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What do you think about this?

Andrew Roussak

Andrew Roussak

New member
Hello Dawerd,

thanks for sharing - amazing performance!!

For the tempi - IMO, it is for the player to choose the appropriate one. One may find on YouTube the examples how The Minute Walce of Chopin is being played very fast, and very slow. Glenn Gould have recorded Goldberg Variationen two times - in 60es and later one more time in 80es. The speeds of the same pieces on these recordings are very different.

IMO, what good is good! This performance was more than convincing for me.
 
wljmrbill

wljmrbill

Member
Enjoyed the performance. Good Job youngman.Sure the delay is a big factor playing this organ and proper tempo for such instrument as I hear abit of overlap for sure.Been there and done that many times... Like to hear more ffrom you.. Bill
 
pcnd5584

pcnd5584

New member
dll927 said:
... Someone mentioned the tempo and the acoustics. I sometimes wonder if organists put those two together well. Playing too fast in a church with a long reverberation time is going to produce a mish-mash of noise which, in louder sections or with a lot of contrapuntal voices, is just noise. I do not agree with the idea that ambulance-chasing tempi necessarily mean talent.
Click to expand...

I am not certain that this applies here. I find the performance quite clear (even on computer speakers). The piece is played reasonably well - for example the music is allowed to 'breathe' at appropriate intervals. However, there is a blemish at 7'.40", where the performer pauses for a split second - then runs back a few bars and has another attempt at this section, which is a pity. Otherwise the playing is good.

You may be interested to listen to a recording of Jean-Jacques Grünenwald playing this movement at S. Sulpice (a building which is also fairly resonant) - and, of course, the organ at which Widor presided for many years. His (Grünenwald's) tempo is quite fast (8'.02" *), yet this performance is also clear and authoratitive, although a little too much speed, particularly at the end, results in a lack of clarity.

For anyone who may be interested, the details of the Grünenwald recording are as follows: Hommage à Jean-Jacques Grünenwald (Motette label) CD MOT 10521. This CD also shows Grünenwald to have had a formidable improvisational ability, producing well-crafted pieces in a variety of styles. He is clearly thoroughly at home on the S. Sulpice instrument.



* As compared to 9'.43" - the approximate time of the performance in question. (Subtract about 20 - 25" for the erroneus part mentioned above.)
 
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