Buxtehude organ works

[FideLeo]

Yes, but that's not a problem. Crappy sound is.

Maybe you should actually listen to either Walcha box before claiming
how "crappy" the sound is.  The mono box in the Original Masters series
has beautiful remastered sound, for example. 

[prémont]

Maybe you should actually listen to either Walcha box before claiming
how "crappy" the sound is.  The mono box in the Original Masters series
has beautiful remastered sound, for example. 

Yes, and even the Membran release of the mono set has got a very serviceable sound for about 11 Euros for the whole set (10 CDs).

Link:
http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/hnum/6348063?rk=classic&rsk=hitlist

[FideLeo]

Yes, and even the Membran release of the mono set has got a very serviceable sound for about 11 Euros for the whole set (10 CDs).

Link:
http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/hnum/6348063?rk=classic&rsk=hitlist

Is the Membran release identical to the DG Archiv one? (i.e. same remastering) 

[71 dB]

Maybe you should actually listen to either Walcha box before claiming
how "crappy" the sound is.  The mono box in the Original Masters series
has beautiful remastered sound, for example. 

Yeah, I should but mono sound does not serve the spacious church acoustics. 

[FideLeo]

Yeah, I should but mono sound does not serve the spacious church acoustics. 

So you think.  The acoustics was captured alright, believe it or not.

[71 dB]

So you think.  The acoustics was captured alright, believe it or not.

I believe it's good in monophonic sense. 2D picture can be good in 2D sense but it's not the same as 3D picture. Acoustics is much more than just the reverberation time.

[FideLeo]

I believe it's good in monophonic sense. 2D picture can be good in 2D sense but it's not the same as 3D picture. Acoustics is much more than just the reverberation time.

So it is not crappy as you alleged - what now?   

[71 dB]

So it is not crappy as you alleged - what now?   

I don't care what it is. My Buxtehude and Bach discs are not played by Walcha.

[FideLeo]

My Buxtehude and Bach discs are not played by Walcha.

Like we didn't know that... 

[prémont]

Is the Membran release identical to the DG Archiv one? (i.e. same remastering) 

It isn´t stated anywhere on the sleeves, that the Membran release is licenced from DG, and I think Membran had to use the original LPs as source material. However these old LPs had got very good sound - I own some of them - , and Membran´s release has accordingly got a rather decent sound. The main difference (compared to the Archiv CD release) is, that the Membran release  -as far as I can hear - has a very discrete added ambience, and this is not that bad, since the original recordings were very "dry" , especially the Cappel recordings, which were recorded on a relative big organ with close miking in a small church almost without reverberence. In this way both releases have got their virtues, but if you ask me, I prefer the Archiv release. But the Membran release is certainly good value for money.

[FideLeo]

Thank you, dear Premont, for answering my questions based on actual experiences.   Walcha's Bach is not to everybody's liking for sure, but it certainly is unique.  The Schnitger organ in Cappel is less than a perfect match but it appears that the instrument was orginally implemented and housed in a larger space elsewhere before moved to Cappel. The DG Archiv set even includes some demonstrative passages played by Walcha.  Andreas Holschneider's notes on Walcha's Bach recordings

On a separate note, Lorenzo Ghielmi, whose recording of Bach and Brahms I just obtained, made a (complete) Nikolaus Bruhns album also.  Since I adore his Bach performances (haven't heard the Brahms yet), I may well pick it up if I see a lower price advertised.

[prémont]

The DG Archiv set even includes some demonstrative passages played by Walcha.  Andreas Holschneider's notes on Walcha's Bach recordings

Yes, this was originally released by Archiv on a 45RPM EP.  The speaker is Walchas wife Ursula.

On a separate note, Lorenzo Ghielmi, whose recording of Bach and Brahms I just obtained, made a (complete) Nikolaus Bruhns album also.  Since I adore his Bach performances (haven't heard the Brahms yet), I may well pick it up if I see a lower price advertised.

Even I am a fan of Lorenzo Ghielmis Bach. Don´t know the Bach/Brahms CD, but he made a few Bach-recordings for DHM and and Ars Musici. His Bruhns CD didn´t impress me much at first hearing. I shall listen to it again soon. I contains as a filler the beautiful but seldom recorded Præludium in e-minor by Brunckhorst. Ghielmi also made an interesting CD of Bachs harpsichord/viola da gamba sonatas for Ars Musici with his brother Vittorio Ghielmi, Lorenzo Ghielmi playing the fortepiano. And we should not forget the (midprice)rerelease by DHM of his recording of Fiori Musicali by Frescobaldi.

[FideLeo]

And we should not forget the (midprice)rerelease by DHM of his recording of Fiori Musicali by Frescobaldi.

The above words marked - Ghielmi seems to have made his fame first as a Frescobaldi specialist. 

[prémont]

Concerning the Naxos set of Buxtehudes organ works:

I just listened to the recently released Vol VI played by Julia Brown. She is a pupil of Wolfgang Rübsam, and she has now adopted his playing style even more than in the earlier volumes, and the result is rather impressive. The modern American organ is very much built in Northern German baroque style, and the recording and producing (by Rübsam) is first class. For the first time I don´t miss Rübsam himself at the keyboard in this series.

[prémont]

The above words marked - Ghielmi seems to have made his fame first as a Frescobaldi specialist. 

Yes, warmly recommended for purchase, if you don´t own it already.

[Harry]

On the German quality label NCA the complete organ works on for only 7 euro's.
A bargain.......

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/hnum/3907704

[71 dB]

Insane bargain! 

Thanks for the tip Harry!

[Harry]

Your welcome my friend.

[prémont]

On the German quality label NCA the complete organ works on for only 7 euro's.
A bargain.......

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/hnum/3907704

Having owned this recording since its first release more than ten years ago, I can only recommend it. It deserves to get better known. Yhe organist Ulrik Spang-Hanssen is a great virtuoso, and the interpretation is brilliant extrovert when needed and reflective when needed. He uses some restored baroque organs and some modern organs. 

I wrote this about the set in the "recordings you are considering" thread:

For the matter of partial completeness we must mention the likewise Danish Ulrik Spang-Hanssen whose integral from the 1990es have been rereleased by Membran (bargain ca. 10 Euro for 6 CDs). He presents an authoritative and passionate interpretation upon different organs (Schnitger/Nordbrook and Norden,Raphaelis/Roskilde,some Aubertin-organs) and is IMO very well recorded.

[Harry]

Its a surprise for me, that so little people are interested in such a great bargain.
Blimey 7 euro's for 5 cd's, Buxtehude...........