Every now and then you play a concert that feels genuinely life-changing
June 13, 2022 6:26 AM Subscribe
Popular organist and Director of Music at Pembroke, Anna Lapwood, often finds herself rehearsing on the house organ at Albert Hall. While doing so in May, Bonobo's band heard this happen. Within 18 hours she was written into the closing night and completely slayed it. [SLYT]
From her description of the video:
From her description of the video:
At 1am on Friday 20th, someone called up asking me to play Bach's Toccata in D minor. It turned out it was Bonobo's band. 12 hours later they had written me an organ part, and 18 hours later I was helping them close their show to an audience of 5000. This was, undoubtedly, the best moment of my life so far...!
Her reaction at 4:50 for the "drop" is just the best...
posted by kuanes at 6:50 AM on June 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by kuanes at 6:50 AM on June 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
Her joy is just infectious!
Thank you majick!
posted by pt68 at 7:45 AM on June 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
Thank you majick!
posted by pt68 at 7:45 AM on June 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
She looks like she had a blast! Real organs are so dramatic.
And now, I have a sudden urge to donate to Public TV.
posted by Bee'sWing at 8:12 AM on June 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
And now, I have a sudden urge to donate to Public TV.
posted by Bee'sWing at 8:12 AM on June 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
When I saw her TikTok about this, I looked so hard for any kind of clip of the concert unsuccessfully, and I'm so glad to see this here now.
posted by shenkerism at 8:24 AM on June 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by shenkerism at 8:24 AM on June 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
It must have been a hell of a thing to be in that room. That kind of sound isn't just audible, it's tactile.
posted by adamrice at 8:25 AM on June 13, 2022 [11 favorites]
posted by adamrice at 8:25 AM on June 13, 2022 [11 favorites]
Can anyone help me remember the name of the German (Austrian? Czech? Swedish?) arthouse movie from the 1990s about a 19th century country bumpkin who is discovered to be this extremely gifted organ savant? It ends horribly, but there are these amazing scenes of him blasting the normies with the intense storm of his compositions that are almost literally experienced as forcefully as the thunderstorm that sweeps into the church where he's playing one day?
I love organs. I love the serendiity that led to this performance. SO much good stuff in one place. It's so great seeing the faces on Bonobo's people in that tiktok--when musicians look at each other and make that "OMG!" face it's priceless.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 9:01 AM on June 13, 2022
I love organs. I love the serendiity that led to this performance. SO much good stuff in one place. It's so great seeing the faces on Bonobo's people in that tiktok--when musicians look at each other and make that "OMG!" face it's priceless.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 9:01 AM on June 13, 2022
I am not the kind of person who has a physical reaction to music videos. I've watched this performance three times today and literally felt chills each time. It's incredible.
posted by majick at 9:06 AM on June 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by majick at 9:06 AM on June 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
In retrospect it should have been obvious that what dancehall electronica was missing was a monster talent playing a pipe organ the size of a god.
posted by mhoye at 9:58 AM on June 13, 2022 [14 favorites]
posted by mhoye at 9:58 AM on June 13, 2022 [14 favorites]
There are musical instruments that are just superior forces. An organ is just one such instrument. *
And that considering, even though I put on the good sound for this, it's probably still only 10% of the actual experience.
*) Not making any judgements on whether good or bad: those timpani on Verdi "Dies Irae" are not there to brighten your day.
posted by flamewise at 10:37 AM on June 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
And that considering, even though I put on the good sound for this, it's probably still only 10% of the actual experience.
*) Not making any judgements on whether good or bad: those timpani on Verdi "Dies Irae" are not there to brighten your day.
posted by flamewise at 10:37 AM on June 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
The organ seemed to have this attitude of “such a nice little band you have there. electronic amplification, you say? aww...that’s so cute.”
posted by Thorzdad at 10:38 AM on June 13, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by Thorzdad at 10:38 AM on June 13, 2022 [7 favorites]
Big Pipe Organs are just so good…
Not bagpipes, but, this was awesome to watch.
posted by Windopaene at 11:30 AM on June 13, 2022
Not bagpipes, but, this was awesome to watch.
posted by Windopaene at 11:30 AM on June 13, 2022
I recall an old clip of Frank Zappa at Royal Albert Hall requesting 'Louie Louie' on their pipe organ.
