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Church in Wales
Eglwys Yng Nghymru |
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THE CATHEDRAL ORGAN APPEAL The Dean and Chapter of Llandaff Cathedral launched a £1.5 million appeal for a replacement organ in 2007.
The
Appeal has now reached a very significant stage with However, much fund raising needs to be done in order to repay outstanding loans and to complete the organ to its full specification with significant additions to the Solo Organ.
Llandaff Cathedral stands on one of the
oldest Christian sites in Britain with the present building dating back to
1107. Throughout the 20th century and to the present day Llandaff Cathedral
has enjoyed a very high choral tradition.
The decision was taken to replace the organ with a completely new instrument. After much deliberation, the plans put forward by Nicholsons of Malvern were chosen, Their proposal was for the largest, wholly-new, British built organ to be commissioned in a UK cathedral for nearly half a century. It would be built in two symmetrical cases, situated either side of the Choir stalls, and would contain a total of 4870 pipes. Nicholson & Co. are the world-renowned Malvern firm of organ builders. Founded by John Nicholson in 1841, they have a long history of building organs and have an unequalled reputation for quality. Examples of their work are to be found in Worcester, Gloucester, Portsmouth and Birmingham Cathedrals, more recently at Great Malvern and Bridlington Priories and as far afield as Madrid, Hong Kong and Long Island, USA. Work began in the factory in the middle of 2008, moving to the Cathedral in April 2009. After approximately 30,000 man hours, the work is now complete and our Cathedral, a beautiful and historical building, has gained a new dimension. The magnificent organ cases frame Sir Jacob Epstein's statue of Christ in Majesty, a unique architectural feature which is recognised around the world. Music as an essential part of the worship at the Cathedral. Llandaff is the only Anglican Cathedral in Wales with a dedicated Choir School and a professional choir consists purely of boys and men. The Cathedral Choir sings at six services each week during term time as well as at the Christmas and Easter services. The organ accompanies the choir and therefore needs to have the tonal variety and subtlety for this purpose. It is also essential that it can lead large congregations in the singing of hymns, as well as being flexible enough to allow the playing of a worldwide organ repertoire, Those who have had the privilege of hearing and playing the new instrument have been stunned by the quality of sounds it creates. These range from the beauty of a single, quiet flute , to the majestic sound of full organ. Llandaff Cathedral now has an organ that will reinforce its place on the international map of musical excellence, just as many other Welsh musical organisations have already done so. It is an iconic investment for the future which has already created interest around the world and praise of the highest level from a number of eminent organists, However, that is not the end of the story. A small proportion of the original specification has had to be postponed and a loan has had to be secured to help cover the financial shortfall. The Cathedral is, nonetheless, fully committed to finishing this magnificent project as originally planned. Fund raising therefore continues to complete the organ at the earliest opportunity. To date ca. £925,000 has been raised towards the full cost of £1.5m Will you help?
Please click here for details of how you might make your donation Our efforts are being co-ordinated by an Appeal Committee made up of the following:-
Cathedral Website - this page last updated: 07/07/2010 18:59
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FUND RAISING
PROGRESS REPORT
ORGAN BUILD
APPEAL NEWS
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