I received last week a copy of Paul Morris' new recordings of the
Orchestrelle (one of 58-note rolls, one of 116-note rolls).  I'm only
hoping that when my Orchestrelle will be playing that it will sound
nearly as good as Paul's model F.

(I'm working fervently on mine right now.  The secondary valves are
complete, I am now going through the primary valves to make sure that
they operate.  One needs minor adjustment, but so far I've checked only
20 out of 116).

Paul's organ is extremely responsive and restored to perfection.
I also know this from playing it myself on my last visit to the UK.
The recording captures the sound well 99% of the time.  When there are
trills in the highest range it sounds somewhat electronic but there is
always a problem with a digital recording of analog music and you can
overlook this.  I also missed the vibrating thrill of the sub-bass
unit, but perhaps with a better sound system it would come through
better.

Musically, Paul is an excellent organist himself and his interpretation
of the music truly reflects this.  The swells and choice of stops are
appropriate for the music and show the artistic abilities of the
Orchestrelle as it was meant to be played.  I suppose this is why
I really enjoy playing on the Orchestrelle -- the interaction with the
instrument.  It has powerful expressive capabilities if you know how
to select them.

The choice of music was perhaps a bit of a disappointment to me;
I was not familiar with all of the pieces save one.  I would like to
have some of the better known classics included with the selection.
After listening to the disc a few times, when I began to recognize the
pieces and was more familiar with them, I enjoyed listening to the disc
much more but it's a matter of taste.  His selections are lively and
vibrant but unfamiliar to me.  The pieces do reflect well the organ as
a solo instrument, however, and the choice of pieces is very good in
that respect.

Contact Paul at <musicurio@yahoo.co.uk> for more information on these
recordings.

Best regards,
Eliyahu Shahar