Buxtehude organ works

Started by Shrunk, October 10, 2007, 05:19:46 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

premont

Quote from: Marc on June 06, 2012, 10:31:46 AM
Now listening to:


I acquired vol. one some months ago, and despite the interesting organ project I found Davisson´s playing a bit lethargic and lacking in musical tension, which is so vital for the choral-free works. So I have not acquired vol. two nor three. A second listening is planned.
γνῶθι σεαυτόν

Marc

Yes, so far Davidsson is not interfering in my favourite Bux organ integrals faves (Vogel [severe] and Spang-Hanssen [flexible HIP-py]). But I do consider him a solid interpreter. And the Göteborg organ is a nice sounding modern baroque instrument. So, in the end, I'm very happy with this purchase. :)

Marc

Now listening to this live recital from 1982 ....



.... and getting very nervous. If I'm not mistaken, Lena Jacobson was/is considered quite authorative when baroque rhetorics are concerned, but her style of playing is utterly confusing to me. She's almost making me believe that Buxtehude suffered from schizophrenia and was not able to complete even just one musical thought.

:(

The Huss/Schnitger organ (of the Sankt Cosmae Kirche in Stade) is a beautiful instrument though.

premont

Quote from: Marc on October 30, 2012, 12:07:57 PM
Now listening to this live recital from 1982 ....



.... and getting very nervous. If I'm not mistaken, Lena Jacobson was/is considered quite authorative when baroque rhetorics are concerned, but her style of playing is utterly confusing to me. She's almost making me believe that Buxtehude suffered from schizophrenia and was not able to complete even just one musical thought.

Lena Jacobson is still very active:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=lena+jacobson&oq=lena+jacobson&gs_l=youtube-reduced.12..0.2749.6450.0.11863.13.10.0.3.3.0.181.1219.3j7.10.0...0.0...1ac.1.3gdzsagobno

Well, I think this recording reveals some interesting ideas about agogics on her part, even if she overstates the point. Her added conclusion to the g-minor prelude is shocking effective, whether you like it or not.
Wolfgang Rübsam´s  Buxtehude recordings from the early 1980es are in between "marred" with some similar agogics, if a little less exaggerated, e.g. in the Choral fantasia Nun freut euch, lieben Christen g´mein.

I suppose you have read Rodrigo de Sá ´s review at Amazon.com:

"Lena Jacobson does not play Buxtehude - she uses his scores as a bases for an improvisation.

The scores are used as if they were rhythmically blank - like the Preludes Non Mesures of the harpsichord French School. In one of the g minor preludes she adds an ending, when I think it is completely spurious: the final chords and pedal upward movement are final and anything added just spoils the music.

I am not exaggerating one bit: the notes are there, the rhythm is not, and the rubato is so exaggerated as to transform a crotchet into a medieval brevis. All the rest comes afterwards, regardless of note values, as small note values.

It is almost unbelievable.

If you want to listen to Jacobson rather than Buxtehude, this is your chance."
γνῶθι σεαυτόν

Que

Quote from: (: premont :) on October 30, 2012, 12:59:58 PM
The scores are used as if they were rhythmically blank - like the Preludes Non Mesures of the harpsichord French School. In one of the g minor preludes she adds an ending, when I think it is completely spurious: the final chords and pedal upward movement are final and anything added just spoils the music.

I am not exaggerating one bit: the notes are there, the rhythm is not, and the rubato is so exaggerated as to transform a crotchet into a medieval brevis. All the rest comes afterwards, regardless of note values, as small note values.

It is almost unbelievable.

