Cesar Franck...

[Corno Dolce]

Here's what I'm listening to at the moment - please click on track 6 on Disc 2:

http://play.rhapsody.com/cesarfranck...layBounce=true



The instrument that this was recorded on was completely destroyed by a horrific fire in 1990 which also consumed the whole church building, leaving just a shell. This church(Katarina Kyrka = St. Catherine's Church) was rebuilt and finished in 1995 and the new organ got installed 2000. I witnessed the conflagration with tears streaming down my eyes since this Church is a part of my boyhood experience.

The new organ does not have any of the charm that the original instrument had. The original was built by Åkerman & Lund. Carl Åkerman had apprenticed with Aristide Cavaille-Coll in Paris and had been given the formulas for pipe construction, scaling, voicing, and tonal finishing used by Cavaille-Coll himself.

Here's what the Church looked like before and after the fire and after rebuilding:


http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...n%26safe%3Doff


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...rkan_View1.jpg

Looking at these pictures still put alot of pain in my heart but since the Church was rebuilt the healing process has begun.

Cheers,

Corno Dolce

[methodistgirl]

What a beautiful instrument. It reminds me of the organ I play a the
church. The one you are talking about is a lot bigger and more
beautiful. I hate it when a church burns up. The church itself was
just as pretty as the church I go to. But this one looks like a big
castle. Some that old do look like castles. They're as beautiful
on the inside as out. Just look at the picture on my profile. The one
I go to looks like a big greek museum with stain glass windows and
look at the avatar under my name. By the way the music on the
album is supurb!
judy tooley

[Krummhorn]

Hi Corno Dolce,

Gee, to have witnessed that kind of destruction must have been awful. It always saddens my heart when a pipe organ gets destroyed by fire ... part of my soul and love of music leaves and never returns. Do we know what caused the original fire?

It appears that the rebuild replicated closely the original, and I think that was the superb thing for that parish to do as it helps everyone heal in the long run.

Ahah, so you are a Rhapsody subscriber, too? I truly enjoy having that as an option for music listening while slaving away at this PC doing research or enjoying this forum and the others I moderate.

[Corno Dolce]

Hello Krummhorn,

Many concert organists in Europe castigate the new instrument for the ugliness of its Mixtures and Reed choruses. The man who supervised the rebuilding and did the reintonation of the former instrument whose name is Knut Kaliff has done the tonal finishing for the splendid instrument in Halmstad, Sweden:

http://www.halmstadorgel.se/english.html

http://www.halmstadorgel.se/disposition.html

Cheers,

Corno Dolce

[Soubasse]

Corno,

Thanks for the links and the heartfelt account of such a tragic event. I can only imagine what it must have felt like, but I know I wouldn't want to experience such a thing myself.

I was saddened further to hear that it was an Åkerman instrument. I have very fond memories of performing on the Åkerman in Uppsala Cathedral which was a great pleasure indeed. The instrument and building combined made for a truly wonderful time. I also noted with interest, that Andrew Canning (Uppsala organist) was one of the many signatories on that petition. I was most grateful to him for the time he allowed me at the Domkyrkan.

Have only heard a van den Heuvel on CD but was highly impressed with the tone (especially since it was an all-Alain programme and I'm going to be picky about that!)

Thanks again Corno - inspiring reading and listening there.

Matt

[Corno Dolce]

Hi Soubasse,

WOW - you played the Uppsala Cathedral organ???

Sheesh - I partook of a summer-long course at Uppsala Cathedral for Cantors in 1985. It was one of the most glorious summers I've ever had.
I surmise the Alain recording is the van den Heuvel at Katwijk aan Zee. That is one of their best instruments and I am in total agreement with you there.

Cheers,

Corno Dolce

[acc]

I agree about Katwijk aan Zee, which actually still is my favourite Van den Heuvel organ, e.g. waaaay more balanced and more homogeneous than St-Eustache.

[Soubasse]

My wife and I traveled to Uppsala in 2001 for a friends wedding (which we thought would also be a good opportunity for a holiday given the distance!). Andrew Canning heard me practicing for the wedding and said he very much enjoyed it and would I like to give a guest performance at High Mass the following day? Err, um, well, yeah okay! (like I really had to think about it!). Glorious instrument.

I surmise the Alain recording is the van den Heuvel at Katwijk aan Zee.

Aye, that's the one - the Thomas Trotter disc ... or should I say THE Thomas Trotter disc. Superb recording. That was actually my first ever organ CD when I started buying them. It was a nice coincidence having just met Mr. Trotter himself, and watched slack-jawed whilst he effortlessly played through the Durufle Requiem as if it were a Grade 1 piece.