Alexandra Palace Organ Appeal

The Alexandra Palace Organ Appeal

Registered Charity No.:285222, London N22 7AY

About Us

News - February 2008

Following the sudden tragic death of Paul Smith, the Trustees have unanimously elected Hugh Macpherson to be the new Secretary. In the continuing situation of uncertainty as to a possible/ probable new round of applications for a lease on the Palace and the consequential requirement for a new round of consultations, he has taken on the post at a critical time. However, he is now in a position where he can fully represent the best interests of the Organ.

CHANGE OF DATE. Unfortunately, because of a major event in the Great Hall, the Palace has had to cancel our booking on Sunday the 16th of March. Sadly Nigel Ogden is not available for the new date. We look forward to inviting him on a future occasion. It should be explained that we traditionally have six annual free bookings of the Great Hall for our events. These have always been on the condition that the dates are provisional and cannot be confirmed until up to a month before the event. We greatly regret this current cancellation but are pleased to announce that Adrian Richards, organist of the Priory and Parish Church of St. Margaret, King’s Lynn will be playing on Wednesday March 26th at 7.30 p.m. This will be his first Appearance at the console.

Adrian has prepared a very exciting programme. It will include music by Bonnet, Delius, Haydn, Guilmant and Bourgeois as well as Elgar’s Imperial March, Bossi’s Etude and Vierne’s Carillon de Westminster. In addition, as if to compensate for his absence, he has included Penguin’s Playtime by Nigel Ogden. This is an evening that you cannot afford to miss and it should demonstrate the full tonal range of the organ. Please come along, bring many friends and ensure that this year’s season starts with a bang.

Because of their provisional status, publicity for our concerts is very difficult. We do place national advertisements and we are constantly striving to spread the word. Although one or two Friends circulate information to local venues, we are still short of distributors. If you have contacts, especially with local churches, do let us know and we will send you the necessary information.

The Previous Concert. Sunday December the 2nd marked the third annual appearance of Donald Mackenzie, the organist of the Odeon Leicester Square, accompanying a programme of silent films. These included films of Buster Keaton and Laurel and Hardy. Donald also treated us to interludes of seasonal music. The climax of the programme was somewhat diminished by the complete loss of the solo reeds for the last few bars. A train appeared to be about to demolish a house being moved on wheels. At the last minute it is seen to be running on a parallel track. However, just as one is breathing a sigh of relief, another train appears out of nowhere and flattens the house. The audience should have jumped out of their seats by the unexpected sound of full organ. Unfortunately this did not happen. Of course, Donald coped with the situation with faultless aplomb. Subsequent investigation revealed that the heavy pressure wind supply had cut out because a weighted cord had jumped off its pulley. A visit by one of the Willis team from Liverpool has rectified this fault, which should not happen again.

Another improvement to the organ concerns the humdidifier. This has not been working for about eighteen months. Previously it was spraying out jets of water rather than producing a fine mist. Although the relatively mild and wet summer of 2007 has meant that the organ stayed relatively in tune, the previous summer presented us with numerous problems. Now the humdifier has been serviced and is fully operational. We are awaiting a quotation to have a water softener introduced to the system, which should prevent future clogging from the hard water. If all is successful we expect that there should be a noticeable improvement during what we hope will be a fine summer. Life for an organ situated under 10,000 square feet of glass cannot be easy!

Future Events – Please enter these dates in your diaries and make a note of the varying starting times. Doors open half an hour before each event. Should there be any further alterations nearer the time we will notify you with a special mailing. Sunday 18th May at 3 p.m. Dr. Roy Massey, former organist of Hereford Cathedral and one of our patrons. Wednesday 9th July at 7.30 p.m. Player to be announced later. Wednesday 13th August at 6.30 p.m. The annual “get to know the organ” meeting of Friends and their friends. The evening will start with a short demonstration and talk. Everyone is invited to play the organ and view the console. If you know of anyone, apart from yourself, who would like to try the organ, bring them along. We would like to make this a community event. Wednesday 22nd October at 7.30 p.m. James Lancelot, organist of Durham Cathedral. Wednesday 19th November at 7.30 p.m. Donald Mackenzie accompanying a programme of silent films.

Whereas, thanks to our Curator, Stephen Walmsley, our website must contain more archival material, both photographic and historical information, than almost any other organ, we are always glad to receive fresh material. Alban Clarke kindly sent us a period photograph of a concert taken from behind the “1/- seats.” It features a packed audience, a vast choir and orchestra and the focal point is an organist at the console. He also included a photograph of the 1929 blowing apparatus. Friends may recollect that last August Alban played two pieces written by his father for G.D.Cunningham to be played on the Alexandra Palace organ.

