Ronan Murray improvises

[Mrklavierspieler]

did you see mrs. couchefer-choplin in the back? she adore it

[franchute63]

sorry I don't like.

[theaterpipe1]

It is one of those Cavaille-Coll consoles isn't it?

[ronanmurray]

St-Sulpice, Paris. The other surviving amphitheatre-style console is in the Basilica of the Sacre-Coeur.

[4candles]

This sounds amazing! I love the harmonies you came up with! Is there no more of it!? I wish Ireland played a better advocate to its organists - sometimes I feel they get a bit overlooked, but maybe I'm wrong...

[AlexRanedo]

That was excellent man! I love the unexpected finale, very strong and moody. Well done! Must have felt good.

[and3583]

Well I thought that was fantastic, it is crazy to suggest that you should be more like Daniel Roth, you are, as you rightly point out, Ronan Murray and you have a strikingly deep and lively approach which is of enormous value. I admire.

[bachprofessore]

Very nice, but I still Prefer Mr. Roth on this instrument!

[ronanmurray]

Thank you. Daniel is superb, and has many years experience at the organ of St-Sulpice. I only had five minutes to set up registrations and acquiant myself with it.

[tubamaxima]

I played the organ in 1982 (by invitation, of course). I was fortunate to have Mr. Glandaz set up the registration for me otherwise I would have been lost.

[grupaoperacyjna]

lame... lame... lame...

[Capricornboy]

your mother is lame :)

[STEVEFINNERTY]

ive got a funky organ too !..

[flipkoos]

Is that Sophie-Veronique Choplin in the back?

[ronanmurray]

It is indeed.

[organist12345]

Do you think that if someone contacts Mr. Roth he may let someone play the organ.

[ronanmurray]

I doubt it. They tend only to allow invited people to play. I met Sophie-Veronique during an organ festival in Ireland where we were both performing. Hence my invitation to Saint-Sulpice!

[BeFrSc]

The coupler for the third manual doesn't seem to work very well, is there something wrong with it?

[organist12345]

Its like that on all videos

[BeFrSc]

indeed, but it just doesn't look right, i'm wondering if there's something wrong with it, it seems to sound okay anyway.

[westcath]

Fantastic organ!

[ds1868]

Wow Ronan that's a fantastic improvisation - you really ignited this organ! If you play again at St Sulpice do please record a little more, it would be good to hear it!

[Reesman95]

Wonderful Improvisation, it must have been a joy to play that organ but you need to control yourself, it looked like you were having some sort of fit!!

[ronanmurray]

Thank you. I was having fun actually, and it was the conclusion of a much longer improvisation!

[TheMaestro42]

Haha, I would imagine it's hard to control oneself whilst playing Widor's organ.

[Reesman95]

I know what you mean

[organ1029]

Does Mr. Roth let visitors play?

[classicalmusic1mzrt]

That was amazing! I wish I could visit St. Sulpice somday and play that wonderful organ. 5*Stars! :-)

[ronanmurray]

Thanks! It was a wonderful experience which I'd love to repeat more often!

[accousticdecay]

Ronan, you are a great organist and quite fortunate to play this instrument. I love your video because you have having the time of your life! Play on!

[ronanmurray]

Thanks for your comment! It's quite a thrill to play in St. Sulpice.

[BeFrSc]

Rowan, can you explain to me what the Ventil's do? Are they like Toe Pistons or something completely different?

[andyofvermont75]

A ventil is a valve that turns an entire windchest off or on. So you can use a ventil to bring on the reeds, for example, if they are on their own chest. 19th Century American tracker organs often used a ventil for the stop action of the pedal stop if there was only one pedal stop, although it was activated with a drawknob like any other stop.

[accousticdecay]

Accoustics are all-important to the sound of an organ, and this place has it. Too bad this excellent video is cut off before we can savor the last reveberations.

[ronanmurray]

Thanks for that. I consider myself lucky that there was someone there with a digital camera. otherwise I'd have had no recording. It is a shame about the cut off though. Also, earlier in the improv I used a lot of the gentler sounds with less of my histrionics!

[warszawianka]

Wow... good job, mate, and the experience of a lifetime.

[ronanmurray]

It was an incredible experience alright! Thanks for your comment.

[acchos]

what an organ, and what a building, the acoustics are amazing, the reverberation goes on for ages. what a privalage to play such an organ.

[ronanmurray]

It was an awe inspiring experience alright!

[BeFrSc]

very impressive improvising though, almost as good as Daniel Roth himself

[ronanmurray]

Thanks mate! Much appreciated.

[BeFrSc]

I'm just saying because, when you hit the big chords at the end, you look like you've just been electrocuted by a cattle prod, all tense lol, but i understand, not having fun on an organ is very difficult, i played mine earlier today and a bloke came in from the vestery and said it was shaking, lol, i was having fun lol

[BeFrSc]

and to keep your back straight.

[ronanmurray]

Ha ha! I was just having so much fun, though I was much more relaxed than the video may imply!

[BeFrSc]

I can understand that doing a 7 minute inprovisation is difficult, but a key thing whilst playing the organ is to have complete bodily control and relax, mind you, my legs are so big, i nearly fall off the seat whilst trying to press the white note pedals lol

[qudolph]

what kind of release is that

[rotunda57]

Good lord - better back off a bit - the darn thing is gonna blow!

[GrandChoeur]

Ronan, could we get some more video of you playing organ please?! Maybe some more from Saint-Sulpice? Great playing man, truely amazing!

[ronanmurray]

That was all the video I got! A friend recorded the tail end on his digital camera. I wish I had planned the whole thing better. I also played the Prelude from Vierne's 1st organ symphonie at the start of mass. Amazing to play a piece on the organ for which it was written before he became organist in Notre-Dame. Thanks!

[whiteo123456789]

lucky you. Very nice. I'd love to play there...

[ronanmurray]

Thanks mate. It's quite an experience and one I hope to repeat!

[AnthonyNocket]

ease up on the bloody thing, it's an antique

[ronanmurray]

Ha ha! Fair point, but I was just reaching the end of a seven minute improv. Believe me, it's hard not to get carried away playing that instrument.

[andyofvermont75]

He really didn't do anything that would hurt it. At most pressing the keys hard may wear the felt under the keys faster, which needs to be replaced every fifty to a hundred years or so anyway! :-)

[2468HOTROD]

Watchin' and listenin' gives me the shivers...More More More

[martykoll]

Neat! Love to hear you play some JC Bach on that instrument!

[GrandeChoeur]

J. S. Bach would not sound as great as you think on the organ at St. Sulpice.

[ronanmurray]

The trio sonatas certainly wouldn't work too well, but I've heard a lot of the major preludes and fugues there and they sound very impressive and surprisingly clear. Also, the chorale preludes sound exquisite on it.

[posaune16]

I wonder if the action on that beast is tough to manage at all...

[ronanmurray]

It's very satisfying to play. No heavier than a grand piano yet pleasantly weighted. The Barker ensure that!

[posaune16]

I figured that was one of the many European organs that became a recipient of the miraculous Barker Levers. Glad to see videos like this on YouTube - good show :-)

[steigleder]

In France, is a Cavaille-Coll

[lampeterpaul]

G'day mate where is that organ

[T90isback]

Wow that was good that organ rocks and you too

[9lives353]

I'd love to hear "Ace of Spades" on it, Ronan.