Keith Chapman playing Widor on Wanamaker's Grand Court Organ

This is the sixth and last piece on the noontime recital that I videotaped in the early 1980s; it's the Finale from Widor's Symphony No. 2, many thanks to chwidder for identifying the piece.

Keith was a phenomenal organist, a very funny guy and a good friend; the world lost a great artist when he and his wife were killed in an airplane accident in Colorado in 1989.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Keith
• Chapman
• classical
• Wanamaker's
• Grand
• Court
• Organ
• Widor

[robertbangkok]

Wow, what's with all the bitchy comments? This vid was made with a handheld VHS recorder in the 1980s. What did you expect the guy to do? -- Throw a cable across the 6th floor balcony and suspend stereo mics from it? GET REAL! This is not about sound. Its about the real experience of playing at that console and experiencing the delay. This is what an organist experiences when sitting there. Thanks for posting the piece.!

[niksiz]

I would think he would be happy that it has a working combination action and is 100% operational!

[Rheinlander95]

Dupre played this instrument on more than one occasion. I'm sure he was no slouch.

[notredameswarrior1]

@silverstartrucker virgirl fox to. keith and virgil seemed like the were the only ones that knew how to play this organ

[silverstartrucker]

@notredameswarrior1 - WHAT ABOUT VIRGIL FOX?

[wurlitzer3]

Thanks ever so much for posting these videos of a very talented artist. I hope you have the priceless master tapes preserved as tape does deteriorate with time.

[notredameswarrior1]

he was the only one who knew how to play that organ....conte sucks

[churchwhistles]

Nice to hear something from Widor besides the Symphony #5 Toccata in F! I love that one, but I'm tired of hearing it all of the time! I like this, too!

[MelosAntropon]

Widor's first four organ symphonies were essentially "experiments" (his *publisher* named them 'symphonies' ; Widor himself merely called them 'collections' ". He hit his stride with the fifth (old news!). But this is one of his best movements from those first four. Chapman plays it a bit fast, though. More deliberate, and with punchier articulation makes it stand up and sing. Marie-Claire' Alain's read of it is perfect.

[silverstartrucker]

The recorded sound is inferior. The Wanamaker sound is always pure quality.

[64ftContraBombarde]

...quality