Please let us have any thoughts that you might have for inclusion in future Newsletters. Your memories and comments are always appreciated. Please refer to the website for the latest news. The address is included in the heading of this Newsletter. Thank you and best wishes from all the Trustees.

News - November 2007

It is with deep regret that I have to inform you of the sudden death of our Secretary, Paul Smith. Paul was the son of a clergyman and, like our titular organist John Pryer, was educated at Clifton College where he had organ lessons. He subsequently read Law and had a very successful career, latterly as an independent solicitor specialising in contract law. Over the last few years he has worked on multi-billion dollar oil contracts in Nigeria and Dubai. Wherever his work took him, he was always readily available on his mobile phone and could immediately switch his thoughts to the Alexandra Palace organ.

Paul was essentially a modest man and in spite of the fact that he gave occasional lunchtime recitals at St. Stephen’s Walbrook and other City churches, we could never persuade him to play the one instrument that took up so much of his time and energy. It was not widely known that he gave bursaries to promising young organists to assist them with their studies. Paul himself took lessons from both Christopher Dearnly and Stephen Disley. In his home he had a four manual organ of 140 stops, including couplers, whose specification was based on that of the instrument in St. George’s Hall, Liverpool. He said that he played for “his own continual astonishment”.

Paul’s other hobbies included steam trains, an enormous model railway layout and his collection of classic cars. It is tragic that he did not have time to enjoy these hobbies in the retirement that he was contemplating. He has been an invaluable Trustee for many years, most recently steering us thus far through the troubled waters of the 125 year lease application and the subsequent judicial review. We shall desperately miss his legal expertise and sound advice in the forthcoming critical weeks. It will be difficult for us to meet without waiting for him to plug in his laptop computer to start taking down the Minutes.

To his wife Lesley and his two sons Andrew and Matthew we extend heart-felt condolences on behalf of the Trustees and all the Friends of Alexandra Palace Organ Appeal.

The Previous Concert The brilliant Organist of Norwich Cathedral, David Dunnett, played his third concert on the Willis organ in the Great Hall to the general delight of everyone present. He chose another sequence of quite short works, eminently suited to the softly lit, dark evening occasion: 'lollipops' by Festing, Jongen, Massenet, and Bourgeois helped create the special Ally Pally magic that we all love. Brewer's Marche Heroique had given us a rousing start and the Bach St Anne prelude and fugue something solid to end the first part. Part two started with a familiar piece of editing which reduced Reinberger's Sonata No.8 to an Introduction & Passacaglia but I missed the inner movements, which are very lyrical. After this the Meditation from Thais worked wonderfully well in the vast acoustic, the wistful melody seeming to hang peacefully in the air. The Concert Overture by Hollins gave us a bigger organ sound for the finale, delivered with the panache we expect from this popular player. The organ's tonal quality has improved this year and the reinstallation of the four reed stops on the unenclosed Solo division has given it vastly more power when needed, which was not called for at this concert.

The Next Big Event Do come and support us on Sunday December 2nd at 6 p.m. Once again we welcome back Donald Mackenzie, who will be using his virtuoso skills to accompany a programme of silent films. Those of you who witnessed his past two programmes, the Phantom of the Opera and The General will know that we will be treated to another memorable evening. The programme will consist of two Laurel & Hardy films, Easy Street and Big Business, also Buster Keaton’s One Week and Sidney Drew’s Foxtrot Finesse. In addition there will be a programme of organ solos, Festive Flavours. We can guarantee that this will be an event that you cannot afford to miss.

A great deal of preparation goes into these productions. Michael Rhodes and his team will be leaving Stoke on Trent in two cars at an early hour to set up all the necessary equipment. In addition, much preparation is required to transfer the films to the requisite means of projection. I am informed that Michael’s house presently resembles a recording studio.

A Time of Uncertainty Some of you may be aware of the most recent developments at the Palace. The granting of the 125 lease to Firoka was subjected to a judicial review. The action was brought by Jacob O’Callaghan and was heard at the Royal Courts of Justice on the 5th of October before Mr. Justice Sullivan. In his judgement he ruled that the consultative process had not been effective or fair and was fundamentally flawed. He quashed the order for the lease and costs were awarded to the claimant.

If and when a future application for the granting of a lease is made, the Trustees of the Alexandra Organ Appeal will seek every means in their power to ensure the future of the organ, continuing plans for the completion of its restoration and a guarantee that the instrument will be properly maintained, tuned and available for concerts as has been the established custom hitherto.

