Who is your favorite organist?

[Thierry59]

Damn - thank you Thierry, how the hell could I forget Hakim and Briggs??! I'd have to slot them (both) in somewhere between Cochereau and Trotter on my initial list.

MPA

I share your view except for Roth who is largely beneath his predecessors in St Sulpice (Dupré and Grünenwald!!) and Latry who is not exactly the type of guy for warming up the atmosphere...compared to Cochereau or even Devernay!

 

[JONESEY]

I'm suprised I haven't seen more votes for Cameron Carpenter ... I really rate him.

 

[Contratrombone64]

This may sound a bit presumptuous, but might I give you just one advice?

Maybe you 'need' a 100% historic-instrument-integral to make your collection really 'complete'.

Sorry, nice idea but not possible as there is no recording extant of the Bach Organ works using an instrument from his era in its original condition (with the blacksmith pumping the bellows: no electricity).

 

[Dorsetmike]

CT, as you say not in original condition and not pumped by the local brawn; however there is quite a nice set played on Silberman organs on the BML site. Some sound samples available

http://www.baroquemusiclibrary.com/index.htmlhttp://www.baroquemusiclibrary.com/silbcdeng.html

Many of the organs retain the original dispositions. All 7 CDs are downloadable.

 

[Luis Enrique]

I'm suprised I haven't seen more votes for Cameron Carpenter ... I really rate him.

Playing organ is something more than talent and acrobatics. It involves musical sensibility for most of organ literature and improvising abilities. In this aspect, listening to W. Seiffen made me a believer in re-encarnation (Bach´s in this case).

 

[Marc]

Sorry, nice idea but not possible as there is no recording extant of the Bach Organ works using an instrument from his era in its original condition (with the blacksmith pumping the bellows: no electricity).

:grin:

Of course I didn't mean it literally.

Anyway: there is one integral (Berlin Classics), recorded in the sixties, and played by several organists on (mostly) non-restored Silbermann organs, though some of them had temperament changes and electricity was available.
But I guess the sound they make is less 'original' than most of them sound now, after restoration.

Old instruments have to be restored and taken caren of. And the slightest changes can influence the overall sound, no doubt about it.
(And of course in many cases the tuning and temperament have changed in the 19th & 20th century, too.)

But there are still instruments where ordinary people are pumping the bellows in concert. For instance: last spring I was in Noordwolde, Groningen (Netherlands). In the village church there's a 17th century (restored) Huisz-organ (2 manuals + pedals) with original bellows, and they are still used in concerts and recording sessions. So: no electricity there.

Al Gore would be very pleased.

 

[Udyret]

Hard one for sure, but the following come to mind:

-Olivier Latry
-Thomas Trotter
-Thomas Murray (who also is a very kind man)

When it comes to baroque repetoire, i prefer Ton Koopman, for the french symphonic repetoire Ben van Oosten.

Of past organists i have to give props to Pierre Cochereau, Anton Heiller and Helmut Walcha

 

[ArthurWoolsey]

My teacher Richard Lester (also a harpsichordist)
Olivier Latry
Daniel Roth
David Briggs
Anthony Hammond

 

[GoneBaroque]

In no particular order
Virgil Fox (whom I once met)
E. Power Biggs
Christopher Herrick
Kevin Boyer
Simon Preston
Peter Hurford
Daniel Roth
Piet Kee
Michael Murray
Jean Gillou

 

[OrganoPleno105]

Ken Cowan
John Scott
Sven-Ingvart Mikkelsen

 

[virtualpkh]

Raymond Sunderland, inspirational and renowned organist at Bridlington Priory 1957-1977. A brilliant musician and a true gentleman.

 

[GoneBaroque]

Al Gore would be very pleased.

No animals were killed or injured in making the bellows.

 

[Metzner]

Since a concert of Ben van Oosten in Dinkelsbuehl Minster with its fine Rieger Organ ( 58/III ) I am still impressed of his wonderful program with Widor, Vierne and his perfect playing without any weaknesses.
The audience was quite happy. It seemed as if those pieces were so easy and no other organist could play them better. Not only with viruosity but also with deep emotion.

 

[methodistgirl]

I finally found a new picture of the organ I used to play.
This little monster can really sound so good!
judy jennings

 

[Keith71]

too many...

without order:
Fernando Germani
Kevin Bowyer
Christopher Herrick
John Scott
Stephen Farr
Thomas Trotter
Stephen Tharp
Roger Risher
...

 

[organED]

There are many:

Past organists (Deceased) - Virgil Fox, Catherine Crozier. Marie-Claire Alain, Helmut Walcha, Richard Purvis, Gerre Hancock, Gordon Young, Ted Alan Worth, Carlo Curly, Keith Chapman.

Current Organists - Paul Jacobs, Diane Bish, Daniel Roth, Olivier Latry, Jean Pierre Leguay, Yves Castegnet, Pierre Princemaill (sp), Raul Prieto Ramirez, Hector Olivera, Sophia Veronique C-Choplin, David Higgs, John Weaver, Peter Conte, Joyce Jones, Fredrick Swann

 

[FinnViking]

I am my favourite organist. Because I only play music that I like to hear :grin:

 

[wljmrbill]

I am my favourite organist. Because I only play music that I like to hear :grin:

And you are a pleasure to listen to performing too.

 

[Krummhorn]

I am my favourite organist. Because I only play music that I like to hear :grin:

A great outlook FinnViking.

On the flip side, I am my own worst critic ... that's how I came up with my signature quote.

"Amateurs practice until they get it right ... Professionals practice until they can't get it wrong"

Kh ♫

 

[dll927]

Yes, it does seem to be mechanical. But in 1973, why were they still building organs with no sign of combination actions? Mechanicals can be (and are) built with electrical stop actions.

In his autobiography, Albert Schweitzer made the remark that there were probably a dozen organs that were the "largest" and 100 that were the "best". He also questioned whether an organ needed more than three manuals. That was one man's opinion, and that was long ago. I'm not aware that Schweitzer was ever considered the world's foremost organist. He surely didn't run into too many organs in the outbacks of Africa.

To my mind, only the total number of pipes can determine how "large" an organ is. Stops and ranks can play too many games. But that's also one man's opinion.

As expected, this thread has enough answers to run the gamut. Whenever you ask for "favorites", you are opening Pandora's box.