Topic: Johann Jakob Froberger

[Mr. Minnow]

I have listened to all of Asperen and some of Stella since you made that post. And I now say this with confidence: Asperen’s set is indeed worth getting even for those who, like you, already have Stella, Rampe, Rémy on CPO and Wilson if you are interested in the ricercari, toccatas, capriccios. What you have is very good for suites, and I personally would say that Vartolo is a greater priority given you have Wilson and Rampe, even though Asperen has its own interesting ideas about how the suites should go.

It’s very good to have the ricercari and capriccios collected together, with Asperen’s notes, the CDs have helped me to appreciate Froberger’s Italian style much more.

I meant to ask if Asperen's set really is a complete one as Aeolus say it is. His series consists of 11 discs whereas Stella's box has 16, and five discs is clearly quite a difference. Is it like complete sets of Bach's organ music, where the degree of completeness and number of discs depends on which works are considered authentic and which are excluded on the grounds of doubtful attribution? I'll still get Asperen's series when I have the cash for it whether it's complete or not, I was just wondering about the apparent discrepancy with Stella's set.   

[Mandryka]

I meant to ask if Asperen's set really is a complete one as Aeolus say it is. His series consists of 11 discs whereas Stella's box has 16, and five discs is clearly quite a difference. Is it like complete sets of Bach's organ music, where the degree of completeness and number of discs depends on which works are considered authentic and which are excluded on the grounds of doubtful attribution? I'll still get Asperen's series when I have the cash for it whether it's complete or not, I was just wondering about the apparent discrepancy with Stella's set.

Stella recorded work “from secondary sources” which Asperen omitted, I’m not sure what “secondary sources” means or  whether it implies that their authorship is disputable. Maybe someone else can say whether the booklet casts light on this, though this review doesn't fill me with hope (from amazon in the uk)

Booklet notes totally inadequate, particularly information about music from secondary sources. His organ playing is good but somewhat stiff. He is certainly not a harpsichordist as he treats it like an organ and has no concept of making sound on the instrument - the suites (Partitas) are stiff and colourless. The biggest sin is transposiing the f-sharp minor Ricercar into e minor - utterly criminal...guess he couldn't take the exreme nature of this piece. As someone who was really excited to hear this music interpreted by another obvious Froberger fan I was massively underwhelmed. There are too many keyboard players out there now seeming to speed through and record the complete works of someone without true thought and passion. Beautiful organs on in this set though.

[Mandryka]

Booklet notes totally inadequate, particularly information about music from secondary sources. His organ playing is good but somewhat stiff. He is certainly not a harpsichordist as he treats it like an organ and has no concept of making sound on the instrument - the suites (Partitas) are stiff and colourless. The biggest sin is transposiing the f-sharp minor Ricercar into e minor - utterly criminal...guess he couldn't take the exreme nature of this piece. As someone who was really excited to hear this music interpreted by another obvious Froberger fan I was massively underwhelmed. There are too many keyboard players out there now seeming to speed through and record the complete works of someone without true thought and passion. Beautiful organs on in this set though.

The F sharp minor ricercar  mentioned in this review is FbWV 412. There are recordings by Boccaccio, Asperen, Coudurier, Stella, Rampe, Tilney and Egarr. Just thinking of organ performances, Egarr seems the most "extreme" harmonically  (St Martin’s Cuijk, 1/5 comma meantone, I’m not sure whether he's transposed it) Asperen thinks that the ricercar is evidence that Froberger had moved away from meantone tuning, but he doesn’t elaborate and his organ is just described as unequally tuned (now I’m looking at the details, I’m starting to think that maybe the notes aren’t as good as I thought in Asperen’s set.) On organ, Asperen and Egarr seem to me to be very soulful in it. Coudurier is exciting, thrilling, and tough and extrovert.

[Mandryka]

I think a superb organ recital here, Paolo Crivellaro playing an 1822 organ in Baceno near Turin. Anachronistic obviously,  but very well handled by Crivellaro IMO, and he’s musical, he makes it into music. The recital has maybe half a dozen pieces by Froberger, the rest made up of Muffat and Kerll.

[Mandryka]

The single Froberger suite here is, I think, a fabulous performance, expressive and moving and natural. Perkins has a gift for sincerity, there's a complete absence of pose. He is wonderfully distinguished and subtle,  he never forces his voice. The French suites on the same CD are equally successful IMO, possibly the best set of French Suites I know, given my understanding of the music.   

[milk]

The single Froberger suite here is, I think, a fabulous performance, expressive and moving and natural. Perkins has a gift for sincerity, there's a complete absence of pose. He is wonderfully distinguished and subtle,  he never forces his voice. The French suites on the same CD are equally successful IMO, possibly the best set of French Suites I know, given my understanding of the music.

Listening to his French, I feel a bit frustrated that I cannot hear what you are hearing. 

[Mandryka]

Listening to his French, I feel a bit frustrated that I cannot hear what you are hearing. 

One reason I like it is that it’s very small scale, both in terms of sound and in terms of conception - I mean there’s a simplicity and modesty and lightness about what he does. That seems to me to work better in this music than something which makes them sound grand. In this respect at least, I think the French Suites are really very different from the partitas and probably the English Suites too.

[milk]

One reason I like it is that it’s very small scale, both in terms of sound and in terms of conception - I mean there’s a simplicity and modesty and lightness about what he does. That seems to me to work better in this music than something which makes them sound grand. In this respect at least, I think the French Suites are really very different from the partitas and probably the English Suites too.

I do agree with this sentiment. I haven't listened to Van Asperen in a while but I feel that is an intimate performance (and instrument). And the Videla, which I think you recommended, has this quality. 

[milk]

Who is she? I don't know but the playing is convincing. The broken chord thing? Nice sense of the idiom, rubato, some ornaments but not out of place...