2008 At the present events can only be confirmed one month in advance. This, of course, makes advertising and publicity extremely difficult. However, we have pencilled into the Palace diary the date for the next concert. The organist who will be “entertaining us”, as he does so regularly on BBC Radio 2, will be Nigel Ogden. As soon as you purchase your new diaries please make a note of the details, which are, Sunday the 16th of March at 3 p.m. In the meantime, we wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. We look forward to seeing you all and lots of new Friends and we shall let you know of any future developments as soon as they have been confirmed.

News - Summer 2007

I am reminded of A. A. Milne’s “They’re changing guard at Buckingham Palace - Christopher Robin went down with Alice”. Well, the guard, or rather the management, is changing at Alexandra Palace. The proposed developers, Firoka, have put in a new management team which is running in parallel with the existing management. At present we are liaising with two General Managers. Unfortunately certain interested parties have sought a judicial revue of the decision of the Charity Commissioners to approve the lease. Of course, their interests do not include the organ! Since no date has yet been set down for a hearing, the long-term arrangements are somewhat uncertain. This makes forward planning for concerts and for the maintenance and tuning of the organ a problem. We can only be sure of events one month in advance.

However, the September concert has been confirmed and the next two events have been “pencilled in” with the Palace. Please make a note of them in your diaries and assume that they will take place. In the event of any alterations, we shall send out further information. Of course, this does present problems with advanced publicity but we shall do our best to inform a wider public than the Friends as soon as we are certain of the arrangements and bookings. We shall also keep our website (address above) up-to-date with all the latest news and information.

Independence Day, July the 4th. Paul Carr, Director of Music at St. Paul’s Church in the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham paid his first, and we hope not last, visit to the Palace to delight us with a well-chosen programme of mainly American music. The one exception was a performance of Marcel DuprÈ’s Prelude & Fugue in G minor in honour of the composer’s famous association with the organ.

The organ appreciated the humid weather and it has seldom sounded better. Perhaps the highlights of the first half of his recital were the Variations on America by Charles Ives, of course our national anthem, the Trumpet Tune in F Major by David Johnson and a stunning performance of John Philip Sousa’s march The Liberty Bell. The second half started with another Sousa march, The Stars & Stripes Forever and continued with another trumpet tune by Johnson this time in G. This was followed by The Star Spangled Banner Concert Variations by Dudley Buck. A member of the Palace staff was observed discreetly dancing at the back of the Great Hall to Scott Joplin’s The Entertainer and the programme concluded with Garth Benson’s Toccata on Vom Himmel Hoch. Paul Carr played with great panache and used the organ, which he so obviously enjoyed, across its full range of tonal expressions. He introduced each half of the concert from the floor to a thoroughly delighted and appreciative audience.

Friends’ Evening, August 22nd Following the very successful event held last summer we decided to repeat it this year. We started at 6.30 p.m. and the last player finished somewhat reluctantly at just after 9 p.m. This informal event is proving to be very popular and Michael Rhodes, our Treasurer, enrolled four new Friends. Roger Tucker, with clipboard in hand, kept a rota of all those who wished to play. Some played more than once and the organ bench was never unoccupied. Non-players enjoyed watching the mysteries of the console being explained and revealed. One of our Friends, Alban Clarke, played two chorale preludes, A Greek Air and Leoni, composed by his late father, saying, “The Alexandra Palace organ has exactly the sort of sound he had in mind for these works”.

John Pryer, the Titular Organist, gave an opening demonstration of the instrument’s versatility with a brilliant improvisation on The Teddy Bears’ Picnic. One Friend commented that, from the console, “the softer registers were absolutely magical and could only be compared with those at Salisbury and Lincoln”. This tallies with the observations made by Colin Walsh when he last played.

“Although not an organ event, I remember sitting in the old Great Hall on the 5th of October 1976 listening to a BBC Radio 3 invitation concert. The New Philharmonia Orchestra was conducted by Vernon Hanley and we heard the first professional performance of Havergal Brian’s Symphony Number 26 and the first world performance of his Symphony Number 20 in C# minor. Were any other Friends there and has anyone attended another first performance of two symphonies in the same concert? I remember looking up at the pipes, which formed the case of the organ, and wondering if we would ever hear what is probably the largest symphony ever written, his Gothic Symphony. Of course it has an organ part. We have Proms in the Park, what about Proms in the Palace?”

Wednesday 26th September at 7.30 p.m. John McGreal, organist of the London Oratory, will play: a Choral Prelude and the Toccata & Fugue in d minor by Bach, Passacaglia in c minor by Buxtehude, the Second Sonata by Mendelssohn, the Third Choral by CÈsar Franck and works by Vierne and Grison. “The programme has been designed to show the many different tonal aspects of the instrument”.

Wednesday 31st October at 7.30 p.m. David Dunnet, organist of Norwich Cathedral, will play: the St. Anne Prelude & Fugue by Bach and works by Herbert Brewer, Festing, Jongen, Rheinberger, Massenet, Derek Bourgeois and Alfred Hollins.

