Cameron Carpenter is playing his organ all over town

Cameron Carpenter is playing his organ all over town

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norman lebrecht

April 30, 2020

The American organist Cameron Carpenter has put his instrument on the back of a truck and is driving around Berlin, playing outside care homes over the course of four days.

Cameron, 39, says: ‘In Corona times, this is how I reach people at home, by their windows and on their balconies…. The idea is to share Germany’s great composer J.S. Bach and to try to give a cultural service to the city of Berlin if possible.’

 

Watch video here.

He should have been soloing at the Philharmonie on Tuesday.

Comments

  • Daniel says:

    I suppose he would have used the pipe organ of the Berlin Philharmonie rather than his horrible electronic organ he likes to tour with…

  • Ron Swanson says:

    Brilliant idea. I think it was the 2012 proms where he did 2 Bach recitals and he was damn good. I really do think classical music should be out and about. The drive through opera of the ENO is another example.

  • Sue Sonata Form says:

    I don’t like what Carpenter does, but if he brings pleasure to people then where’s the problem? He has amazing technique and showmanship. Didn’t he have a term at one time with the Berlin Philharmonic as ‘organist in residence’?
    Please correct me if I’m wrong about this.

    • Arthur says:

      That’s correct, that was back in 2012 to 2014 I believe. In this video Sarah Willis introduces him as “our organist in residence”, I don’t know if there has been another one after he left. Possibly the position was created for him, I don’t know.

      https://youtu.be/L1aGPeqWNFw

  • Monsoon says:

    Love it.

    He should do his transcription of the finale of the Mahler 5. That will put a smile on people’s faces.

    He also does some great Sousa and John Williams arrangements.

  • Barry Guerrero says:

    They said the same thing about Don Juan.

  • Nils says:

    ZDF Heute Journal just ran a segment on their nightly news reportage.

    https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/heute-journal/star-organist-im-seniorenheim-100.html

  • Ruth says:

    Good on him!

  • Keyboard Fan says:

    Driving from town with his own instrument in tow. Good on Cameron. Not all that different from what Svjatoslav Richter did in his latter days. And certain people cracked wise about his Yamaha piano. They were wrong then and they are wrong now.

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