Richard Bower – plays one of the many Holdich pipe organs he’s restored

FESCH.TV INFORMIERT:

Martin’s spent his life playing and building pipe organs; nowadays he dedicates all his time to rescuing them – “It’s a real crisis [in the UK]. There are around fifty churches closing every year and half the organs in them are worth saving.”

Once at the centre of British culture, pipe organs beautifully made historically important pipe organs are being scrapped in their hundreds.

Often just one step ahead of the bulldozers, Martin and an intrepid band of organ “anoraks” travel the country on rescue missions. In one ex-mining village in the north of England he discovers a fine very rare nineteenth century organ. In another he’s amazed to find a large 980 pipe beast whose salvage and “rebirth” is the redemptive narrative at the heart of the film. Also weaved through are stories of pipe organ devotees and their rescuers. One such is sprightly 95-year-old Blanche Beer, who played the organ at her local Chapel for over 80 years. Her description of life as a pit-village organist offers a wonderful glimpse into a musical world that is fast disappearing.