John Scott plays Bruckner at the Royal Albert Hall
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- Опубліковано 16 вер 2024
- John Scott playing Anton Bruckner's Prelude (or vorspiel) and Fugue for organ. This recording taken from the BBC Proms in maybe 1995 or 1996 I dont have the date noted. Its very unusual for the BBC to show the organ being played on TV, so this is rare footage! This has been transferred from VHS cassette and the original signal quality wasn't too good either! But the sound is fine. This was part of an proms concert of Bruckner's choral music, the organ piece was merely an opener, which is why there was no applause at end, it moved seamlessly into the 2nd item on the programme. I have another Proms video of Wayne Marshall to come, a player who always brings the audience alive.
John scott started as a chorister at Wakefield cathedral, gaining major prizes from the Royal College of Organists whilst still at school. He was organ scholar at St John's college, Cambridge under Dr George Guest, whilst studying with Gillian Weir. Leaving Cambridge to become assistant organist at both Southwark and St Paul's cathedrals in London, then becoming Sub organist at St Pauls and finally Organist and Director of Music there in 1990. In 2004 he left St Pauls to become Organist and Director of music of St Thomas NYC in 2004. He has made numerous records for the Hyperion and Priory labels.
Anton Bruckner was born in Austria in 1824 and penned a large number of symphonies, masses and motets in the style of Austro-German Romanticism. He greatly admired Wagner for his music rather than the plot, once famously saying after seeing Wagner's Gotterdammerung, "Why did they burn the woman at the end?" He was a reknowned organist, receiving initial musical tutition from his father, he went on to study at Augustinian monastry in St Florian becoming organist there in 1851. He gave 6 recitals at the Royal Albert Hall, London when the new organ was built in 1871 and in 1867 on the new organ in Notre Dame, quoting from The Organ magazine July 1967 'He surpassed himself in a masterly improvisation, in the form of a Prelude, Fugue and variation, and wrote to his friend Schiedmayer, "Such a triumph I shall never again experience." Bruckner was buried in the crypt of St Florian below his favourite organ.
Such a talent! How sad that he died at just 59 and we shall hear no more from him in this life, other than from his recorded performances. Thank you for the post.
Sublime ! Thank you for your sharing ! Bravo organist John Scott.
ah mr scott , a true yorkshireman !! i saw him a few yrs back , now at st thomas's new york he returned with the choir to his roots to wakefield cathedral for a thoroughly amazing musical evening !!!!
Excellent! Thanks for this great upload.
RIP John Scott.
A gem, as usual. Scott's recording of some of Dupré's work -- on Hyperion, as I recall -- is on my list of the 10 great "Knock Your Socks Off" performances.
It seems that the Bruckner performances at the RAH were indeed a sensation; so too were additional performances at the Crystal Palace. Bruckner even received a proposal of marriage; the only one he ever received, and he rejected it because the lady couldn't speak German!
Nice playing !
This was pre-restoration organ. By this time, from what I am told, the organ was in really bad condition. The electrical system was over 50 years old, huge air leaks in everything and it couldn't sustain full organ, let alone the big reeds. Also, the hall is never ideal for the instrument. Even so, it is a magnificent instrument.
Is it just me, or is the organ slightly out of tune?
+Tinkaluisa When this was recorded in September 1996, the organ was falling to pieces. However it was restored during 2002-04 at a cost of nearly £2 million, and it now sounds fine. It is the largest concert hall organ in Europe, with nearly 10,000 pipes.
Sounds like the organ was in poor health (as I know it was pretty much knackered by the time it was dismantled in 2003). Also, the music is hardly Bruckner at his best... I'll stick with Bach for Preludes and Fugues, and for Bruckner I'll stick with the symphonies (and the Seventh in particular).
O órgão está desafinado.