Wed Mar 27, 2019 7:13 am
I wish Milan Digital would sample the Radio City Music Hall Wurlitzer organ so we could play it everyday
The Radio City Music Hall organ appears to have some issues that would make it less than ideal.
The specification was based on other Kimball organs (because of Samuel Rothafel's involvement with the construction), but RCMH management wanted Wurlitzer because the brand name. There are a lot of classical stops. The full specification is on the nycago.org site.
I believe that when Jack Moellman rented the Music Hall for a gala concert evening, the artists found that the organ was not fully functional, and they had to work around certain deficiencies.
So apart from being the largest original Wurlitzer installation of 58 ranks and the historical association with Radio City, it leaves a lot to be desired.
My vote for a new Wurlitzer sample set would be the Rochester Theatre Organ Society Opus 1951 4/23 (originally 4/21) Wurlitzer. It is one of the best (if not the best) remaining organs in a theatre environment. It is in pristine condition, and the organ speaks extremely well from the chambers located either side of the proscenium arch.
George Wright commented many years ago that it was one of the best, and it's in even better condition now.
The annual convention of the ATOS will be in Rochester from June 30 to July 4, and you can hear that organ in all its splendour.