blog.sinden.org

An article by Craig Whitney in today's New York Times discusses the "supersized packet of French fries" which is the Walt Disney Concert Hall organ in Los Angeles.

There were two parts of the article which struck me as odd.

Mr. Rosales . . . is president of Rosales Organ Builders Inc. of Los Angeles, highly regarded by many organists, and competitors.

Apparently these organists and "competitors" are overlooking the fact that Manuel Rosales never finished an instrument at the Indiana University School of Music. The organ was installed, but is not functional.

With a pipe of the 315' Grande Tierce stop sitting on its windchest saying "aahh" for him, Mr. Rosales pressed the soft metal of the lower lip of the mouth inward, making it narrower so that less air would pass through and it would be softer when it was played.

From what I can tell, the concert hall seems to be less than 100' tall, so to have one 315' pipe is quite extraordinary, let alone an entire rank of them! Perhaps the pipes are underground running the length of the hall? And images of said pipes being voiced are entertaining indeed. What would Rosales use, a sledgehammer? Do you know how expensive all that metal would be?

This unusually large stop is more intriguing than the controversial facade, and probably a good indication of why Rosales is in financial trouble.

Or maybe it's just an typo, but that's a far less interesting possibility.