The Organ, Master of them all - general organ thread

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

OK, have been listening to some Mendelssohn organ music (Vater unser im Himmelreich) lately, and am now interested in a complete set (or outstanding individual CDs)...Thanks.

EDIT: Peter Hurford CD looks very interesting, given how much I like his Bach.

[Marc]

OK, have been listening to some Mendelssohn organ music (Vater unser im Himmelreich) lately, and am now interested in a complete set (or outstanding individual CDs)...Thanks.

EDIT: Peter Hurford CD looks very interesting, given how much I like his Bach.

I've got the 3CD-set of Vernet and I like it, even though it's been some time since I last listened to it.

http://www.olivier-vernet.com/fr/discography/felix-mendelssohn-integrale-de-loeuvre-pour-orgue-barenreiter/

https://www.amazon.com/lOeuvre-Pour-Orgue-Songe-mains/dp/B000P7VOY4/?tag=goodmusicguideco

[Mandryka]

OK, have been listening to some Mendelssohn organ music (Vater unser im Himmelreich) lately, and am now interested in a complete set (or outstanding individual CDs)...Thanks.

EDIT: Peter Hurford CD looks very interesting, given how much I like his Bach.

There is a  "great" organ recording with the Mendelssohn op 65 sonatas, it is magnificent. But it may not be possible to buy it any more. it is by Gerd Zacher and it includes the Brahms op 122 preludes, equally wonderful, bold and imaginative. The organ, by Karl Schuke in Essen, is magic, and the sound take puts you very convincingly in the body of the church, as it were. If you want I will let you have the files.

Gerd Zacher is a magnificent and creative organist, here, in Bach and in Schoenberg, Kagel and Ligeti.

[prémont]

Gerd Zacher is a magnificent and creative organist, here, in Bach and in Schoenberg, Kagel and Ligeti.

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerd_Zacher

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

Thanks. I can't find the Zacher anywhere on Amazon.com, but will try .de, .uk, and other sources later on. Among the available recordings, the Vernet looks good, and I would guess the Hurford is quite good as well (although it is far from complete). 

EDIT: Actually I tried different search terms and did find it available on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LC4DBY/sr=1-4/qid=1472494898/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1472494898&sr=1-4

[Mandryka]

I dug this CD out because I was interested in exploring Marc Antonio Cavazzoni, Cavazzoni père. I know Liuwe Tamminga's  recording dedicated to the composer, and that left me with the impression that his best work was transcriptions. But here on this extraordinary recording by Sergio Vartolo we have a glorious Ricercar, full of the chiaroscuro that Tamminga's  performances lacked.

Just one thing by MAC. The rest is much more baroque, and is played with intensity, colour, flamboyance. In Vartolo's hands what these ricercari are searching for is variety of affect.

As if that's not enough the organ, Dallam/Lanvellec, is special and rarely recorded as far as I know. I have only two other CDs which use it - English music by Hadrien Jourdin and Froberger by Davit Maroney, and according to France-orgue.fr that's the lot apart from a very rare recording of English music by Kenneth Gilbert - can anyone upload it for me?

[Mandryka]

As if that's not enough the organ, Dallam/Lanvellec, is special and rarely recorded as far as I know. I have only two other CDs which use it - English music by Hadrien Jourdin and Froberger by Davit Maroney, and according to France-orgue.fr that's the lot apart from a very rare recording of English music by Kenneth Gilbert - can anyone upload it for me?

Th Kenneth Gilbert English music CD at Lanvellec turns out to be cheaply and easily available from here

http://www.skolvreizh.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_images.tpl&product_id=23&category_id=10&vmcchk=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=3

My copy arrived today, and it is  well recorded, it comes with what looks like a well researched and passionate book on the organ (though that is just a superficial impression from browsing it)

[vandermolen]

I like Williamson's organ music:
[asin]B00J9SEWZ8[/asin]
There is a Naxos CD too.

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

These look promising:

[Mandryka]

These look promising:

I like vol 2, stylish modern organ, rare music and Payne's interpretations are good, sometimes more than good.

[prémont]

I like vol 2, stylish modern organ, rare music and Payne's interpretations are good, sometimes more than good.