Sunday 2nd December at 6 p.m. - Donald Mackenzie, organist of the Odeon, Leicester Square, will once again brilliantly improvise to silent films. Details will be announced later.

Sunday 16th March 2008 at 2.30 p.m. Nigel Ogden from Manchester Town Hall and BBC Radio 2, The Organist Entertains. Any subsequent changes or additional information will be detailed in future Newsletters and announced at concerts. We look forward to seeing you and your friends at all these events.

News - Spring 2007

News of the Organ We know that many of you are busy people and we like to keep you abreast of future events so that you can put them into your diaries. We made our submission to the Charity Commission in January expressing our interest in, and concerns for, the future of the organ. Apparently over two hundred submissions were made about many different aspects concerning the whole Palace. The Charity Commission stated that it would report back on the proposals concerning the development bid by the middle of February. This date has been delayed so we still do not know the terms of the proposed development lease. So, for the time being, we are still continuing to deal with the officers of the Alexandra Palace Trust in time-honoured fashion. It is a case of “business as usual”.

March 21st In spite of a very cold evening, a large audience came to hear a splendid recital given by Colin Walsh, the Organist Laureate of Lincoln Cathedral. Those of you who have purchased recordings of Colin playing the Lincoln organ will recognise many similarities with the Alexandra Palace instrument. I would particularly recommend the CD “1898”, made to celebrate the centenary of the Lincoln Father Willis organ. It is also significant that earlier in his career he was assistant organist at Salisbury Cathedral. His “Father Willis” background was all too evident in his sympathetic and understanding use of the whole instrument.

The carefully balanced programme explored the full tonal vocabulary of the organ. Starting with the stirring War March of the Priests by Mendelssohn, we were treated to the sparkling March of the Tin Soldiers by Jessel, PiËce HÈroÔque by Franck, the Dubois Toccata in G and the programme ended with the stunning Final (Evocation) by DuprÈ. More reflective pieces demonstrated the softer stops on the Choir Organ and the expressive flutes. These included Elgar’s Salut d’Amour, Yon’s Toccatina for the Flutes, PrÈlude FunÈbre by Ropartz and the Arabesque sur les Flutes by Langlais. To celebrate Bach’s birthday, we were treated to a stunning performance of the Fantasia & Fugue in G minor. This concert marked the re-siting and restoration of the solo reeds and to demonstrate this Colin Walsh chose to play Cocker’s Tuba Tune. The members of the audience gave him an enthusiastic ovation for this memorable evening.

Afterwards Colin Walsh wrote: “There is no doubt that there is the making of a world class instrument, as indeed it once was, and I would wish, along with a lot of other people that there was the money to restore it to its former glory. In particular, I thought that the choir organ was very beautiful with its delicate singing soft stops and the great chorus has a real grit to it, not unlike the great chorus that I remember at St. Paul’s Cathedral.” Thank you Colin for your appreciative comments.

Norman Cocker One of the Friends recollected his wartime experiences when he was stationed in Lancashire. He frequently found himself in the company of a gentleman in the local hostelry in Bury. His companion turned out to be Norman Cocker, who lived above the pub. Not only was he a convivial companion, but on one occasion our Friend was invited upstairs to meet J. I. Taylor from Compton’s during discussions on proposed work on the organ of Manchester Cathedral. Norman was also the organist of the Regal Cinema in Altringham. I wonder whether Jean or Sid Perkins can find a recording of him playing there. We are always looking for items for the Newsletter and would welcome similar reminiscences.

The Next Recital – Wednesday 2nd May at 7.30 p.m. One of our patrons, Dr. Roy Massey, will be making a welcomed return. For many years he was the organist of Hereford Cathedral and he is very much at home at our similar console. He remarked that, owing to the many years of enforced disuse, our console is remarkably unworn. His programme will make passing reference to the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sir Edward Elgar. He will be playing two of the Pomp & Circumstance Marches, concluding the first half of the programme with Number 4 in G and finishing the recital with Number 1 in D. I wonder how many of us will find ourselves singing! Other works will include the Overture to Athalia – Handel; Prelude and Fugue in C minor – Mendelssohn; Sinfonia & Toccata – Pergolesi; Benedictus – Reger; Gand Choeur in A flat – SalomÈ; a Fantasia – Bach; Prelude in A minor – Respighi; Salut d’Amour – Elgar.

The Following Recital – Wednesday 4th July at 7.30 p.m. Paul Carr, the organist to St. Paul’s, Birmingham will play An American Programme to Celebrate Independence Day. This themed evening promises to be a spectacular event. The programme will include Widor’s Marche AmÈricaine; Variations on America by Charles Ives; The Libery Bell and The Stars & Stripes Forever! by John Philip Sousa; The Star Spangled Banner Concert Variations by Dudley Buck; The Entertainer by Scott Joplin and many other items. Do come along and join in the celebrations.