If you want to listen to Jacobson rather than Buxtehude, this is your chance."[/i]

RUN! :o :o

premont

Quote from: Que on October 30, 2012, 01:02:38 PM
RUN! :o :o

Well, I do not agree completely with the review I quoted. Listen to some of her playing on you tube and judge for yourself.
γνῶθι σεαυτόν

Marc

Quote from: (: premont :) on October 30, 2012, 12:59:58 PM
Lena Jacobson is still very active:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=lena+jacobson&oq=lena+jacobson&gs_l=youtube-reduced.12..0.2749.6450.0.11863.13.10.0.3.3.0.181.1219.3j7.10.0...0.0...1ac.1.3gdzsagobno

Well, I think this recording reveals some interesting ideas about agogics on her part, even if she overstates the point. Her added conclusion to the g-minor prelude is shocking effective, whether you like it or not.
Wolfgang Rübsam´s  Buxtehude recordings from the early 1980es are in between "marred" with some similar agogics, if a little less exaggerated, e.g. in the Choral fantasia Nun freut euch, lieben Christen g´mein.

I suppose you have read Rodrigo de Sá ´s review at Amazon.com:

"Lena Jacobson does not play Buxtehude - she uses his scores as a bases for an improvisation.

The scores are used as if they were rhythmically blank - like the Preludes Non Mesures of the harpsichord French School. In one of the g minor preludes she adds an ending, when I think it is completely spurious: the final chords and pedal upward movement are final and anything added just spoils the music.

I am not exaggerating one bit: the notes are there, the rhythm is not, and the rubato is so exaggerated as to transform a crotchet into a medieval brevis. All the rest comes afterwards, regardless of note values, as small note values.

It is almost unbelievable.

If you want to listen to Jacobson rather than Buxtehude, this is your chance."


Rodrigo .... that's a familiar name. ;)

Well, I certainly understand his opinion, but I don't agree about the improvisation part. IMO, Jacobson's playing is far too 'studied' and not sounding as spontaneous as improvisations should be.

Of course, it's interesting to take notice of these interpretations, but, whilst listening, I lost each and every view of the architecture of the pieces. You mentioned Rübsam's early Buxtehude recordings, which I do not know, but indeed I thought about him because of some similarities with his Bach Naxos cycle, but, compared to Jacobson, Rübsam doesn't really ruin the continuity that much. I learned to appreciate his (Naxos) Bach, yet I doubt if I will be able to do so with Jacobson's Buxtehude.

But let's not give up hope yet. :)

Mandryka

#167


Lena Jacobson recorded a toccata and a couple of canzonas on this CD. The performances really made me style -- there's comedy there. The jumpy breathless staccato in one of the voices  in 167, and the irreverential energy of 164. I especially like the contrasting articulation of the opening subject and the other voices in 167.  Is that what she was about d you think? Buxtehude party style. This makes me even keener to read her paper on Buxtehude's rhetoric, but I can't get hold of it.

Why did Buxtehude compose this music?  I mean, when would it have been used?

By the way, I'm listening on spotify where they attribute a CPE Bach sonata to her. That's a mistake, right? Sure doesn't sound like her, my guess is it must be Hans Fagius.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Richard

Does anyone have experience with Bryndorf's traversal through the Buxtehude Organ catalogue?

[asin]B017UBR61W[/asin]
"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." — Berthold Auerbach

Karl Henning

Quote from: Richard on January 12, 2016, 04:10:28 AM
Does anyone have experience with Bryndorf's traversal through the Buxtehude Organ catalogue?

[asin]B017UBR61W[/asin]

Rather odd that Amazon files this thus:

QuoteCDs & Vinyl  ›  New Age  ›  Instrumental
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

kishnevi

This was posted on the "Considering" thread, without response, by Richard.
I am also curious about it.  Anyone ready to give an opinion?
[asin]B017UBR61W[/asin]

kishnevi

Quote from: Richard on January 12, 2016, 04:10:28 AM
Does anyone have experience with Bryndorf's traversal through the Buxtehude Organ catalogue?

[asin]B017UBR61W[/asin]

Bump.
Anyone out there?  (I too am interested in this one.)

premont

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on January 15, 2016, 03:58:42 PM
Bump.
Anyone out there?  (I too am interested in this one.)

She is reliable, solid but not stodgy, a bit safe in the approach. Interesting organs. Recorded sound very good.

Not my first choice though but maybe no. 4 (after Vogel, Kraft and Spang-Hanssen).
γνῶθι σεαυτόν

Wakefield

Quote from: (: premont :) on January 16, 2016, 12:40:40 PM
She is reliable, solid but not stodgy, a bit safe in the approach. Interesting organs. Recorded sound very good.

