontested genius for orchestration, playing this piece on the organ removes all the subtleties of his psychological take on life and the friends in one's circle." 

Well Jason, I did the Nimrod variation for the opening voluntary for Vets. Day. That one works on the organ but The others no.

As for dream piece, Lemare transcription of the Pilgrim Chorus. I have tried everyway but my hands are just to small to make the playing on 3 keyboards work and have the melody legato enough to do it in public.

I don't know if Elgar is impossible on the organ. It was composed on the piano after all. I have a recording of that (on his own piano) somewhere and it is very nice.

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Expert in non-working solutions

Ahhh - Elgar's *Enigma Variations* on the organ - I love it!!!   :-D   :-D   :-D 

Reger monstrosity? Hardly.  Where is the thrill of the sport - where is the sense of adventure - where is the willingness to think outside of the box, mswickey?

Please don't take it personally for it is not meant as such.   As a point of info - I used to abhor all organ transcriptions, then I heard Maestro Peter Richard Conte on the Wanamaker - I immediately was a changed man.

Cheers,

K-Phone 

It's not often I quote myself, but I had to provide this update.

We are out of our regular performing venue for the next 2 years, so this last weekend we performed our symphony's Christmas concert at the local auditorium--you know, the one they use for basketball tournaments!   Since we were doing the Hallelujah Chorus from the Messiah with a 400-voice choir, The Many Moods of Christmas (Robert Shaw), and A Christmas Festival (Leroy Anderson), I moved my organ from the church to the auditorium.  WOW!!!!!   I had expected a decent sound out of the old Allen MOS-2 Digital, but not that good!!!  My organ is pictured in my avatar.

At break during the first rehearsal, the conductor was talking to my wife (Assistant Principal 2nd), and asked us if I'd ever heard of Saint Saëns' Organ Symphony.  Needless to say, it's on the program for next year.  YAY!  They had also passed out papers to those in the orchestra to request pieces the orchestra members wanted to play for the next year.  Because of the recent addition of a real organ sound (OK--real digital organ sound, for you purists), several members of the orchestra came to me and said they had requested to do the Saint-Saëns piece with my organ.  What a compliment!

The only really negative voice was the sound person--both because I wouldn't let him attach his sound system to the organ outputs (didn't want to blow an amp), and because he was used to working at Radio City Music Hall.  Needless to say, the organs are nowhere near the same.

Couldn't resist the opportunity to update you all.  Now, I hope I don't just blow it!

Michael

P.S.  Thank you, John (aka. jbird604).  Without your help and assistance on this forum, this wouldn't have been possible.

myorgan:

Orgrinder010:

For me it is Saint-Saens -Allegro (from Symphony No. 3 'Organ' Performed by the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Loire Region in 1990).....Oh how I would love to be seated at that console playing along with the orchestra.

I have to agree.  Since I first heard the "Organ" Symphony in 1981, I've been hooked.  Not a terribly difficult piece, but certainly majestic.  That piece has inspired me to:

1. Begin playing for the local Symphony.
2. Purchase an organ the Symphony can use.
3. Get back into playing organ after a 3 year hiatus.

I have so much to thank (blame?) good old Camille for.

Michael 

---

Allen Organs (505-B & ADC-6000), Frazee Pipe Organ (2/13 w/chimes),
Pump Organs (Estey, Sears & Roebuck, Mason & Hamlin, Chicago Cottage, Williams & Sons, Angelius, Cornish)
Pianos (Ivers sq. grand ca.1865, Ivers & Pond Upright-1929, Technics SX-PR600)

Havoc:

I don't know if Elgar is impossible on the organ. It was composed on the piano after all.

Well nothing is impossible on any keyboard instrument... it is just a matter of how well it works.  Elgar seldom does: he never thought pianistically.  Take a simple piece like Carissima (written specifically for the gramophone... 1913) and the piano transcription totally falls apart by measure 19.  The various strands in the modest orchestration all of a sudden exchange places... so delectable... but this cannot be conveyed on the piano. 

This is why publishers tore their hair out with Elgar.  The greatest British composer since Purcell, yet Elgar's sublime, profound, magisterial music fails to work on the piano.  But, ah, that's where the money was.   Elgar's symphonies?  His publisher commissioned Karg-Elert (well known to organists, eh?) to transcribe them for piano.  A tour de force of notes, but a hash of the music.  (I have those piano scores.)

Like Stravinsky, Elgar worked out his initial thoughts at the piano.  But whilst orchestrating, he never consulted a piano.  Furthermore, there is no instance wherein Elgar ever changed -unlike Stravinsky (or Ricky Strauss) - his orchestration subsequently.

If you have a recording of Elgar's Enigma on Elgar's piano -which has been unplayable for many years- (I've poked a few notes on it at the Elgar museum in Lower Broadheath) then good on you.  But I've never seen any recording, unless I misunderstood your post.    

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

Speaking of Elgar, Jason, I have that Fox recording of the P&C which I have always enjoyed.  I have heard a rendition of Enigma on the organ and I agree it is problematical to transcribe.

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Music is at its best when it is played for God's glory and for man's good.

Jason, while you seemed to have cleaned up your post I did read the first version but only wanted to reply after I got my hand on the cd. So just for your information I'll add some glib toughts about things I do know nothing about...

The recording is an edition by "the cobbe foundation" and "the national trust" (MRCD 94001). It was recorded on the Broadwood owned by Elgar that he kept in his study at Birchwood. Elgar wrote on the inside of the keyboard the pieces he used the piano for to work on them.

The piano seemed to be in good enough condition in 1994 and is kept at Hatchlands Park, one of the National Trust houses. It houses the Cobbe collection of keyboard instruments. I you ever visit it then if you ask nicely you will be allowed to play on the organ in one of the room. (IFAIK this is the only exhibit in a NT museum that you may touch).

The recording consists of manuscripts and piano version Elgar did himself. You may not like it, but I do.

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Expert in non-working solutions

Havoc, I cleaned my post up because I have a bad tendency to get overly hot-headed on the subject of Elgar, for which I apologize. 

But thank-you, your info was appreciated.     

Never mind. I did found back a lot of CD's I forgot I had when searching for that one. Some I even never played...

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Expert in non-working solutions

soubasse32:

Berveiller: Mouvement

Hello !

Do you take this score ? Avez-vous cette partition ?

(Happy new year- Bonne année )

Fred

How about Charles Ives' Variations on America, on July 4th, on an instrument with an authentic-sounding calliope stop?  I know, this piece is not in the same league as the others mentioned in this thread, but it always brings a smile!

DR 

clarabella:

soubasse32:

Berveiller: Mouvement

Do you take this score ? Avez-vous cette partition ?

Peut-être.

Je ne peut pas révèler ma source.

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Soubasse32

Ni moi la mienne

Vous n'avez donc pas besoin de ce service

Une autre fois peut-être ?

Cordialement

Fred