Wednesday 22nd August – Friends Evening at 6.30 p.m. Following the very successful event held last summer, we shall be holding a repeat special occasion. All Friends and friends of Friends are invited to come up to the console and play and watch others play. Bring your music with you and get to know other supporters of the Alexandra Palace Organ and the Trustees in a relaxed setting. This event will start at 6.30 p.m. but come along when you can. We aim to end about 9.30 p.m.

Dates of Future Recitals – Please put these in your diary now Wednesday 26th September at 7.30 p.m. – John McGreal from The London Oratory. Wednesday 31st October at 7.30 p.m. – David Dunnet from Norwich Cathedral. Wednesday 5th December at 7.30 p.m. - Donald Mackenzie from the Odeon, Leicester Square improvising to silent films, details of which will be announced later. Sunday 16th March 2008 at 2.30 p.m. - Nigel Ogden from Manchester Town Hall and BBC Radio 2, The Organist Entertains. Any subsequent changes or additional information will be detailed in future Newsletters and announced at concerts. We look forward to seeing you and your friends at these exciting events.

News - February 2007

News of the Organ Following the restoration of the Contra Viola, we have at last arranged for work to start on the provision of the new Cor Anglais. This will complete the restoration of the Choir Organ, which will then have its full complement of seventeen stops. At the moment there are forty-nine out of the ninety-eight speaking stops in operation, so this fiftieth stop will be a milestone in taking us just beyond the half way point.

However, lest we become too complacent, it will be the last rank for which there is a wind chest and action in place so the next step forward will involve a much greater financial leap. We must also bear in mind that the pipes forming the case, which were lost in the 1980 fire, were two of the largest and most expensive ranks in the organ.

Friends might be interested to know that the un-restored pipes, nearly half the instrument, that are in store at the Rotunda Organ Works of Henry Willis & Sons in Liverpool, belong to the Trustees of the Alexandra Palace Organ Appeal. When each rank is restored, it becomes part of the organ and passes into the ownership of the Alexandra Palace Trust.

Whereas some of the ranks of pipes in store are relatively undamaged and complete, the Cor Anglais was less fortunate. Only ten of the original pipes have survived in one form or another. These will be cut open and flattened to provide patterns and to determine the exact scale of the replacement pipes. We are hoping that one of the survivors can be put on display as a tangible reminder of what we are all doing. For, without the support of the Friends and many kind donors, none of this work would have been possible. Thank you all for both your financial and moral support. We are greatly looking forward to the return of this beautiful sounding stop, which will not have been heard by anyone since 1944 and not by the general public since 1939. Of course, we shall keep you informed as to when the work will be completed.

The sale of the Palace to Firoka on a long lease is going according to plan. The Charity Commissioners are currently considering representations made to them by various groups (including ourselves) that have an interest in the Palace. Once these are taken into consideration then the sale is expected to be completed. We look forward to working with Firoka on the continued restoration of the organ and to developing the use of the Great Hall as a musical venue.

The World of Donald Mackenzie The evening of Tuesday the twelfth of December 2006 witnessed one of the most successful events that we have ever held. Following his brilliant improvisations to accompany the film The Phantom of the Opera in December 2005, Donald Mackenzie returned to delight us with a performance of Buster Keaton’s film The General.

Our treasurer, Michael Rhodes, and his team were all up at five in the morning to bring the equipment to London from Stoke on Trent. We saw Donald arrive at the console to commence his playing of a short programme of seasonal Christmas music.. The first half of the programme ended with a short film of the last train out of Alexandra Palace Station. At the end, we saw visitors walking down the track against a splendid backdrop of the north façade of the Palace.

With such familiar melodies as The Stars and Stripes, John Brown’s Body and Dixie, Donald Mackenzie deftly wove a rich tapestry of sound appropriately matched to the various appearances of the Confederate and Union armies. So sensitive was his sound painting that many of us forgot that we were watching a silent movie. At the end of the evening he deservedly received a standing ovation. We hope that his appearances can become a regular feature in our annual cycle of events and will continue to attract a wide audience. Thank you Donald for a truly memorable evening.

Friends’ Annual Subscriptions Renewals become due in January each year and those paying by standing order need take no further action. We thank-you for your subscription this year.

Those who pay by cheque or cash will find a renewal form in their envelope and we would be grateful if you would return it promptly with a cheque for £15 payable to the Alexandra Palace Organ Appeal to the address shown on the form, or alternatively, bring it or cash to the March concert. We would like to thank the many Friends who generously make additional donations to their subscriptions.

