What do you think about this?

[Dawerd]

Hello everybody,
just curious of your opinion on this performance...

http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=y-IEfkidz6k

[Muza]

I liked it, but Im not a good judge of organs and organ performances...

[Krummhorn]

Splendid performance of a very complex piece. I thought the tempo was a bit "spirited" for the acoustics of the building where it was being performed, but that is just my opinion.

[methodistgirl]

This is the first time that I saw two page turners with an organ player.
I don't see other organist do that they turn pages themselves or have
the sheet music spread out so that there wouldn't be any page turning.
judy tooley

[JONESEY]

Good performance - weren't the other people helping with registration changes as well as page turning?

[Dawerd]

Indeed the others are mainly helping with the regestration as the organ has only 4 free combinations. Take a closer look at the helpers at 5:20 and you'll see what I mean

[Krummhorn]

This is the first time that I saw two page turners with an organ player. I don't see other organist do that they turn pages themselves or have the sheet music spread out so that there wouldn't be any page turning. judy tooley

Judy,
When performing a concert, I always have a page turner - kinda hard to spread out the 13 pages of Mendelssohn's Sonata I across the music desk .
The prelude I'm doing this Sunday, BWV 561, (Bach) , has 7 pages - again, a page turner is required as there isn't enough room on the music desk for that many pages.

My page turner also helps to add/remove stops since I also have but 4 pistons for the entire organ ... a serious handicap for the organist, but it's the way it is (and no money to change it) and so I deal with it.

[Argoth]

One of my favourite pieces for the organ, and the first video I've been able to find of this particular movement on youtube..(glad to see there are a few more up now since I last looked, including one by Daniel Roth) Been looking for it since I first heard it at a recital in school last year. I don't know too much about organ performance, and youtube sound quality leaves something to be desired, but I think it was great

[Mat]

Nice video. I'm wondering how the guy would have managed without helpers

(No, widzę, że kolejny Polak trafił na to forum. I to jeszcze do tego z Wrocławia. Pozdrawiam)

[Dawerd]

Nice video. I'm wondering how the guy would have managed without helpers

I suppose I woudn't have managed at all, or I would have to use the cressendo which is rather 'brutal' in that parcicular organ
That would spoil a whole lot of the performance. I think that in some cases it's just impossible for a proper concert whithout good registrators. So it's a good thing that helpers are 'allowed' in organ perfomances. Though on the other hand it's one of the worst things when your helper 'gets lost' and just spoils everything. I guess it's important to manage by yourself with as much as possible and if use somebody's help - you must fully trust him.


Anyways everybody, I'm glad you liked the video
and if you have any closer remarks please post them.
I think it's always valuable to listen to others opinion

(No, widzę, że kolejny Polak trafił na to forum. I to jeszcze do tego z Wrocławia. Pozdrawiam)

[Czyżby kolega też z tegoż pięknego miasta pochodził? ]

[Mat]

Agreed.

So, where is this church?

[Owszem. Ja też z Wrocławia. Ale coś czuję, że moderatorom się nie spodoba, że rozmawiamy w tym wątku po polsku. Więc albo w nowym albo PM. Pzdr]

[Dawerd]

Agreed.

So, where is this church?

Church of the Holy Cross - Ostrow Tumski, nearby the cathedral of Wroclaw, Poland. IMO the most beautiful gothic church in our city and it has a marvellous acoustics

[Mat]

I thought so.

It would be so nice to play this instrument

[Grand Orgue]

Church of the Holy Cross - Ostrow Tumski, nearby the cathedral of Wroclaw, Poland. IMO the most beautiful gothic church in our city and it has a marvellous acoustics

Dawerd, what firm built this organ? It seems it has French romantic sound, although such "specialist" as me may mistake.

[Dawerd]

The organ was originaly built by a German firm Sauer from Frakfurt in 1982 as Opus 2134. It was biult in a music school wich unfourtunatly was flooded in 1997. After the flood Sauer built a new instrument in this school (Opus 2270) using some of the parts from the previous instrument.
The rest of the 'old' Sauer organ was mooved to the church of the Holy Cross by a Polish firm "Cynar" from Wroclaw. It was then very much rebiult and extended. It is actually a totaly new instrument now, thogh the most beautilfully sounding voices are those built originaly by Sauer.
In my opinion the organ now is a big mish-mash. Cynar is a firm with no traditions wich came into excistance when Poland was a communist country. His instruments are very rough sounding and biult very carelessly. Unfourtunatly after World War II this firm had a 'monopol' for building organs in Wroclaw as it was the only firm a those times (of course any contact with west Europe countries was strictly forbiden). Many churches where and organs destroyed during the war and Cynar was the one to built new instruments in them.
Sauer on the ather hand is a great German organbuilding firm whith long romantic traditions. They build many instruments in Wroclaw before the war (including one of the worlds biggest organ in the Centennial Hall mooved after war to the Wroclaw Cathedral). Personly I especially like the sound of romatic stops in Sauer's instruments and perfect intonation.

That's why the instrument in the church of the Holy Cross sounds that good even thoug there is more Cynar than Sauer in it right now.
The other thing is the magnificent acoustics of the church - something incredeble.

Here are som links if you're more interested thou some are in polish, but the dispositions are rather clear
The Cynar-Sauer in the church of the Holy Cross (playd in the movie)
The present Sauer tracker organ in the music school
Wroclaw Centennial Hall
The Sauer organ from the Centennial Hall mooved to the Cathedral (one photo is done before war in the hall)


One of the more interesting fact is that for the inauguration of the organ in the Centeniall Hall, Max Reger specially wrote his Inroduction, Passacaglia & Fuge in e-minor op. 127.