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Just before Peter Holder began his organ Prom on the RAH organ, we were told the astonishing ‘BBC Fact’ that it has 9,999 stops! It does, of course, have that number of pipes… a bit like Bradman’s Test batting average of 99.94 after being out for a duck in his final innings.
PH is now playing the too-infrequently heard Bach Fantasia and Fugue in C minor (Novello Book 3 to early JSB learners). Hurrah for his sane choice of a steady, almost maestoso tempo for the fugue, perhaps as Saint-Saëns might have played it. Elgar turned it into a wonderful riot in his colourful orchestral transcription, Richard Strauss having failed to deliver his part of their agreement to orchestrate half each.
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Just before Peter Holder began his organ Prom on the RAH organ, we were told the astonishing ‘BBC Fact’ that it has 9,999 stops! It does, of course, have that number of pipes… a bit like Bradman’s Test batting average of 99.94 after being out for a duck in his final innings.
PH is now playing the too-infrequently heard Bach Fantasia and Fugue in C minor (Novello Book 3 to early JSB learners). Hurrah for his sane choice of a steady, almost maestoso tempo for the fugue, perhaps as Saint-Saëns might have played it. Elgar turned it into a wonderful riot in his colourful orchestral transcription, Richard Strauss having failed to deliver his part of their agreement to orchestrate half each.
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