Christopher Herrick at the Royal Albert Hall
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
- Christopher Herrick playing the grand Willis/Harrison organ in the Royal Albert Hall during the BBC Proms 1994, recorded from BBC Radio 3 broadcast. The piece is Edwin Henry Lemare's criminally underplayed Concert Fantasia Op. 91, I think the only commercially available performance is by Herrick himself on Hyperion's Organ Fireworks Vol.2. Concert Fantasia is a transcription by Lemare of his own improvisation recorded on a Edison phonograph cylinder. It skilfully weaves three tunes, 'The Sailors Hornpipe', 'The British Grenadiers' and 'Rule Britannia' and managed to combine all three at the end - leaving just the Piéce de resistance, 'Auld Lang Syne' appears in the pedals briefly at the end!
The organ was built by Father Willis in 1871-2, Harrison and Harrison rebuilt it in two stages, first in 1924 and completing it in 1933. Then more restoration in 1954 when the pitch of the organ was raised, and several alterations and colsole aids were added in 1973. The organ began to deteriorate badly, with the bellows leaking air and splits in the wooden trunking much of the electrics were over 50 years old, causing no end of problems, ciphers, dead notes etc. The most obvious problem was the lack of wind pressure for climaxes.
Manders completed a complete restoration in 2004, adding just one 4 rank mixture to make it the largest organ in the UK at the time, 9997 pipes. In the last rebuild, the roof was removed from above 32' Ophicleide which makes it now sound a little less thunderous in comparison to older recordings, but at least we still have those searing orchestral trumpets and tuba chorus. There are many detractors of the organ saying its too loud, too brash etc, but have always found it magnificent, very grandiose, very 'Imperial' befitting its home. I hope this recording shows, that despite it being out of tune and lacking wind in crucial moments, it sounds fabulous and has a unique and beautiful sonority.
Christopher Herrick is a virtuoso organist with a career spanning 22 years in two great church music centres in London, first St Pauls as chorister, then as assistant organ for 7 years. And then Westminster abbey for 10 years with 6 as Sub Organist. For the last twenty years his association with Hyperion has included dozens of CDs, including the complete organ works of Bach and 13
volumes of Organ Fireworks.
I've only heard this raw power, grandeur and wheezy fire in recordings of one other organ - the 7-manual, 446-stop Midmer-Losh in the Atlantic City Convention Hall. This may be nowhere near even third biggest organ in the world but by God it's one of the biggest-sounding!
This by the man who taught me how to organ. Christopher Herrick.
Just simply marvelous! I'm speechless.
Brilliant!!!
@codeman2008 - almost forgotten? I think not! Every organist worth their salt has at least heard of Lemare, and those who like to go outside just already-composed organ music, looking to improvisations, transcriptions etc, have ALL heard of Lemare!
Thanks for the info! Nice to have some info from Mr Mander too. It had sounded a little tame in comparison to earlier recordings. I shall amend my notes...
As you say, maybe we could sneak a little roof back in for that stop ;-) That beast makes a grand sound when it all sings!
I thank you!
Good to see you're back in business ;-)
Anyone who has any doubts about the power of this organ: check out Virgil Fox, Toccata and Fugue in D minor on this instrument, it's available here on You Tube. You will not hear a better one... period. ( note I said a better one, not an equal one).
Yep, I prefer this live version though...
@ds1868 - I dunno, the roof's removal has definitely improved sound projection. Also, I don't want to see those pipes cleaned either! Look what Harrisons have done at St Alban's, replacing the old frontpipes with polished tin and staining the casework. What was beautiful and understated is now just bling. It's as bling as the cars you see on Pimp My Ride. The RAH just wouldn't be the same with shiny pipes - and it would definitely dazzle the audience. Leave well alone is my advice.
The vids take me so long to do, there is some stiff competition out there! ;-) Plus I like to put up stuff that nobody else has...
Hope to have a rarely heard Cochereau improv from St Thomas NYC up soon!
I can certainly understand the time-consumption problem. It took me forever to learn the intricacies of Windows Movie Maker (which I'd guess is what you're using). And now my daughter is trying to get me to learn Sony Vegas Movie Studio, which is not nearly as user-friendly.
@codeman2008 - 'already-composed', I wasn't sure how to phrase that when I wrote it. I'm talking music written in the past for the organ - not transcriptions, improvisations, barely any new music (given how dire most of it is, that's no bad thing - did you hear that Judith Bingham piece in the Sunday Organ Prom a week ago?). As for the rest, I can only agree! However, with the likes of Nathan Laube and Thomas Heywood making more of an impression, Lemare is becoming better-known as a virtuoso.
Yes that was good till right at the end when it ran out of puff !
High percentage of tin (90-95%) for display pipes are very pleaseant to see but very, very sensible to jump in temperature.
I think I have this but I'm not really sure.
Wasn't this on Organ Fireworks as well?
Are you sure the picture at the start of the video isn't Albert Steptoe?
I have a problem with a lot of so-called organ consultants, they have some very odd ideas! cleaning would make them look fantastic, give a real impact to the room. They could just ignore the consultant's advice...
Organ sounded really poorly during the final few bars, but hats off to Chris for a great performance.
Great piece on a poorly instrument!
Wonderful!!!