Not my first choice though but maybe no. 4 (after Vogel, Kraft and Spang-Hanssen).

Exactly my mental order of these recordings, although sometimes Spang-Hanssen is tied to Kraft. I have considered the Vernet's integral several times, but it's still pending.
"One of the greatest misfortunes of honest people is that they are cowards. They complain, keep quiet, dine and forget."
-- Voltaire

premont

#174
Quote from: Gordo on January 16, 2016, 01:52:25 PM
Exactly my mental order of these recordings, although sometimes Spang-Hanssen is tied to Kraft. I have considered the Vernet's integral several times, but it's still pending.

The same with me, incidentally (Kraft/Spang-Hanssen).

Unless you are a hardcore Vernet completist (yes - I agree, that his Bach integral asks for more), I would consider at least Saorgin, Herrick, Davidsson, Ablitzer and Bryndorf (this time the order is casual) before Vernet.
γνῶθι σεαυτόν

Wakefield

Quote from: (: premont :) on January 16, 2016, 03:25:16 PM
Unless you are a hardcore Vernet completist (yes - I agree, that his Bach integral asks for more), I would consider at least Saorgin, Herrick, Davidsson, Ablitzer and Bryndorf (this time the order is casual) before Vernet.

It's good to know. For some reason those disks devoted to Buxtehude aren't available through streaming or via YouTube; but on the basis of his other disks (particularly his Bach, Mendelssohn and Schumann), I thought they could be interesting...

Random question: I have seen a single disk by Stockmeier, do you know  how much Buxtehude he recorded?
 
"One of the greatest misfortunes of honest people is that they are cowards. They complain, keep quiet, dine and forget."
-- Voltaire

Sammy

Quote from: (: premont :) on January 16, 2016, 12:40:40 PM
She is reliable, solid but not stodgy, a bit safe in the approach. Interesting organs. Recorded sound very good.

I'll just add that Bryndorf's performances are quite majestic and celebratory; those who prefer a solemn approach to the chorales are advised to look elsewhere.

Mandryka

Quote from: Sammy on January 16, 2016, 07:57:27 PM
I'll just add that Bryndorf's performances are quite majestic and celebratory; those who prefer a solemn approach to the chorales are advised to look elsewhere.

I prefer a more solemn approach to the preludes too! Gordo mentioned Davidsson's a couple of weeks ago and I've been really enjoying all of it.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

premont

Quote from: Gordo on January 16, 2016, 07:40:54 PM
Random question: I have seen a single disk by Stockmeier, do you know  how much Buxtehude he recorded?

A propos Wolfgang Stockmeier, he died 11.12.2015, aged 83.

RIP.

Where did you see the BuxtehudeCD? I have never come across a BuxtehudeCD by him, and it is not mentioned in this obituary;

http://www.godsjukebox.com/Rest_In_Peace/wolfgang-stockmeier-organ-buxtehude-prelude-and-fugue-in-e-minor-buxwv-142/

But there is on YouTube this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oayTmmL9xJc
γνῶθι σεαυτόν

Wakefield

Quote from: (: premont :) on January 17, 2016, 03:24:35 AM
A propos Wolfgang Stockmeier, he died 11.12.2015, aged 83.

RIP.

Where did you see the BuxtehudeCD? I have never come across a BuxtehudeCD by him, and it is not mentioned in this obituary;

http://www.godsjukebox.com/Rest_In_Peace/wolfgang-stockmeier-organ-buxtehude-prelude-and-fugue-in-e-minor-buxwv-142/

But there is on YouTube this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oayTmmL9xJc

2015 had still saved a sad news. He is/was one of the less self-centred organists that I have listened to play Bach music. May his soul rest in peace.

About Buxtehude: it was just a mistake of mine. Seeing that utterly clean interpretation on YouTube, I thought it came from a commercial recording.   
"One of the greatest misfortunes of honest people is that they are cowards. They complain, keep quiet, dine and forget."
-- Voltaire