From St. John the Divine, NYC
Bill Randolph, assistant organist at the cathedral, shows off this amazing instrument’s big reed stops. including the world-famous State Trumpet.
The recording was made in the cathedral choir — 600 feet from the StateTrumpets — so you get some of the sense of the vast space in this, the world’s largest cathedral.
This version of Copland’s fanfare was arranged by former cathedral organist Dorothy Papadakos.
New York’s summer heat & humidity have obviously not treated the organ’s tuning very well, & those big reeds are fiendishly difficult to keep in tune in the best of circumstances. An awe-inspiring sound, nevertheless.