Future Events We know just how busy many of you are so we are giving as much advance notice as possible so that you can enter dates in your diaries. All dates for the current year are Wednesday evenings at 7.30 p.m. The first is on the 21st of March, when Colin Walsh, Organist Emeritus, Lincoln Cathedral, will be playing a very varied and popular programme. This will feature the newly restored solo reeds, the “big guns” of the organ! On the 2nd of May we will welcome back one of our distinguished patrons, Dr. Roy Massey. Appropriately enough, on the 4th of July we hope to stage a concert with an American theme. Following the very popular and successful trial last year, we shall again be staging a special evening for Friends and the friends of Friends on the 22nd of August. Come up to the console and play and watch others playing. Do bring friends with you. We hope to start this particular event at about 6.30 p.m. Later provisional dates are the 26th of September, the 31st of October and the 5th of December. We hope to start the year 2008 with a Sunday afternoon concert on the 16th of March. More details of these will be published in the next Newsletter.

News - Summer 2006

Momentous events are afoot at the Palace. After months of negotiations, the Palace Trustees and Haringay Council seem to be in the final stages of negotiating a 125 year lease on the Palace to Firoka (Heythrop Park). As explained in our last newsletter plans are going forward for a mixed leisure use with the addition of an hotel, restaurant and bars. We expect the lease to be signed later in the year. The Organ Appeal Trustees are seeking assurances from both the Palace Trustees and Firoka that the organ will continue to be maintained and promoted. Alexander Mason from Lichfield Cathedral gave his first recital on the organ on May 10th. Despite the lack of the big reeds the programme was very exciting, including works by Handel, Buxtehude, Reger, Whitlock, Franck, Vierne and others including Kiwi Fireworks by Paul Spicer and Toccata alla Rumba by Planyavsky. Before the recital John Pryer and Graham Hawkes met him in the organ gallery. When asked if we had a sealed envelope giving the theme for the concluding variation he was told that one had not been supplied. John said “What shall we do---“, to which Graham replied “I thought you were going to say what shall we do with the drunken sailor?” Alex immediately chose this for his brilliant and spectacular improvisation which brought the audience to their feet. We look forward to hearing from him again. Future Dates:

TUESDAY OCTOBER 17TH at 7.30 John Pryer our Titular organist will give a recital

TUESDAY 12TH DECEMBER at 7.30 Donald Mackenzie of the Odeon, Leicester Square will make a welcome return to the Palace. This will be another film evening. This time he will be accompanying Buster Keaton’s “The General”. This has a railway theme which will be continued in the rest of the programme with the showing of films of local railways and steam trains – perhaps even the Alexandra Palace Railway!

The latest Newsletter from the Cinema Organ Society reveals that, after many years of silence the organ of The Dome in Brighton (Hill Norman and Beard 1935) has been restored and recitals are now taking place. A new 104 bed hotel has been built at the East Sussex National Golf Course near Uckfield and a huge Wurlitzer is being installed in the concert hall.

We are currently raising £5,000 for the restoration of the Cor Anglais rank on the choir. Once this is achieved the choir organ will be complete for the first time since 1942. This means that in terms of speaking stops we are almost half way towards completion. There is however a long way ahead with some of the more expensive stops and the supporting framework to be funded.

The Organ Trustees would like to thank those generous people and bodies who have enabled us to reach this stage. We hope to work together with Firoka to promote the hall and organ. We are always looking for fundraising ideas, please get in touch with us if you have ideas how you can help.

News - Spring 2006

As usual, a lot has happened and momentous events are afoot. After a period of consultation and short-listing, the Alexandra Palace Development Team has named a preferred bidder. The Board of Trustees has selected Firoka (Heythrop Park) for a 125 year lease to redevelop the Palace. The plans are for a mixed-use exhibition, leisure and entertainment development, creating hospitality venues through the addition of a hotel, restaurants and bars. Other amenities include an ice rink, indoor bowling, cinema, health & fitness club, children’s entertainments and a heritage museum.

They intend to retain existing exhibition space and create new facilities by refurbishing the major halls. What seems to be most encouraging to us is: “A commitment to supporting the works on the Willis Organ, the restoration of the theatre and associated stage for public use.” Further updates will doubtless be available on the Palace website.

In the meantime, you will notice that all the dates that we have been given for future concerts are on Wednesday evenings and two have been allocated to us in August. We have not staged events in August before and hope that it will not be too hot for the organ! We regret that there are no Sunday dates available but this reflects the increase in the number of events being staged at the Palace, which is to be welcomed.

