I spent the weekend in Auckland and had an enjoyable time with The Old Girl. On Sunday we went to the organ recital at the Town Hall where Benjamin Sheen was playing the amazing town hall organ.
For the dullards out there this isn't a boring musical instrument. It's fascinating having been completely restored and upgraded in 20110. Sheen played it like a virtuoso getting sounds out of it like Jimi Hendrix did with his Fender Stratocaster.
Amongst pieces from Walton, Strauss, Debussy, Bach, Bingham, Whitlock and Bossi, Sheen played an outstanding piece by Calvin Hampton which was my favourite. I've always been a fan of atonal and discordant music from writers like Kurt Weil, Igor Stravinsky, Benjamin Britten, Philip Glass and Scott Walker and this hit the spot with me. The finale was a piece by David Goode which was a kind of homage to Gershwin and gave Sheen the opportunity to 'pull out every stop'. Marvellous.
Richard (of RBB) in a comment on my previous post said dismissively:
"Personally I'd rather listen to those kids than bloody pipe organ music."Referring to some noisy and objectionable children who I'd complained about in my post . I replied that it was just 'organ envy' on his part and I suspect that he's got a snitcher on organs because they're bigger than his double bass and he'd never be able to get one in his car to go to a gig.
10 comments:
"For the dullards out there this isn't a boring musical instrument. It's fascinating having been completely restored and upgraded in 20110."
Well, that hasn't happened yet! It looks big enough already, so why does it need to be bigger? At least the upgrade is a long way off yet.
Well spotted that guy and I'm not talking about acne.
Robert will be pissed off to know that Auckland and its atheist residents will still be going strong in 20110. He and his ilk will have had to bang on about Revelations and the Second Coming for another 18,000 years.
Is there an organ stop that makes the sound "zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"?
Don't be silly Richard (of RBB). In your dotage you're thinking of the Roth Sihon-style mute.
It must be close to your bed-time.
I'm not into judging.
Pete and I like organ music; Richard does not.
Too late to suck up now Second.
That's right I'm Second...
It's a pseudonym that you, yourself adopted.
The reference is to the comments in Richard's 'Piped Boredom' post where you cast aspersions on my own post and suggested, unbelievably, incomprehensibly and obviously unfairly that Richard's post was "lively and entertaining". Yeah right! As 'lively and entertaining' as a poem by William McGonagall or a Sunday sermon.
Nevertheless after said aspersions I remain yours truly Second Fiddle.
"Well done that man!"
- Father McCann
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