Each Wednesday, we bring you a complete half-hour program from the late 1990's Midnight Pipes T.V. series. This week: Episode #2 - Longwood Gardens with Justin Hartz.
This video contains the original satellite broadcast uplink feed, with test tones and video bars. The promotional spot comes first, followed by the program. In the introduction to this episode, host Hohman tries out his rather poor impersonation of the late, legendary sportscaster Howard Cosell [1918-1995].
TheMidnight Pipes television series was in production from 1995 to 2001. The production yielded two seasons, each with 13 half-hour episodes. Although Frederick Hohman was the host and primary artist on the series, 16 of the 26 episodes featured performances of guest organists. These guests were usually resident organists at the locations visited. The series was marketed through Zarex Corporation to affiliates with Public Broadcasting in the United States. The series aired over individual and state-network PBS affiliates in, among other regions, Los Angeles, New Mexico, South Dakota, Vermont, and Maine, as well as on select public-access cable tv affiliates in New York and Pennsylvania.
Now, Zarex and Pro Organo are posting the complete, uncut episodes of the Midnight Pipes series on the internet in high definition, for your viewing enjoyment.
The content of each Midnight Pipes episode focused upon footage of actual performances of complete works of organ repertoire, with artist, composer and organ-builder interviews taking a less prominent role. The series pioneered a video genre known today as "organ performance video," in that it successfully coordinated and alternated as many as 8 different camera angles, in order to add maximum visual interest to the performance for the television viewer.
The locations visited in Midnight Pipes episodes ranged from large churches, cathedrals and concert halls, to out-of-the-way, small churches and even to pipe organs in private residences. Producer's notes indicate that there were 8 episodes produced for the Midnight Pipes series which were never finished or broadcast. This un-aired footage remains archived at present in the Zarex HD studio tape library, but gradually, this unseen "lost" footage is being posted at YouTube™ and Vimeo. To be sure of seeing all the lost footage yet to be posted, please subscribe to Pro Organo.
