I've listened to this performance at least 30 times and I am continually electrified. Yes, "electrified." I don't know what happened that evening, but I'm sure even Mulet would have pissed himself. I've listened to every version of this work on You Tube, and I'm sorry dear Stephen... the only word I can come with is "definitive." You did it baby! World's best. !!!! Have you ever thought about recording the whole suite? CVD
there are a lot of good ones... even a few minor glitches in this performance where the hand quickly brushes against another key... it's still amazing playing!
This performance is absolutely electrifying. Whatever happened that evening set the word "definitive" right next to your name in relationship to "Tu es Petrus." This is the high-water mark. The recording is absolutely the best. And I cannot thank you enough. Wow!!!!!
I so appreciate the tension you build throughout the toccata, both with your registrations and your dramatic interpretation. It is wonderful to hear the technical bravura passages handled with such ease so that we can truly enjoy your powerful performance without being aware of the immense technique that it does take to perform this so well. Bravo!
Geweldig goede opname op een prachtig orgel. Dit mooie stuk van Mulet zou vaker moeten worden gespeeld tijdens concerten. Dat verdient Mulet ten zeerste!
The best recording of this great work done on planet Earth as of this date. Congratulation, dear Steven. God, I wish I could have been there... nevertheless thank you for sharing. CVD
It's actually called "Tu es Petra", (Thou art the rock), not "Tu es Petrus", but nonetheless brilliantly played! I wouldn't want to play it on a tracker organ.
Steve, I couldn't listen to you play this piece all day long, and never get tired of hearing it! To me, it's the most powerful and intense organ piece ever composed. Can't explain why, but it is! I heard it the first time back in the mid-60s on the Command Classics recording of the Wanamaker organ with Virgil Fox. I've been in love with the piece ever since then.
RonN448 I've heard that Fox's recording of this at Wanamaker is the standard to beat for this piece notwithstanding the outstanding job Mr. Tharp does here.
Chen0466, you are correct. There is a recording of Virgil Fox's recording of Tu Es Petra on the Wanamaker organ on RUclips. Just do a search in RUclips for "Virgil Fox Wanamaker Organ. You could also add either "Tu Es Petra" or "Thou Art The Rock" after Fox's name. On the album it's listed as "Thou Art The Rock." I have two copies of the original album, and one on CD.
Brilliant! As mentioned by an earlier commenter, those excelling at their work make it look easy! Stephen just sat there and played without exaggerated mannerisms, yet full of intensity and the utmost dedication to the music.
This piece is equally suited to the concert hall or to the cathedral. I think that is what makes it so versatile. I also like the sensitive registration used by Dr. Tharp :)
Absolutely the best performance I've ever heard of this Mulet classic and the Caville-coll just blows it out of this universe! Brooks, as you say, just "nailed it"!
I've listened to you play this great work 20 plus times or more. I think I just listen to it to get electrified. OMG. It happens every time. "Can I have some more, please" said young Oliver.
WOW! What an exciting performance. I love this piece and have heard it many times and in my humble opinion this is one of the finest renderings of it. Thank you for the upload.
Musical thunder in the hands of a master. simply stunning. OK, Joe, you have to offer a CD with this one. Maybe "Dueling Organs" with alternating tracks of Daniel Roth at St. Sulpice.
Stephen Tharp is clearly one of the most talented organists in the world. He is not timid about letting loose with the power of a grand organ such as this. Yet he can very well show restraint and sensitvity, when appropriate. The pedal reeds, on 18" of pressure surely must measure up to almost anything Cavaille-Coll has built, although the upperwork is not as brilliant (or as shrill) as the french organs. For those who cut down American Classic organs in favor of organs in France, I say this...The French Symphonic organs have their glory, and can be quite inspirational. But they often tend toward a harsh, shrill or thick tone. Typically, large and well designed American Classic organs can deliver the power, such as St. Parick's. However they are likely to contain more subtle effects and a better variety of sounds, for their size, as well as greater transparency and clarity. Thanks to Mr. Tharp and JAV for this post!
+Sam Schaeffer The pedal is pretty awesome, but it does strike me as interesting that the Americans need triple the wind pressure (possibly quite a bit more - I've an idea nothing at Saint-Ouen is on more than 5 inches!) to achieve much the same effect.
Richard St Ouen and St Patrick's are entirely different and the difference in wind pressure has little to do with their difference. Wind pressures, just makes for different kinds of voicing, not better or worse, just different.
pipe-organ Yes, granted, two different styles of organ-building - while there are similarities, St Patrick's is a tad unsubtle at full throttle, that 32ft comes in like a sledgehammer to the head.