posted by ovvl at 1:03 PM on June 13, 2022
posted by ovvl at 1:03 PM on June 13, 2022
It must have been a hell of a thing to be in that room.
just how cool this must've been, it bleeds through the clip
but more than most clips I feel like I missed 99% of something very cool. what a thing, to be in that room at that time
posted by elkevelvet at 2:48 PM on June 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
just how cool this must've been, it bleeds through the clip
but more than most clips I feel like I missed 99% of something very cool. what a thing, to be in that room at that time
posted by elkevelvet at 2:48 PM on June 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
Here's the wider view clip of the whole crowd during the performance. It gives a better view of the moment the organ kicks in the first time and the crowd goes crazy, arms flying up all over the place.
posted by dnash at 4:08 PM on June 13, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by dnash at 4:08 PM on June 13, 2022 [5 favorites]
Little (but scrappy) St. John's University in rural Minnesota recently had its main pipe organ overhauled. The abbey, which has done things like make an illuminated manuscript in the past few decades, is taking the organ repair company into itself. As I understand it, they will be part of the university now, because the Bendictines of St. John's realize their value and want to preserve the skills.
Here's SJU's list of pipe organs: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c780836f4755a48eb0dbb89/t/5e1356012a472c6df4462564/1578325509615/Organs+brochure.pdf
posted by wenestvedt at 6:49 PM on June 13, 2022
Here's SJU's list of pipe organs: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c780836f4755a48eb0dbb89/t/5e1356012a472c6df4462564/1578325509615/Organs+brochure.pdf
posted by wenestvedt at 6:49 PM on June 13, 2022
Follow her on tiktok - you will not be disappointed!
posted by greenhornet at 12:27 AM on June 14, 2022
posted by greenhornet at 12:27 AM on June 14, 2022
I happen to live in a small city that's home to what is widely recognized as one of the world's great organs, built in a small church by a retired local man. There are occasional performances by top organists which I usually attend. Organ is so overwhelming that it gets into and straightens out ones' mitochondria. Recommend.
posted by neuron at 7:45 AM on June 14, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by neuron at 7:45 AM on June 14, 2022 [3 favorites]
Ahhh :) I saw a much shorter clip of this on Twitter at the time, but watching the whole thing is even better - her joy at first coming in made me cry, and then during her last segment, you see her kind of physically become part of the music, just kind of step into it and merge with it. Incredible.
posted by penguin pie at 3:48 PM on June 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by penguin pie at 3:48 PM on June 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
I need to forward this to my organ-maker friend...
posted by of strange foe at 6:27 PM on June 14, 2022
posted by of strange foe at 6:27 PM on June 14, 2022
Wow. Her joy and stoke is amazing to watch. I can practically hear her thinking "Oh, you ravers like big noises and bass? Wait till I pull out the non-figurative stops on this thing and I start hitting this pedal board and you're going to feel some serious shit!"
I can think of a number of electronic shows I've been to in amazing theaters where if someone started playing a huge pipe organ I would have lost my fucking mind.
posted by loquacious at 1:11 AM on June 15, 2022 [4 favorites]
I can think of a number of electronic shows I've been to in amazing theaters where if someone started playing a huge pipe organ I would have lost my fucking mind.
posted by loquacious at 1:11 AM on June 15, 2022 [4 favorites]
Speaking of organs in amazing theaters, a couple of years back I went to the Legion of Honor to hear David Hegarty play the house organ. While the LoH is a pretty middle-of-the-road venue for this -- the house organ is great but the space is modest -- I was delighted to be in such an intimate setting with Mr. Hegarty.
He has been the organist for my spectacular neighborhood movie theater since I was a old enough to go to theaters and I was able to thank him personally and sincerely for being a foundational part of my own, my family's, and my community's lives. It's understating things a bit to say he was moved and I'm pleased to say there were a few tears.
posted by majick at 7:06 AM on June 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
He has been the organist for my spectacular neighborhood movie theater since I was a old enough to go to theaters and I was able to thank him personally and sincerely for being a foundational part of my own, my family's, and my community's lives. It's understating things a bit to say he was moved and I'm pleased to say there were a few tears.
posted by majick at 7:06 AM on June 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
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