Organist buys church to practise in
mainThe Hungarian-Canadian virtuoso ogranist Xaver Varnus has bought a country church in Nova Scotia so that he can practise in peace.
The Pilgrim United Church in Brooklyn, N.S., built in 1847, was down to its last congregants. ‘I found it on the internet,’ he said.
He’s now inviting fellow-organists to come out and play.
Great musician, and a wonderful person.
I have been reduced to practising on my Hauptwerk copy of the Atlantic City Boardwalk Auditorium instrument, in my studio flat. Neighbours are getting a little unhappy.
Amusing, Micaelo. The neighbours are only a little unhappy? 🙂
They might especially resent Ligeti’s “Volumina”. Especially if it blows the building’s circuit breakers.
If you want to make your neighbors more than ‘…a little unhappy…’, why not play some Messiaen? That’ll show ’em!
Wake up in the middle of the night and just play something soft and spooky on the voix céleste or the vox humana… (or alternatively a fanfare on the bombarde).
Brookly Nova Scotia was Hank Snow’s home town. Music is music, eh!
That’s an ingenious solution, though Nova Scotia is pretty far from a lot of things. I assume he got a good deal? And I guess he could turn it into a disco or such when he’s not practicing.