Vic Ferrer Productions is a corporate communications and documentary production company based in San Francisco, California. Joining a deep passion for historic pipe organs with digital film, Vic continues to produce promotional, educational and documentaries pieces about America's historic pipe organs and why they are works-of-art worthy of preservation.
Words cannot describe my revulsion and disgust with management and the workers (neanderthalian knuckle-dragging grunts) that did the damage to this organ. I have been an organbuilder for decades and find these pictures disgusting! Thank God for people who care and will bring this organ back to its former glory. As to the grunts, I will spare all my vitriol.
This damage was probably done by the installers of AC or other building construction people over the decades. Since the filming of this video, the ML has thankfully been in the caring and competent hands of some incredibly dedicated people who are methodically restoring this world's treasure back to its glory. 🙏
At the very end, here's where I've first heard the theatre side of a Skinner just now. Very convincing as a theatre organ as well as a symphonic organ. Though I've ceased buying CDs, if there's a CD of CPA's Skinner, I would buy one straight away.
The more I listen to this vid, the more I think "Whal a bloody fantastic instrument!! Needs to be Hauptwerked..." Greetings from UK, you have some brilliant instruments over there. Long live 🇺🇸 USA!!
It is doubtful that the Maoist cultural revolutionaries that control SF will ever allow the installation of the instrument as long as they are in power: it is a reminder of America and capitalism’s extraordinary tradition, and if people see other retrospective images of how wonderful things were in San Francisco in the early 20th century compared to the disaster it is just now, THAT is an optic they can’t allow.
I studied with Richard from ‘74 until ‘79, and it’s unfortunate that there isn’t more video and quality audio of him performing, because he really was quite remarkable .
Incredible set of photographs - an insight into the complexity of building this astounding instrument. Along with the current videos from Chris Nagorka tracing the restoration processes, this is a wonderful historical record. Thank you.
Justin Kielty was for many years organist at Saint Cecilia Church in San Francisco, which has an Austin organ from the 1950s. This is the organ he mentions in the conversation.
I knew Swisher when he lived in Oregon, and we met often to discuss the Austin opus 500 and Charles' dream of creating a museum around it. I had heard the organ in 1974, when my teacher Ludwig Altman performed Poulenc's concerto with Arthur Fiedler and the San Francisco Pops Orchestra. I later played it myself briefly during an AGO organ crawl in 1981. Anyway, there was a building in Springfield, Oregon where Charles hoped to locate the museum. Unfortunately, the building's owner wasn't willing to consider letting go of the income he received from the current tenants, so those plans fell through.
Charles mentions British town hall organs. He once asked Jack Bethards how large a hall needed to be to re-home Austin opus 500. Jack said it should be as large as St George's Hall, Liverpool. So I then looked up the dimensions of that hall, and we found that the building in Springfield was nearly the same size as St George's Hall, but (1) lying on its side (2) twice as long!
11:38 ...and tragically go the way of so many other historically significant pipe organs, eventually lost to fire, floods, vandals or Wolverhampton City council.
Hey there, just came here to correct a few little ignorant mistakes! The big blowers like this would often use soft starters to slowly bring the motor to full load. That way, you avoid a 300 amp current spike you would encounter starting the motor up "across the line". And these soft starters would often have a cool down, meaning the blower could only be started once every few minutes. Hope this helps! :)
@@WeslarWaven: How was that supposedly a "correction of a _few_ ignorant mistakes"? Where is any supposed "claim" that you think I made simply by _asking_ this _question,_ which isn't even a statement, anyway?
Little did I know that my meeting with Carlo in 2011 at the Bridgewater Halls, Manchester , would be the last time I would hear his colourful impressive rendition of classic organ music. As a consequence, one of my most treasured possessions is a signed copy of his WONDERFUL "Genesis In Harmony", with that impressive flamboyant signature which tells us all of the great man's character, larger than life. He told me that if I aspired to perform on the organ.........WEAR THE CORRECT SHOES!! What a man, his legacy lives on, Thank You My Friend
I continue to be amazed at this organ. The immense size, the complexity, the fact that there are 33000 pipes, it is more than I can take in. I am thankful that these historic photos were taken and survived, and I thank you for sharing them.
I continue to be amazed at this organ. The immense size, the complexity, the fact that there are 33000 pipes, it is more than I can take in. I am thankful that these historic photos were taken and survived, and I thank you for sharing them.
I'm somewhat amazed that no one has posted a newer video of this organ. It could drum up interest in getting more of the organ into playable condition (you are not hearing anywhere near all of it here)
This instrument is awe inspiring! Not only in sound but the pure magnitude of its unsurpassed size and these photos show a glimpse of what the public never will see? Those pipes must have cost a fortune to make and i believe there are more than 33,000 of them! How much of this work in progress is playable in this year 2022? The pure cost of its restoration/ up keep must be taken stock of too? There will never be another and lets be honest could one be built today?
Wonderful service the Organ Clearing House provides in saving organs from waste and destruction formerly under the direction of the late Alan Kaufman and now for many years under John Bishop. Thank-you for a job well done!
