Crack organist/organist on crack
This was e-mailed to me today - apologies if you’ve already seen it, but it’s too good not to post. Apparently, this is from a recording of an amateur choral society’s performance of the Messiah; but the organist was a professional hired for the occasion. I hope they got their money back. To their immense credit the choir don’t flinch for a second in the face of some of the most extraordinary chords this side of Messiaen. (For full impact, this is best heard with a bit of volume.) Current thinking is that something went wrong with a digital transpose key (did they hire Van Halen’s sound engineer?), but I guess we’ll never know.
Messiahorganistoncrack.mp3 (667K mp3)
Edit: this snippet has taken on something of a life of its own since this post - hell, it’s even been YouTubed. (This video isn’t the original organist, in case you’re confused.)
Sunyata said,
4 December 2007 @ 5:21 am
As a former professional church organist - the only thing I can say is that nothing has made me laugh harder all day.
I think the thing that is most amazing is that the two next to last chords are REPEATED - I can maybe forgive one being wrong - but to play them twice - wow.
That is what I call entertainment of the highest order.
David said,
9 December 2007 @ 7:10 pm
That’s just a kid at a computer playing along with a recording of a choir. He is not playing live with the singers, so the choir does not deserve “immense credit”.
David said,
9 December 2007 @ 7:12 pm
sorry. Never mind. (Wish I could delete my comments!)
operagal said,
12 December 2007 @ 1:42 pm
This is brilliant - I will re-post on What’s Opera Doc!