+pipe-organ Quite right. I have heard organs from the early 20th. century, American Romantic era on heavy wind (even the flues), which sound somewhat muted. And I have heard more recent eclectic instruments on fairly light pressure, which sound quite assertive. Your comments are well placed.
It's always amazing to see someone make playing this ferocious beast look effortless vs the nightmare it, with its uncountable legions of notes, plus registration changes, really is! Brilliant!
My mistake. The pipes are on a very large scale, and when they are let loose it's incredible. This instrument has quite a bit of power, such as the Triforium Trumpet on 18" and the Trompette En Chamade on 33", which sits at the top of the case!
Without doubt on par with Gillian weir, absolutely amazing! Stunning organ and magnificent organist. Bravo for this wrist breaker of a toccata ....LOVE IT 👌👌👌👌👌
Virgil wrote the book on this work, but if anyone else even comes close, it is certainly Stepen Tharp. I have to say that Gordon Turk is right up there with them, too!
Henri Mulet was a lesser-known French composer of one-hit wonders. He played at St. Roch in Paris, a smaller church with a smaller instrument. However, his skills as an improviser were underrated as he was the top in his field! This work is the tenth in his Ten Byzantine Sketches pour Grand Orgue. I guess it pretty much sums up that "From little acorns, mighty oaks do grow."
Mr. Tharp and his wife represent, what I believe to be, the epitome of the organ world. He is always outstanding in his playing, as well as being a fine person.
Fantastic job. I just love the way the whole thing sounds so damn evil throughout, and by the end subtly smacks you in the face with a huge major chord. Pull out all the stops!
I do wish Mr Tharp could hear my applause every time I listen to this recording. Your talent has brought much joy to my life, and I thank you.
Played with the grace of a swan and the power of an atomic bomb. I am stunned. CVD
Stephen Tharp is an excellent, I saw a recital of his nearby and even got the chance to speak to him. Fantastic organist.
"This is how you do a ball". The Reeds " are not of this world ". Bravo!!!!!
One of the great, spine-chilling toccatas of all time! And flawlessly played.
I never get tired of listening to this music and performance. Incredible.
The more I hear this organ, the better I like it. And it's not often that you see such a great looking guy playing that well.
Tharp is a great among the great organists of the world today
When I've heard Steven Tharp play at the Stiftskirche in Stuttgart, Germany, he was always the best organist of the entire summer series of organists.
I've listened to this performance at least 30 times and I am continually electrified. Yes, "electrified." I don't know what happened that evening, but I'm sure even Mulet would have pissed himself. I've listened to every version of this work on You Tube, and I'm sorry dear Stephen... the only word I can come with is "definitive." You did it baby! World's best. !!!!
Have you ever thought about recording the whole suite? CVD
I never get tired of listening to this version. It shakes my living room floor!
This is without doubt the finest recording I have ever heard, well done Mr Tharp
Excellent performance by one of the greatest organists of our time!
full admiration - must be an unbelievable feeling to play! and every note is in his head & heart *****
This must be one of the best performances of 'Tu es Petra' I've ever heard. Steady as a rock!! Way to go Mr Tharp!
An extraordinary piece executed to perfection. Nothing better than this playing full blast on the headphones!
Superbly performed on a magnificent pipe organ
The DEFINITIVE performance of this work!
there are a lot of good ones... even a few minor glitches in this performance where the hand quickly brushes against another key... it's still amazing playing!
Absolutely magnificent! yet another flawless performance from Stephen Tharp.
A fine performance indeed. Unshackled from the written score and its distractions, he really takes the listener on a musical journey.
Love the eb and floe of this amazing piece. The Bombarde is...stimulating.
AMAZING performance of such a challenging work. Wow - you inspire to re-learn it!!!
Thank you!!
Yes i think he just did at the finale! Awesome and Talented performance. Thanks for posting
This performance is absolutely electrifying. Whatever happened that evening set the word "definitive" right next to your name in relationship to "Tu es Petrus." This is the high-water mark. The recording is absolutely the best. And I cannot thank you enough. Wow!!!!!
Brilliant playing.... such a wonderful piece.... Thank You for sharing.
These Pedal Bombardes are really absolutely stunning!
I so appreciate the tension you build throughout the toccata, both with your registrations and your dramatic interpretation. It is wonderful to hear the technical bravura passages handled with such ease so that we can truly enjoy your powerful performance without being aware of the immense technique that it does take to perform this so well. Bravo!
Brilliant, I just can not stop playing Mr Tharp's you tube contributions. I would love to see is footwork.
