Joshua Stafford Covers Queen On The World’s Largest Pipe Organ

Joshua Stafford is a highly regarded organ recitalist who has cultivated a significant presence within the orchestral music community for many years. A graduate of the Yale School of Music, where he earned his Master of Music degree in 2012, Stafford has long been recognized for his technical proficiency. However, it was in 2020 that he achieved widespread viral fame. A video capturing his unique interpretation of a classic Queen song garnered millions of views on YouTube, effectively introducing his virtuosic playing style to a massive, diverse new audience that might not typically engage with classical organ performances.

Taking on a composition as intricate as Bohemian Rhapsody is a daunting task, even for a musician of Stafford’s caliber. Originally released in 1975 as the lead single from the album A Night at the Opera, the song is widely considered a masterpiece of popular music. It is renowned for its complex, multi-sectional structure and its frequent, wild dynamic shifts. Despite the inherent difficulty of adapting such a multi-layered rock anthem, Stafford manages to capture the magic and intensity of the original track on a single instrument, showcasing his deep understanding of musical arrangement and his ability to translate rock textures into the organ medium.

The performance is made even more impressive by the instrument Stafford chose for this endeavor. He performed on the largest pipe organ ever constructed, an instrument officially recognized as a record-holder by the Guinness Book of World Records. Located in Atlantic City at the historic Boardwalk Hall, this monumental organ was completed by Midmer-Losh in 1929. The sheer scale of the instrument is staggering, boasting 33,112 individual pipes, 447 ranks, and seven manuals, providing a massive sonic palette that is virtually unparalleled in the world of organ music.

Watch the full performance on page two