Prom 56 - 28.08.14: LPO, Toradze / Jurowski

[amateur51]

and this may be why some organists/conductors have taken it upon themselves to go for the forearm cluster.

Much beloved of Mick McManus and Steve Logan during a Saturday afternoon grapple-fest on ITV in the 1960s, I recall

[Maclintick]

Much beloved of Mick McManus and Steve Logan during a Saturday afternoon grapple-fest on ITV in the 1960s, I recall

I believe Sir Adrian would sometimes march over to the organ console during rehearsals of The Planets & confront the occupant with the words "Let me show you what Gustav Holst wanted at this point in Uranus" & then deliver a double-forearm-smash to the keyboard for which McManus would probably have been disqualified.... ( the veteran grappler died earlier this year,incidentally, at the grand old age of 93 ! )

[amateur51]

I believe Sir Adrian would sometimes march over to the organ console during rehearsals of The Planets & confront the occupant with the words "Let me show you what Gustav Holst wanted at this point in Uranus" & then deliver a double-forearm-smash to the keyboard for which McManus would probably have been disqualified.... ( the veteran grappler died earlier this year,incidentally, at the grand old age of 93 ! )

[Simon B]

This performance (easily the best I've ever been to of more than I care to admit) of The Planets has already been mentioned on this thread. The organ gliss was startling in the flesh and comes across pretty clearly on the video (albeit with poor visuals) too. That's the way to do it - the whole piece really!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGfwxpuY2jY

[amateur51]

This performance (easily the best I've ever been to of more than I care to admit) of The Planets has already been mentioned on this thread. The organ gliss was startling in the flesh and comes across pretty clearly on the video (albeit with poor visuals) too. That's the way to do it - the whole piece really!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGfwxpuY2jY

A wonderful reminder of Mackerras'art Simon B - oh how I miss his presence in British concert life.

[Simon B]

A wonderful reminder of Mackerras'art Simon B - oh how I miss his presence in British concert life.

Indeed. And this whole concert had that "special" feeling - opening with a Cockaigne with all the colour, nostalgia and swagger you could ask for, magical Delius (a composer I usually struggle with in other hands) and then this Planets. IIRC it turned out to be his last "big orchestra" Prom (I think there was one more appearance in G&S)...

[Petrushka]

I believe Sir Adrian would sometimes march over to the organ console during rehearsals of The Planets & confront the occupant with the words "Let me show you what Gustav Holst wanted at this point in Uranus" & then deliver a double-forearm-smash to the keyboard for which McManus would probably have been disqualified.... ( the veteran grappler died earlier this year,incidentally, at the grand old age of 93 ! )

Terrific stuff and just what I had in mind. You can't get much more of an authority than Boult in this work (Holst excepted, of course) and it will be interesting to listen again to his 1973 Prom performance (available on a BBC MM CD) to see exactly what he does.

[Maclintick]

Terrific stuff and just what I had in mind. You can't get much more of an authority than Boult in this work (Holst excepted, of course) and it will be interesting to listen again to his 1973 Prom performance (available on a BBC MM CD) to see exactly what he does.

Just plucked the '73 Boult Prom CD off the shelf. The organ gliss is absolutely volcanic - augmented by OTT percussion. Interesting that Boult's tempi for The Planets varied considerably, & this one confirms the impression, remarked on by other posters, that he sometimes speeded up in old age, coming in at 46'30" overall, slightly slower than Jurowski last Thur, who roars past the chequered flag at 44'30". I wouldn't want to give the impression of being nerdily obsessed with timings, but most recordings seem to come in at 50-52 minutes, including the wonderfully atmospheric 1966 Boult/New Philharmonia HMV, where Sir Adrian dallies chastely with Venus for almost 9 minutes....must have been the Horlicks....

[Nick Armstrong]

Sir Adrian dallies chastely with Venus for almost 9 minutes....must have been the Horlicks....

I nominate that sentence for some kind of Forum award!!

[amateur51]

Indeed. And this whole concert had that "special" feeling - opening with a Cockaigne with all the colour, nostalgia and swagger you could ask for, magical Delius (a composer I usually struggle with in other hands) and then this Planets. IIRC it turned out to be his last "big orchestra" Prom (I think there was one more appearance in G&S)...

What sort of pastille or boiled sweetie do you think Sir Chas was moving around his mouth with just gusto in this clip?

My guess is a Werther's Original