Yes, vol. 2 contains nice programming and serviceable playing, but vol. 1 is rather forgettable IMO, in part due to weak programming. However Payne would never become my first choice in this music.

[Mandryka]

Yes, vol. 2 contains nice programming and serviceable playing, but vol. 1 is rather forgettable IMO, in part due to weak programming. However Payne would never become my first choice in this music.

In vol 1 the mass by Gaspard Corrette is not uninteresting I think, but Payne doesn't do it justice.

[Jo498]

Does anyone know if the Walcha "Orgelmeister vor Bach" 4-LP collection was ever on CD? There is a single anthology disc on eloquence but I have not seen any more.

Second question:
Recommend 5 Non-JS-Bach-Organ discs (or smallish anthologies, no huge boxes) you consider essential even for people only moderately into organ music!

[Marc]

Does anyone know if the Walcha "Orgelmeister vor Bach" 4-LP collection was ever on CD? There is a single anthology disc on eloquence but I have not seen any more.

I've never seen the entire set being reissued.
There once was a 'Buxtehude only' in the DG Galleria series, (probably) also taken from that boxset.



https://www.amazon.com/Buxtehude-Organ-Works-Helmut-Walcha/dp/B00000E4C6/?tag=goodmusicguideco

[Jo498]

Yes, I saw the Buxtehude disc as well but forgot to mention it. The original anthology seems to have roughly two LPs Buxtehude, two LPs for the rest. The eloquence CD could probably have contained all the rest if they had not included several pieces by Buxtehude. Of course, it is natural to include some Buxtehude as he is the most famous of the bunch but OTOH his music is also far better covered than Boehm, Bruhns, Lübeck etc.

[asin]B00005ND7E[/asin]

LP set on amazon.de: ASIN B00695DUFM

[Marc]

[...]
Recommend 5 Non-JS-Bach-Organ discs (or smallish anthologies, no huge boxes) you consider essential even for people only moderately into organ music!

I hope this one counts as a 'smallish anthology'... it's a great collection (6 discs) of historic organs in Spain, France, Italy and Germany, with pieces of f.i. Cabanilles, Sweelinck, Scheidemann, Muffat, Couperin, Frescobaldi, Pachelbel and Bruhns. Organists are Francis Chapelet, Michel Chapuis, René Saorgin and Helmut Winter.



http://www.harmoniamundi.com/#!/albums/1120

And, for a winter's day, this one is perfectly well suited:



Jacques van Oortmerssen playing Brahms.

https://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Complete-Setterquist-Kristine-Church/dp/B0000016GD/?tag=goodmusicguideco

[kishnevi]

Does anyone know if the Walcha "Orgelmeister vor Bach" 4-LP collection was ever on CD? There is a single anthology disc on eloquence but I have not seen any more.

Second question:
Recommend 5 Non-JS-Bach-Organ discs (or smallish anthologies, no huge boxes) you consider essential even for people only moderately into organ music!

It was included (3 CDs, I think the entirety of the four LPs) in this
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Of course, that's a solution only if you want at least some of the other stuff in that box (and of course, no liner notes).

[Mandryka]

Second question:
Recommend 5 Non-JS-Bach-Organ discs (or smallish anthologies, no huge boxes) you consider essential even for people only moderately into organ music!

The box with 5 organ CDs played by Leonhardt; Alessandrini's 150 years of Italian Music; Payne's 2 CDs for VOX of music from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book; The box of organ music from the New world with Norbert Broggini and others;  The Sweelinck box on NM.

[prémont]

It was included (3 CDs, I think the entirety of the four LPs) in this
Of course, that's a solution only if you want at least some of the other stuff in that box (and of course, no liner notes).

And this is why I have passed it by.

Another solution is to digitize the Walcha LPs. I have done this.

[prémont]

The box with 5 organ CDs played by Leonhardt; Alessandrini's 150 years of Italian Music; Payne's 2 CDs for VOX of music from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book; The box of organ music from the New world with Norbert Broggini and others;  The Sweelinck box on NM.

There is a substantial part of harpsichord music in most of these boxes, though,

The box of organ music from the New world with Norbert Broggini and others;

Which box do you think of? I only know one individual CD with Norbert Broggini.