Mark Shepherd plays Vierne Toccata at Hammerwood Park

Mark Shepherd is Director of Music at Charterhouse School and it is a rare privilege to hear him as a performer.

The 5 manual organ at Hammerwood Park is intended to put the King of Instruments back into the concert repertoire. With the decline of organs and organists in churches, overtaken by drums and guitars, the decline of church choirs introducing organs to young people and the removal of organs from cinemas, the organ has lost the enthusiasm which former generations had for it. So organists are always welcome to perform at Hammerwood or to rehearse for major cathedral concerts elsewhere.

Mark is playing in Washington DC in July 2009 at the National Shrine

Vierne commented that this Toccata was not intended to be played in church.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Vierne
• Toccata
• Organ

[adriorgue]

Quelle horreur! cet orgue hybride sonne vraiment trés mal et défigure la musique de Vierne!

[latribe]

@adriorgue Hi! Possibly not the organ - it's likely to be the recording, the camera microphone and automatic compression. Check out "St Maximin Bach" to hear the difference between recordings of the properly recorded sound and the camera sound.

Check out the recording "Hugh Potton Reubke" to hear this organ and a brilliant player well recorded and see what you think - look forward to your comments.

As I type, I agree with you - good organ, good player, poor recording. Come and play it yourself

[HHDougyT]

BRILLIANT!! he auditioned me for Charterhouse @latribe I don't know if he monitors this video but if not could you please pass on my thoughts!!

[julorg]

... it's written for Notre Dame de Paris...

[monoamiga]

BRILLIANT :)

The instrument doesn't want the music to stop :D LOL

[Contratrombone64]

What fantastic playing, so crisp and clean in articulation. Wonderful.

[bastiorgel]

This Bb at the Ending... ;-)

[RobCharles1981]

Brilliant That Was a pitty about the Cypher!! XD

[BeFrSc]

According to my research, Vierne only stated that in the Pieces de Fantasie, only the piece called Fantomes isn't suitable for church due to its exceedingly dark character.