Charles Marie Widor's "Toccata" from his Fifth Organ Symphony, 9.30.2018
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2020
- Sept. 30, 2018 Playing Charles Marie Widor's "Toccata" from his Fifth Organ Symphony after the 11:45am Folk Choir mass on the Murdy organ by Paul Fritts Inc. at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, University of Notre Dame.
My favorite piece of music, very well performed. The choir was totally enjoyable to watch, and the looks on their faces when Karen hit the last chord was priceless.
One of the few people who actually plays it at a more accurate tempo to what Widor himself wrote.
This is a little slower than his suggested tempos.
Do you mean what Bach wrote? This is Bach, great musician who wrote great music for the Lutheran church
@@mic1240 This isn't Bach. This piece was written by French organist Charles Marie Widor.
@@karlrovey thanks, my ears heard incorrectly.
YES!!!
Wow! Love that bright speaking posaune in the pedal. Very buzzy and pronounced. Well played and executed at a great tempo. I think Widor would be proud to hear this interpretation of his piece.
The kids are so adorable - so great to see them "rock out" to this wonderful performance.
Stunning performance. Wonderful acoustics and tempo ……. Enjoyed by all . Thank you for sharing this……..
what a magnificent place, believe it or not, I think those young people are enjoying it, what it must be like to be feet away with an instrument like that, pipe organ is the original head banger music, I bet that is what they are doing, you can see one young many wiping a few tears away at the end - bravo! I have to do this when I listen on youtube, I can't imagine in person.
Those kiddies are making fools of themselves. Nice little organ. Pretty church. Silly children. Well played.
@@mudgebauer get a life!
Fantastic performance!!!
To the "ivory tower" naysayers who have negatively commented here, well enjoy playing your music to your empty churches and empty choir lofts. This choir loft is full of young students - from all backgrounds and all sorts of interests. They hear world-class music played on a world-class organ every week. They sing with this organ (and the many other instruments that also accompany this legendary Folk Choir). They are loving what they hear and they are not ashamed to show it. Get over yourselves and BE GLAD for the love these young people show for the music, and for Karen, who masterfully played this old warhorse (and her tempo was just fine!). All church musicians should be so blessed to have a full choir loft "jamming" to the music of the old masters, and giving a loud and rousing ovation at the end. WELL DONE, KAREN!!! And, gotta love those young singers!
Loved your response, David! You are absolutely right: this was the best way to expose young people to the majesty and power of the pipe organ, coming from every sort of background, and from countries all over the world. It was always a joy and privilege to be in the choir loft with such energetic young people who loved each other well, loved their God and loved the Church. I was just grateful for their enthusiasm and talents shared every week, and you notice they all stayed until the end of the postlude. That doesn't happen in every choir loft, for sure!
@@karenschneiderkirner9813 i think most of all these people with negative comments are just jealous you look like a rockstar with all those kids excited to hear you play.
Secondly, this is America, we are more laid back and we don't do our stuff the way it's done in other parts of the world.
We stand apart in a unique and beautiful way with everything we do .
I attended Valparaiso University, sang in its chapel choir for 3 years, and knew several organ students well. Those services stay with me still, decades later. Thanks for posting; just encountered as I had listened to another Tocatta performance.
Well done Karen. You nailed that one! Children almost invariably respond enthusiastically to music from the grand organ. But they have to be taken to the venue as an organised school trip because few parents want to go to a recital. I tried that in the 80s by taking a group of 10 year olds to a lunchtime recital in Auckland Town Hall by the late Tony Jennings. In short, they were riveted to the immense sound and Tony motioned for them to come up to the console for a look-see in language they could understand. RIP Tony - you were a great Civic Organist.
Great to see the young people getting into the piece.
Beautiful tempo, Karen. Well done. Thank you for sharing with us.
It is so encouraging to see teens enjoying this wonderful classic organ piece. Maybe there is hope for our youth yet.
YES INDEED!
Am I the only one who gets choked up when I hear this magnificent piece?
Absolutely Magnificent! ( Stunning )
Love the way you played it 👌💐
Very beautiful performance. Most people play the piece too fast, it loses all it's majesty and gravitas. I don't even know why play fast appegios in a building with large acoustics, the notes don't sound articulate.
Beautiful church, beautiful organ, and above all beautiful congregation.
There is something inherently sexy about seeing a woman bring out those growling bombarde stops, those are some big boys.
This is a bit slower than Widor's specified tempo (and no, Widor's late in life recording is not a good counter example). As for your comment on acoustics, consider the instruments and environments where Widor played. Widor and his students played in the exact same acoustic environment you describe as unfit for this type of piece. The acoustics are meant to be part of the piece. The articulations serve to make the arpeggiation clear.
