About a year ago we had the very nice and local job providing a new instrument for St Kenelm’s Church in Enstone Oxfordshire. This was part of a substantial programme of works refurbishing the building and as you will see (below) from the video the result is really delightful.
The church is now a very clean and bright with chairs replacing fixed pews allowing very flexible use of the space. This work included very nice toilet facilities situated in the base of the tower which frustratingly still await commissioning as there have been delays in laying on mains water.
A fitting venue to record the Chamber Organ Video
St Kenelm’s was therefore a logical choice of venue for our filming of the chamber organ and as you will hear it also has a rather nice acoustic that is so necessary in support of any instrument but especially so for the organ.
The day had however started off less than ideally. While we choose the location with care we can not control the external issues recording often throws up. Next door sits a lovely old vicarage with extensive gardens and as luck would have it the gardener was at full tilt with the mower just yards away on the south side of the church making recording impossible. Happily, there were many other jobs on his list that day and he happily obliged and gave up mowing for the rest of the day.
A Small and Intimate instrument
Reverberation and a lively acoustic often come to the rescue of many a digital organ (and pipe organs too for that matter) as your impression of the sound is flattered as you take over listening to the reflections rather than the primary source. The chamber organ is a small and intimate instrument and there is absolutely no hiding place for this instrument to loose any imperfections in its quality. It was therefore something of a high bar to set ourselves and the ‘Physis’ technology that generates the sound.
Judge for yourself from the recording but I think you will agree the instrument does a very good job of replicating the delicacy of tone that you would expect from a pipe organ of this size.
Unfortunately no drone footage
St Kenelm’s was also the first outing for the very small drone that I have purchased to add some drama and interest to our video work. I shall say no more than advise a few more flying lessons are needed before the footage I catch will be of broadcast-able quality! Or you can let the professionals do it for you like our recording at Selby Abbey with Joseph Nolan.
Finally, you can read more about how to buy our Chamber Organ or hire it for an event.
I have had a passion for church organs since the tender age of 12. I own and run Regent Classic Organs with a close attention to the detail that musicians appreciate; and a clear understanding of the benefits of digital technology and keeping to the traditional and emotional elements of organ playing.