Friends’ Subscriptions. These fell due in January so we are enclosing a reminder with the appropriate forms. Over forty of you now pay by standing order. Thank you all for your continuing support, not only financially but in your attendance at concerts. We would welcome more members so perhaps you can persuade one of your friends to become a Friend!

The Phantom of the Opera For many years our December booking has been given over to the young people of Haringey for a Christmas concert. However, they were unable to stage the annual event in 2005 and so we decided to try something different. Although we hoped for a good response, little did we realise how successful our foray into uncharted waters would be. Donald Mackenzie, the distinguished organist of the Odeon Leicester Square, made a spectacular, cloaked appearance at the console to set the scene for a truly memorable evening. Probably for the first time, although we await further information from Friends, the audience was able to see both the film and the accompanist at the console. The sheer versatility of Donald’s playing was greeted with spontaneous applause at the conclusion of the film. One of the most encouraging sights was the number of new faces in the audience. Special thanks must be given to Michael Rhodes and John Apperley for organising and setting up all the equipment.

The next Recital is on Sunday 26th March 2nd at 3 p.m. and will be given by Nigel Ogden. Few people have done so much to ensure the continued popularity of the concert organ. For the last 26 years he has presented BBC Radio 2’s longest-running specialist music programme The Organist Entertains. He will be playing an exciting programme of 12 items, several arranged by himself. This will be a memorable concert, so please come along and bring all your friends with you. Programme details are available on the concerts page.

Dates of Future Recitals – Please put these in your diary now
Wednesday 10th May at 7.30 p.m. - Alexander Mason of Lichfield Cathedral.
Wednesday 12th July at 7.30 p.m. – Carl Jackson of The Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace.
Wednesday 2nd August at 7.30 p.m. & Wednesday 30th August at 7.30 p.m.
Tuesday 12th December at 7.30 p.m. Donald Mackenzie.
Wednesday 21st March 2007 Details to be arranged.

The December concert will consist of Donald Mackenzie improvising the accompaniment to silent films. The selection will feature local steam trains and Buster Keaton’s The General, which also features steam trains. We hope that this programme will attract the local ‘steam buffs.’ One of the August concerts will be devoted to the Friends and young organists will be invited to ‘come and play’, an event that proved very successful a few years ago.

A New Patron. We are delighted to announce that Carl Jackson, the Director of Music at Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace, has kindly agreed to become a Patron of the Appeal. Carl is a distinguished musician who has been at Hampton Court for almost ten years. We are very much looking forward to his recital in July.

The Organ. The restored Contra Viola has been much appreciated. It is a 16ft stop on the Choir Organ and is also duplexed to the pedals. The solo tubas, which have baked up on high, have been removed to Liverpool for restoration. They will now be located at the level of the Great organ. All the associated mechanisms have been completely cleaned and refurbished. This will result in the 16ft Contra Tromba and the 4ft Clarion-harmonic being heard again for the first time in some three years. Unfortunately only five pipes from the Cor-Anglais rank have survived. These provide sufficient information for a new rank to be made. However, we need to raise approximately £5,000 to restore this final stop to complete the present layout of the instrument.

News - October 2005

The Choir Contra Viola 16 has been installed and was heard at Stephen Disley's concert on October 5th.

The Solo soundboard was removed for planned restoration in September 2005. When opened up, it was found that the damage was more severe than expected and a result of water entering the hall through the roof as well as climatic conditions. It is even more remarkable, then, that the soundboard continued to function well as long as it did, with two of the four heavy-pressure stops available until its removal.

The additional funds required to repair this further damage will be the subject of an insurance claim by The Palace. The problems with the roof have been fixed.

News - March 2005

: As far as London was concerned, Wednesday the 2nd of March was the worst night of the winter. A snowstorm swirled across Hampstead Heath and in the Phoenix Bar the first two arrivals, Stephen Walmsley and Graham Hawkes, jokingly discussed themes for their improvisations should the recitalist fail to arrive. Fortunately he managed the journey from Birmingham. Our Treasurer, Michael Rhodes arrived from Stoke-on-Trent and David Wyld, representing The Palace's organbuilder, came from Liverpool. About sixty Friends battled their way up to the Palace to hear the concert. Thank you; if honours were at our disposal, you would all receive a medal. In spite of the weather, the humidity level in the blowing chamber was the lowest recorded.

John Pryer, our titular organist, treated us to a splendid performance. The first part of his programme was devoted to classical / romantic works by Bach, Bossi and Reger and the second was given over to such light hearted music as the Dam Busters March and The Sailor's Hornpipe. He concluded with a spirited and inspired Improvisation upon A Whiter Shade of Pale. This turned out to be more than appropriate, although he could not have known that it would be snowing when he chose his programme.