@@karlrovey well I enjoy it being played slowly. You are welcome to do your own recording and share we might enjoy it.
@@jeremiahthompson82 I have an old recording of myself playing it back when I first learned it in college. It's on my old channel, _Soundwave Music._ I don't think of it as a good recording now. My personal preference is for Olivier Latry's performances, which come in at about 5 minutes, 45 seconds.
Also, when the arpeggios move to the left hand, the right hand chords had their note values changed drastically.
@@karlrovey honestly this is the recording I like best, it's about 6:30 . th-cam.com/video/5lBH5niBZMI/w-d-xo.html use
GREAT PERFORMANCE
It has become a novelty - the second-most popular piece of organ music ever written.
It is even included on one of the old "Hooked-On Classics" disco albums from the 1970s/80s
Grossartig.Ist sehr schwer zu spielen.
J’adore la longueur de tenue donnée aux accords. C’est peu fréquent de l’entendre comme cela. ❤
Beautiful playing.
Excellent tempo. Excellent registration.
Perfect in all respects.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
excellent interpretation ❤
GOOSEBUMPS!!!
Fantastisch gespielt, da stimmte alles und ich bewundere (deine) Nervenstärke!!! Ich weiß jetzt nicht ob das mit den Leuten so gewollt war oder nicht, jedenfalls wenn bei mir jemand so etwas machen würde, hörte ich sofort auf zu spielen. Es ist immerhin kirchliche Musik und keine Disco. Danke das du durchgespielt hast!!!! 🤒 und das wirklich sehr toll.......
Wonderfully done, so good to see the younger generation getting in on the act and enjoying a marvellous performance!! Cheers from New Zealand!
That was fun to watch, thanks for sharing, Karen! It' so rare to see a natural performance with real people roaming around the organ, not directed and using expensive microphones. It is such a wonderful video! I would have joined that dance, too! And the camera was perfect, too! And for your playing: kudos! You made that piece yours, truly yours!
Thanks for your very kind and gracious comment! My husband took the video from a corner of the choir loft. The video was not pre-planned. The students in this Notre Dame Basilica Choir are always so exuberant, joyous, and encouraging. For me, sharing music is never a "performance" per se. It's about honoring the genius of the composer, the craftsmanship and artistry of the organ builder, the depth of the liturgy being celebrated, and using those means as a way of touching the hearts and souls of the listeners. I seek to remove myself from the picture as much as possible, and worries about others evaluating my skills, so I'm free to transmit the joy and emotion of the liturgy through the music, as if I'm donning an "invisibility cloak." Just my personal approach!
@@karenschneiderkirner9813 I can relate to that. I love your music, and I love your attitude.
I started learning playing the organ when I was past my 52nd birthday already, let's see whether I can play that Toccata for my 75th birthday ... 😂
@@youtube_user Absolutely you can! It's important to have goals and keep learning, at any age. You have to share a video of it, if you do. I'll look forward to seeing it!
@@karenschneiderkirner9813 👍
I love to hear this beautiful piece played at a tempo that lets the organ breathe and allows the listener to hear each note clearly. I'm always amused when I see people saying well there's a version on hear on you tube where Widor himself plays this piece and that's exactly how he wanted it played. Um I've listened to that and the man was in his late eighties, and made a lot of mistakes , I seriously doubt that's actually how he intended for it to be played when he wrote it when he was in his twenties. Only thing modern I know to compare it to, is if you listen to Led Zeppelin's stairway to heaven live when they were in their 20s sounds a lot better than the train wreck they did at live aid in the 80 s when they were in their 40s. So it would be like someone way in the future listening to that version of stairway to heaven and insisting that that's how Jimmy Page wanted it played. Anyway I love this piece. I always have and always will.
Nice church. A Place for the Meeting of Heaven and Earth.
A wonderful performance. You had a lot of eyes on you. Hope they learnt something. Have subscribed.
Great to see young pèople really enjoying htis masterpeice. Also not too fast......
My mother used to play this as a postlude at church.
What kinda’ disrespect? Charles Marie would rotate in his grave if he could read this 😂❤
The crowd is just feeling the music..
Oh gosh! Please hold that high F at the end!
I enjoyed your performance very much. The organ sounds wonderful - it speaks clearly and powerfully. I hate hearing this piece played at break-neck speed - all the definition is lost. Just because a piece CAN be played fast does not mean it has to be. Thank you!