Geweldig goede opname op een prachtig orgel.
Dit mooie stuk van Mulet zou vaker moeten worden gespeeld tijdens concerten. Dat verdient Mulet ten zeerste!
This is my favourite organ piece, brilliantly performed here, I play it over and over, well done
LOVE that song! Good over evil. Thanks for the share!
One of my favorite recordings of this piece! Mr. Tharp is phenomenal
The best recording of this great work done on planet Earth as of this date. Congratulation, dear Steven. God, I wish I could have been there... nevertheless thank you for sharing. CVD
Schitterend, subtiele timing en heerlijk zwelkastgebruik. Mulet is fantastisch!
As I've often wondered as I listen Debussy, what was Mulet thinking on composing this beauty? He and Debussy compose such entrancing music.
Excellent, and wow on the pedal.
It's actually called "Tu es Petra", (Thou art the rock),
not "Tu es Petrus", but nonetheless brilliantly played!
I wouldn't want to play it on a tracker organ.
Steve, I couldn't listen to you play this piece all day long, and never get tired of hearing it! To me, it's the most powerful and intense organ piece ever composed. Can't explain why, but it is! I heard it the first time back in the mid-60s on the Command Classics recording of the Wanamaker organ with Virgil Fox. I've been in love with the piece ever since then.
RonN448 I've heard that Fox's recording of this at Wanamaker is the standard to beat for this piece notwithstanding the outstanding job Mr. Tharp does here.
Chen0466, you are correct. There is a recording of Virgil Fox's recording of Tu Es Petra on the Wanamaker organ on RUclips. Just do a search in RUclips for "Virgil Fox Wanamaker Organ. You could also add either "Tu Es Petra" or "Thou Art The Rock" after Fox's name. On the album it's listed as "Thou Art The Rock." I have two copies of the original album, and one on CD.
+RonN448 Me too. Never tire of this piece played well like this
I, too, never tire of listening to this piece. It's so dynamic!
Hauntingly beautiful.
Wow... What a powerful pedal...
Outstanding Performance! 5 Stars!
That did it for me! Well done. What an organ too!
Eccezionale esecuzione,per registrazione e interpretazione, che esalta la bellezza e il significato profondo di questa stupenda composizione.
Brilliant! As mentioned by an earlier commenter, those excelling at their work make it look easy! Stephen just sat there and played without exaggerated mannerisms, yet full of intensity and the utmost dedication to the music.
Another one of my favourtie Easter Postludes "Tu es Petrus" Thou ART A Rock
AWESOME!!! Im now covered in goosbumps. GREAT post. Thank you.
Dear Steven; This is still the BEST version of "Tu Es Petrus" on RUclips.
Phenomenal talent on display utilizing a phenomenal piece.
This piece is equally suited to the concert hall or to the cathedral. I think that is what makes it so versatile. I also like the sensitive registration used by Dr. Tharp :)
Wow -- great tempo, excellent registration, super organ. Good stuff...
A truly exciting performance of this composition....I loved it! Bravo!
Great playing. The tempo is fast, but not too fast. My compliments. Thanks for posting.
***** It is not too hot and not too cold, just right
+pipe-organ It's just a tad too fast for me. Gerard Brooks at Saint Ouen nailed it for me.
Absolutely the best performance I've ever heard of this Mulet classic and the Caville-coll just blows it out of this universe! Brooks, as you say, just "nailed it"!
He is an organist for all peoples!!!!
Met welk een grote souplesse speelt Stephen dit prachtige werk.
Dank voor de plaatsing.
I've listened to you play this great work 20 plus times or more. I think I just listen to it to get electrified. OMG. It happens every time. "Can I have some more, please" said young Oliver.
That night at Saint Patricks Cathedral almost happened by accident. Glad so many have been able to enjoy it
3:07 is the point I begin playing the "air organ".
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Incredible performance of this masterpiece! Bravo!
Just as it SHOULD be. Brilliant recording, no switching between 4 or 5 different camera views. THANK YOU, Stephen AND JAV!
so chaotic yet so gracefull.
Powerful piece, by a powerful player...!!!!
WOW! What an exciting performance. I love this piece and have heard it many times and in my humble opinion this is one of the finest renderings of it. Thank you for the upload.
Musical thunder in the hands of a master. simply stunning. OK, Joe, you have to offer a CD with this one. Maybe "Dueling Organs" with alternating tracks of Daniel Roth at St. Sulpice.
Grande, très grande interprétation de Stephen !!
Les pieds peuvent aussi se filmer ...
