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Memories of Corks - chapel organ 1950s

Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2018 11:37 am
by brian walling
Purel by chance, I recently came across a Youtube recording (with good video) of an organ concert that includes one of Corks's favourite organ voluntaries: the impressive last movement of Dvorak's New World Symphony (transcribed for organ). As I recall, he typically played this once a term after evening chapel on Sundays and it usually attracted a number of music fans to linger behind in chapel to hear out the full 13 minutes or so of the piece.

Listening to this again on the organ for the first time in some 60 years transported me wonderfully back to the Corks era. The organ rendition of this piece has a character quite unique and different from the original orchestral version. It's very rare to hear this on the organ.

The Youtube address is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HowudzPGfc
The piece, the last item in this concert, starts just after 50:50 and ends at 1:03:16 on this recording

This was uploaded by the organist himself and so this is genuinely free to download for personal use.

The organist in this case is a young Dutch organist, Gert Van Hoef, aged 21 at the time of this recording in 2015, who was largely self-taught. The concert was given in Aug 2015 on the restored historic 19th century Cornacher-Willis organ (the gift of master potter Arthur Meakin) in the Victoria Hall, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.

Depending on your interest in organ music, this could quite easily transport you back to the time of Corks (who was in fact the Rev W C M Cochrane, the CH Director of Music at the time, for those of different CH eras who may not be familiar with the nickname).

Re: Memories of Corks - chapel organ 1950s

Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2018 8:23 pm
by davidtaplin
Corks and Buck left under a cloud during the Seaman Reforms I recall.

Re: Memories of Corks - chapel organ 1950s

Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 9:50 pm
by sejintenej
davidtaplin wrote: Tue Jan 16, 2018 8:23 pm Corks and Buck left under a cloud during the Seaman Reforms I recall.
I'm not sure Corks was overly concerned. He became a deacon or something similar at St Paul's Cathedral and claimed he could legally drink 24 hours a day. I went out with him to several very interesting watering holes but didn't have his resistance to alcohol. I understand one of my Col, A colleagues resided chez Corks for a while.

Re: Memories of Corks - chapel organ 1950s

Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 10:04 pm
by davidtaplin
Both lively characters but they left under serious clouds. Others, also lively characters, should also have been fired - at least. Today things are less tolerant.