I Totally agree. All of You Who Looked Like Total Idiots During This Incredible Difficult Piece Will Look Back On This And Think To Your Self What Was I Thinking 🤔 😮😮🤷♂️😞😞. To Be Able To Play This Piece In Itself Is A Complete Feat Not To Mention The Sheer Perseverance And Determination. I Guarantee All Of You Would Have Your Fingers Locked Up Within The First Couple Of Pages. Bravo 👏 To The Organist.
lovely, and a good tempo too. its a marathon and not a sprint! 🙂
Nicely performed, not perfect, but who is? Some interesting variations that I had not heard performed in that way before, made for an interesting listen. The enthusiasm of the young people is an absolute delight, as is the pleasure the organist derived from her own performance and the support of the 'crowd'. Lovely. Made my day.
Far better than the old Holtkamp
tempi is ok. well chosen. but why detach the theme notes??? It is late romantism
A few reasons the pedal notes were slightly detached: the Basilica has a very lively acoustic, so with repeated notes, more space between the big pedal notes helps the larger pipes speak more distinctly. And the recording was taken on a cell phone close to the pipes up in the organ loft. It was more important to me that the thematic notes were played with nobility and with presence, as I learned from working with Peter Planyavsky at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna. I’m sure the sound from downstairs sounded more legato and blended. Most official recordings would be made further from the sound source. Good observation!
@@karenschneiderkirner9813 thank you, I understand, I have my problems with Planyawskys austere playing. I see the approach to the toccata differently, even in big cathedrals with huge accoustics the pedal can be played full legato to give the work its real emohasis
Why are the people doing that hand gesture ?
Rockin' to da music.
I think they are mimicking the "we're not worthy" genuflecting that Wayne and Garth did when they met Alice Cooper in the movie, Wayne's World.
Music superb - antics of the crowd less so. Self-publicists the lot of 'em. Grrr.
Not a flawless performance of this difficult piece but fun to listen to and watch.
I think the performances with flaws are the most fun in the case of this piece
Those teenagers in the back were annoying af.
I loved the performance, but the disrespect from the onlookers is as bad as somebody whistling off-tune. They clearly don’t know the difficulty of this composition
You clearly know nothing about the Notre Dame Folk Choir and their legendary close-knit camaraderie among each other and especially to long-time assistant director and organist, Karen Schneider Kirner. There was no disrespect, and she above all people knew it...and I'm sure loved it. Climb down from the ivory tower.
Chill.
I have to keep telling myself, "They're just college kids." But, if any of my music professors saw me doing things like that...
I repeat and say “DITTO” to Mr. Philip Smith’s remark, My late mother a organist at the John Wanamaker Organ would give Kudos for Karen’s playing this tracker action instrument. Her tempo of the piece was good even though Widor played it just a bit slower. The reasoning to accommodate the church acoustics for the large legato 32’ bass notes reverb sound length in the building.
Too much drama and delusions of grandeur, take a seat. And as any organist who can play it knows the piece is one of the easiest toccatas you can pull out.... That bit you in the ass sir 😂
a lot of 'nodding donkey's' in the organ loft. Think they must have thought they were at a football match
Or - and hear me out - they’re genuinely engaging and enjoying the music. We musicians should be honored that folks find joy in our craft.
A beautiful organ. Some young are hearing the best for the first time. Let us ba glad. How many mothers used it for you as a bedtime song. There is a first time for all of us, give peoplol a break. Some of you had cement in your bottles that got stuck in your brains. Life is a learning experience. Remember when you first heard this piece? How old were you. Have some compassion and be humble.
What are those people doing in the choir loft? Do they think they are funny? So denigrating to the organist playing such a difficult concert piece.
The organ piece was a postlude after a mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart with the Notre Dame Folk Choir. The students were just being their joyful selves. No disrespect was intended. I didn't mind at all that there was some dancing up in the choir loft. It is an exciting piece. Sometimes I think we organists can take ourselves too seriously and forget the joy that's in the music.
@@karenschneiderkirner9813 seriously. They're having fun and enjoying music. If say they know the piece. They are the future of music. No doubt this is a memory they will carry through life.
At first it seemed a bit akward to me as well indeed, a bit as if they where fooling around, but later on i got the impression that they are actually enjoying it. Especially at the end they seem to be truly impressed. The music and the playing is nice in any case 😊
College kids - ahhhh to be young again.
@@karenschneiderkirner9813 A most perfect answer, if I may say so, from a truly great musician.
Fancy starting the video after the music has begun , what an joke ! There are plenty of wonderful performances of this piece elsewhere on TH-cam which, if you’d bothered to check out you wouldn’t have posted this insult to the composer or the performer.
Nice playing...awful organ...