Merci pour ce merveilleux enregistrement.
JB13007
Breathtaking!!
A thrilling performance. Thanks!
BRAVO!!!!
...by far, the very best Tu Es Petra performance around; top notch!
Stephen Tharp is one of the best
Great playing, great sound...loved it.
Stephen Tharp is clearly one of the most talented organists in the world. He is not timid about letting loose with the power of a grand organ such as this. Yet he can very well show restraint and sensitvity, when appropriate. The pedal reeds, on 18" of pressure surely must measure up to almost anything Cavaille-Coll has built, although the upperwork is not as brilliant (or as shrill) as the french organs. For those who cut down American Classic organs in favor of organs in France, I say this...The French Symphonic organs have their glory, and can be quite inspirational. But they often tend toward a harsh, shrill or thick tone. Typically, large and well designed American Classic organs can deliver the power, such as St. Parick's. However they are likely to contain more subtle effects and a better variety of sounds, for their size, as well as greater transparency and clarity. Thanks to Mr. Tharp and JAV for this post!
+Sam Schaeffer The pedal is pretty awesome, but it does strike me as interesting that the Americans need triple the wind pressure (possibly quite a bit more - I've an idea nothing at Saint-Ouen is on more than 5 inches!) to achieve much the same effect.
Richard St Ouen and St Patrick's are entirely different and the difference in wind pressure has little to do with their difference. Wind pressures, just makes for different kinds of voicing, not better or worse, just different.
pipe-organ
Yes, granted, two different styles of organ-building - while there are similarities, St Patrick's is a tad unsubtle at full throttle, that 32ft comes in like a sledgehammer to the head.
+Richard Harrold Richard. I respect your comments. Thank you.
+pipe-organ Quite right. I have heard organs from the early 20th. century, American Romantic era on heavy wind (even the flues), which sound somewhat muted. And I have heard more recent eclectic instruments on fairly light pressure, which sound quite assertive. Your comments are well placed.
Thank you and beautiful !!!!
It's always amazing to see someone make playing this ferocious beast look effortless vs the nightmare it, with its uncountable legions of notes, plus registration changes, really is! Brilliant!
My mistake. The pipes are on a very large scale, and when they are let loose it's incredible. This instrument has quite a bit of power, such as the Triforium Trumpet on 18" and the Trompette En Chamade on 33", which sits at the top of the case!
Bravo! Majestic and powerful!
Great!!!
This is excellent! Bravo!
Fantastic!
Without doubt on par with Gillian weir, absolutely amazing! Stunning organ and magnificent organist. Bravo for this wrist breaker of a toccata ....LOVE IT 👌👌👌👌👌
Great piece, and what confidence and technique on the part of Dr. Tharp, not even a hint of sweat! Bravo! Taoseno
FANTÁSTICO!
These guys make it look so easy.
Usually, I listen to Mulet as interpreted by Virgil Fox. But the organist here allays my fears. It's a virtuoso piece, after all.
Virgil wrote the book on this work, but if anyone else even comes close, it is certainly Stepen Tharp. I have to say that Gordon Turk is right up there with them, too!
Sensational!!
Brilliant interpretation of this nice piece!
Henri Mulet was a lesser-known French composer of one-hit wonders. He played at St. Roch in Paris, a smaller church with a smaller instrument. However, his skills as an improviser were underrated as he was the top in his field! This work is the tenth in his Ten Byzantine Sketches pour Grand Orgue. I guess it pretty much sums up that "From little acorns, mighty oaks do grow."
BRILLIANT!!
By the way, it's "Tu Es Petra"
See w ww .classical-composers. org /comp /mulet
Perfect performance !
Mr. Tharp and his wife represent, what I believe to be, the epitome of the organ world.
He is always outstanding in his playing, as well as being a fine person.
Fly Sephen, fly!! best wishes Pete Butterfly
That was pretty freaking amazing, Stephen.
Heard this played live earlier this month, by Matt Dixon in Durham Cathedral. What an experience!!!
You got this piece nailed, baby! Thou Art The Rock...! Breathtaking. !! CVD
Very great performance :)
Magnificent!
+Dave Flanagan thanks
Such a superb organist1
Yes Stephen Tharp stands with the very best organists living today.
brillante interprétation bravo :)
Spectacular 👍 Thnx
Fantastic job. I just love the way the whole thing sounds so damn evil throughout, and by the end subtly smacks you in the face with a huge major chord. Pull out all the stops!
Beautiful music!
To the left of the console on 15 inches of wind. Awe-inspiring!
Very nice.
Brilliant!