Pipe Organ Processional Washington Cathedral: Jeremy Filsell

[patsaxon]

Sadly, playing the organ is a lost dying art as no one is playing these instruments in church services any more. I have toured with many country bands across the USA and I attend worship services when I can within the location I play keyboards and see that no one is playing the organ, just the grand piano.

[mortondavid]

I'm with bombarde1701a ALL the way!

[bcschmerker]

Excellent audio on a piece well-suited to the classic Skinner. Was the plan for a new-build Dobson reusing as many ranks from this much-expanded Skinner as possible, as I imagine the case to be?

[a55b47]

The plan was (as I understand it) to save 40 ranks of the existing 189, discard the rest, & augment the 40 ranks with plus-or-minus 60 Dobson ranks into a 100-rank choir organ, & add an 80-rank-or-so Casavant in the rear gallery -- a la francais.

That all has been placed on long-term hold because of the national economy's problems in general & the cathedral's financial problems specifically.

[bombarde1701a]

Personally I hope they never get to it. It would be much better to make the Skinner work better and add a Dobson in the Gallery or an Antiphonal type of arrangement.

[trompettechamade1]

@bcschmerker There is an excellent recording of the fine Skinner organ of GIrrard College inPhidelphia. It is "The Planets" by Holst in an organ transcription on Raven Records. The transcriber is the organist, whose name unfortunately esapes me at the moment (I have a terrible memory for names!).

[FromHolbergsTime]

Visual and aural majesty on display for the glory of the ages.

[livzdave]

Is the Dobson project on hold for now? Still a great shame they want to tear apart this Skinner....This piece would sound fabulous at St. John the Divine!

[a55b47]

The Organ Project is officially on hold, per the Cathedral web site. I guess we're stuck with this wonderful instrument for the foreseeable future ;-)

[tamiasthechipmunk]

@a55b47

In one way I'm glad to here that news. But on another that's a sign the church is not doing well and could lead to neglect of the instrument and the building. I pray things go well for the Cathedral. As for the organ if the project starts up again, why not restore the existing instrument and supplement it with new organ in the nave? I think it would be a happy medium for the organ puffs and the church's need to solve acoustical issues prompting the project in the first place.

[trompettechamade1]

@tamiasthechipmunk According to what Scott Dettra told me, the organ, being the result of aboout three or so enlatgements after its original installation, does not have a unified sound; the disparate parts do nto "play nice" with each other. They do not blend well together. This opinion was held by organists there over the last decade or so. Additionally, according to two independent studies, it would cost more to restore it than build a new organ it its place.

[tamiasthechipmunk]

@trompettechamade1 Ah that makes sense. If it would cost less for a new instrument then I'd say go that route. Besides I beleive Casevant is suppose to be one of the organ builders to do the project, in particular the new french symphonic organ proposed for the nave under the Great Rose Window, if that's the case then I'm sure the new organ will have a splendid sound in its own right.

[trompettechamade1]

@tamiasthechipmunk Thank you for the video; I am a great fan of both the Cathedral organ and Jeremy Fillsell; I have several of his recordings made in Ely Cathedral and Liverpool's Metropolitan (not Anglican!) Cathedral organ. You are correct about Cassavant being chosen to build the antiphonal organ in the rear, but I heard that it is to be a tracker action. I am not a great fan of trackers; they are somewhat imited in maximum size and volume. I prefer more modern elecrically-controlled organs.

[silverstartrucker]

Fine sounding organ and a fine looking building.