Our next concert will be given on Wednesday the 13th of April at 7.30 p.m. by David Dunnett, the organist of Norwich Cathedral. Unfortunately the date given in the February Newsletter was incorrect. It was the one initially given to us by the Palace; subsequent bookings necessitated a change of date. The programme will be as follows: Coronation March ~ Meyerbeer; Spring Song ~ Alfred Hollins; Prelude & Fugue in B minor ~ J.S.Bach; Sonata in C# minor ~ Harwood; Festival Tocatta ~ Percy Fletcher; Andante with variations in D ~ Mendelssohn; Handel in the Strand ~ Percy Grainger; Popular Song ~ Walton; Finale (Symphonie VI) ~ Charles Widor. Please come along and bring all you friends, relations and neighbours to this great musical occasion.

Whilst on the subject of forthcoming events, you might like to know some details of the 10th July concert which will be given by Colin Andrews and Janette Fishell, the famous duo from Greenville, North Carolina. The programme will include works by Bonnet, Liszt's mighty Introduction & Fugue on Ad nos, two movements from Holst's The Planets, Russian and American dances, concluding with a duet arrangement from Samson & Delilah. It has been a considerable time since we have heard four hands at the console and for many it will be a first time experience.

We are always indebted to Jean and Sid Perkins of the Cinema Organ Society who provide a stall loaded with interesting CD's, sheet music and other memorabilia at our every concert. Do pay them a visit. At the March recital I bought two CDs at £5 each. One of these was David Briggs playing his transcriptions of Pierre Cochereau's Improvisations on the organ of Truro Cathedral. This organ, by Father Willis, was described by Sir John Dykes Bower as "the little giant." It sounds so very like our own instrument but the specification reveals that it is in fact five stops smaller than the present Alexandra Palace organ. The Trustees are busy planning events well into 2006. Amongst suggestions already received have been for showing a classic silent film with organ accompaniment and the possibility of holding an afternoon tea dance. Should you have any further suggestions or requests, please write to us at the PO Box number or contact one of us at any future concert. We are planning to have another meeting of Friends after one of the summer concerts.

News - February 2005

The Winter Concert

The Palace enables us to hold our recitals by kindly giving us six free bookings of the Great Hall each year. Without this generosity we should not be able to afford to hire the premises for recitals. By tradition we always allow the Music & Performing Arts Centre of Haringey Education Services to use our December booking for their concert.

Once again we were pleased to see some of the Friends in attendance at this event. Before the concert, and during the interval, we were entertained by the playing of the highly professional Steel Orchestra of some twenty very proficient young performers. Over three hundred children, drawn from eleven local schools and supported by nearly ninety parents and volunteers, plus the New London Children’s Choir, provided the vocal music. They were supported by the seventy strong student Symphony Orchestra of Haringey.

The concert started with an impressive procession to a traditional aboriginal chant. This was followed by a performance of the third and fourth movements of the Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony. When Ann Carey played the first dramatic chords of the organ entry, the sound of the Father Willis reeds had an electrifying effect on the children; all heads turned and it was obvious that this was the first time that they had ever heard a live instrument. The main item in the second half of the programme consisted of well-chosen and enthusiastically sung excerpts from Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. It was a highly gratifying experience to know that we were able to contribute to the musical experience of so many young people. The Trustees are hoping to extend and increase this work with local schools; do make a date to join in the 2005 celebrations.

The Next Recital

This will take place on Wednesday 2nd of March at 7.30 p.m. and will be given by our titular organist John Pryer. We are lucky to have such an experienced player who literally knows this organ both inside and out. He will be playing a programme of works by Bossi, Bach, Reger, Eric Coates, Bonnet, and an arrangement of The Sailor’s Hornpipe. He will be concluding his recital with one of his inspired improvisations. For more details, and for the dates of future concerts see the concerts page. Please come along and bring all your friends with you.

The Organ

As promised at the last meeting of Friends, work is shortly to be undertaken on the organ. The solo tubas are to be moved down to the level of the Great organ and all the associated mechanisms will be completely cleaned and refurbished. This will result in the 16ft Contra Tromba and the 4ft Clarion-harmonic being heard again for the first time in some three years. At the same time the original Contra Viola, which has languished in store at Liverpool, is to be restored. Unfortunately only five pipes from the Cor-Anglais rank have survived. These provide sufficient information for a new rank to be made but this will have to wait until we have sufficient funds available. However, as a spur to fund raising, we can tell you that this will cost £4,614 at today’s prices.

Archivist

Unfortunately Douglas Carrington, who has been our Archivist for many years, feels that the time has come for him to retire. We are extremely grateful for all the work that he has undertaken on our behalf. Not only has he filed and indexed a multitude of documents, but he has also secured references to the Palace organ from a great variety of other sources. We send him our thanks and best wishes for the future.