This is the best of every world. Daniel is a gentleman and real talent, too. He follows the great Noel Rawsthorne, and the magnificent Ian Tracey. This is the largest cathedral organ in Europe and boasts the most comprehensive stop list in the world. Willis' magnum opus, in the opinion of many. Mr. Bishop actually responded to me on Linked In - a professional sight where many talents, skills and occupations share their information.I can only say that he is probably one of the best in the business. Thank you Daniel Bishop, for giving the organ craft a wonderful new talent, and for your kindness and enthusiasm, too!
George Murphy err I beg to differ, it is the largest organ in Great Britain, not Europe, Passau cathedral in Bavaria is the largest organ in Europe by some margin.
I'm crying hearing that! God you know your way around the largest organ in Great Britain lad! That was just simply stunning, especially listening to your version of Nimrod buy Sir Edward Elgar, my all time favourite piece of music! And as an ex organ builder just listening to that magnificent Willis organ sends shivers down my spine, and no I wasn't apprenticed to Willis's but to his great rival in the seventies but I'm not saying who lol
I played this organ in 1987 by kind permission of Ian Tracey and Ian Wells showed me around. Such a powerful versatile and extremely subtle organ. The only equals I can think of are St John the Divine NY (not played) and Notre Dame. Blackburn Cath is also an extremely interesting instrument with a 32 foot Serpent! Well improvised Daniel..superb playing.
After having studied organ for many years, I think this is the most beautiful organ I've ever heard. Thanks Daniel for sharing your heart with all of us.
There is an event on in the cathedral (where the cathedral lets peopel/companies hire out the main space) and they usually provide catering for these things. The organist usually gives an organ demo to not only show off the instrument and its resources but to also make people aware, because every little but help! ;)
As an ex-choirboy who loved organ music but never got to play this is really inspirational. Seemingly effortless, absolutely beautiful. From a technical perspective interesting to see how he uses the stops and so many pistons, presumably programmable. Such a talented guy.
Dear Daniel; I love this kind of non-concert, non-rehearsed, open kind of inspirational music. I really wish you would do more of this kind of work. Just waves of beautiful sound. Please put up a few more posts of this sort. And thank you. Blessings. Charles
In one word......FANTASTIC! :) Daniel once gave me the opportunity to play this beautiful musical wonder, the best Organ in the world! A memory in which I will always treasure. Sounding & playing great, keep up the good work Dan. (Thank you for posting) Regards, Jon Taylor.
I've watched this little clip dozens of times. You have a very special talent of being able to listen to the room while you're playing with such a sense of ease. Please, won't you share a few more clips with us out here in You Tube land of these kind of lighter theme on that wonderful organ. Loved the Elgar, too. Thank you Daniel.
Or Truro's near-twin in Ewell PC... so difficult to choose just one! Exeter is magical but it's just one of LOTS of wonderful Willises I could have chosen to name, incl.Truro, Salisbury, St Paul's, Lincoln, Hereford, St Bees, St Peter's Brighton etc etc etc... Unfortunately, the RU-vid character limit kicked in...
There isn't one best organ in the world! I can think of many contenders, including 3 Cavaillé-Colls, this, St Paul's and Exeter Cathedrals' Fr Willises, Westminster Cathedral (Willis III), Girard College (Skinner) and the Wanamaker Store, Philadelphia, the Rigadom Walcker, the Berlinerdom Sauer, the Haarlem Muller, the Armley and Doncaster Schulzes, Southwark Cathedral's Lewis, the Fox Atlanta Moller, the St Louis Fox Wurlitzer, Lichfield Cathedral's Hill, the Sacred Heart Wimbledon Walker...
Have you actually heard the Liverpool Willis 'In the flesh' since 2018? I suspect absolutely not. I had the privilege of hearing this instrument played by Olivier Latry when the organ had almost finished being rebuilt by David Wells of Liverpool about 13 months ago I stress - live - in the 'flesh'. When did you hear this instrument 'live' and who was playing? Do tell, please. Wanamaker Store? Not in full operation for some years now. Unless, of course, you know better? Sacred Heart Wimbledon - a Mander 'rebuild' surely? Organ Cornucopia - be very careful of judging organs on recordings that you have heard, as opposed to actually hearing the instruments in the flesh.
Westminster is savage! Harrisons not only scrapped the big apse console & replaced it with an inadequate 2m (which only plays the West organ the Gt, Sw, Ped through pistons - and anything coupled when set at the W console, which doesn't control the Apse organ), took weight off reeds and replacing Pitman chests with sliders, altering pipe speech... what about the Michell & Thynne at Tewkesbury? The best aspects of Truro and Southwark, the weaknesses eliminated, in one perfect 4m/36ss package...
Quite possibly. I'd like to see it restored to its original specification, though, with the various elements never added completed. However, I do find these "it's the best organ in the world" comments a bit pointless because there are so many GREAT organs and many are so different...
