The Organ, Master of them all - general organ thread

[Que]

This recording by Wolfram Syré on the label Motette is possibly the best sounding, best engineered, organ recording I've heard. I mean, there may be some SACDs but really this is pretty special!

I wonder if there are any other good things on Motette. Most of their stuff is later music than interests me, but I noticed one thing, a recording by Felix Friedrich in Vogtland.

Wolfram Syré is clearly an outstanding musician, and his website is chockablock with free recordings, but all on midi organs!

Thanks for that!  Definitely going to check that one out...

Good things on Motette...a superb organ music label indeed... 

Personal favourites:

[asin]B000028BTI[/asin]
[asin]B000025ZYI[/asin]
Q

[bioluminescentsquid]

It was Syré's Christ lag in Todesbanden which made my jaw drop to the floor, when the pedals come in it's like . . . so unbelievably grand and noble.  I like what Foccroulle does with it but I think at the end of the day he's too introverted. There's another thing, Syré handles the transitions more naturally. Basically Syré's Christ lag in Todesbanden is wicked.

I've gotten the recording (thank you!  ), and am listening to it.

First impressions of Christ lag
The registration is very interesting and he isn't afraid of plena, I've listened to ~6 versions of Christ lag (it's my favorite Tunder piece, aside from the cheeky Canzona!), but this one sounds much rawer and more primitive. I can imagine this being very authentic, especially on the large late-gothic organ that Tunder played. Almost reminds me of Hofhaimer's Salve Regina , perhaps. It's also much more forceful, and you're right Foccroulle lacks cojones when compared to this.

There's something about the articulation here that I love-hate - it's how it's so clear, and even doesn't hesitate to make some breaks as if taking a breath when singing a hymn. I think Wim Winters does that a bit in Bach's partitas.

The notorious chromatic part is marched through without any change in demeanor. Some, like van Laar, soften it with playfulness, or like Foccroulle or Flamme leaven it with a sense of sorrow.
But nope, Syre just plows through it with rather intimidating aplomb and stoicism.

This seems like cold, authoritarian Tunder, one that's never smiles - or errs. More barren tundra than Tunder, even. But I guess it's beautiful in how Brutalist architecture is beautiful.
I like it. Don't know where it places compared to Foccroulle (spotify is down now?!) but it's great in a radically different way. As you say, wicked, perhaps.

[Mandryka]

I've gotten the recording (thank you!  ), and am listening to it.

First impressions of Christ lag
The registration is very interesting and he isn't afraid of plena, I've listened to ~6 versions of Christ lag (it's my favorite Tunder piece, aside from the cheeky Canzona!), but this one sounds much rawer and more primitive. I can imagine this being very authentic, especially on the large late-gothic organ that Tunder played. Almost reminds me of Hofhaimer's Salve Regina , perhaps. It's also much more forceful, and you're right Foccroulle lacks cojones when compared to this.

There's something about the articulation here that I love-hate - it's how it's so clear, and even doesn't hesitate to make some breaks as if taking a breath when singing a hymn. I think Wim Winters does that a bit in Bach's partitas.

The notorious chromatic part is marched through without any change in demeanor. Some, like van Laar, soften it with playfulness, or like Foccroulle or Flamme leaven it with a sense of sorrow.
But nope, Syre just plows through it with rather intimidating aplomb and stoicism.

This seems like cold, authoritarian Tunder, one that's never smiles - or errs. More barren tundra than Tunder, even. But I guess it's beautiful in how Brutalist architecture is beautiful.
I like it. Don't know where it places compared to Foccroulle (spotify is down now?!) but it's great in a radically different way. As you say, wicked, perhaps.

Stoicism is a good word. I've grown to like the plenum approach, and like less the more colourful way of playing,

[PerfectWagnerite]

Has anyone heard this one? Dvorak's 9th arranged for Organ?

[Mandryka]

I've gotten the recording (thank you!  ), and am listening to it.

First impressions of Christ lag
The registration is very interesting and he isn't afraid of plena, I've listened to ~6 versions of Christ lag (it's my favorite Tunder piece, aside from the cheeky Canzona!), but this one sounds much rawer and more primitive. I can imagine this being very authentic, especially on the large late-gothic organ that Tunder played. Almost reminds me of Hofhaimer's Salve Regina , perhaps. It's also much more forceful, and you're right Foccroulle lacks cojones when compared to this.

There's something about the articulation here that I love-hate - it's how it's so clear, and even doesn't hesitate to make some breaks as if taking a breath when singing a hymn. I think Wim Winters does that a bit in Bach's partitas.

The notorious chromatic part is marched through without any change in demeanor. Some, like van Laar, soften it with playfulness, or like Foccroulle or Flamme leaven it with a sense of sorrow.
But nope, Syre just plows through it with rather intimidating aplomb and stoicism.

This seems like cold, authoritarian Tunder, one that's never smiles - or errs. More barren tundra than Tunder, even. But I guess it's beautiful in how Brutalist architecture is beautiful.
I like it. Don't know where it places compared to Foccroulle (spotify is down now?!) but it's great in a radically different way. As you say, wicked, perhaps.

Interesting also to compare what Flamme and Syré do with the massive Was komm uns kommen an fur not. They're like chalk and cheese, Syré static, Flamme dynamic. I shall dig out Ruiter - Feenstra later.

Flamme's organ is anachronistic unfortunately. I wonder why he chose it.

[kishnevi]

The last week or so I have been going through the Spang-Hanssen set of Buxtehude organ works, and a possibly silly question occurred to me.

When were those "freeform" organ works performed.  All those toccatas, preludes and preludiums, canzonas, pastorales and of course fugues:. Bach was not the only one to write such things.  But when were they played? As mood music while the congregation settled into the pews or left after service? Or while the clergy processed up and back? At little recitals during the week?

What function did they have?

[Marc]

The last week or so I have been going through the Spang-Hanssen set of Buxtehude organ works, and a possibly silly question occurred to me.

When were those "freeform" organ works performed.  All those toccatas, preludes and preludiums, canzonas, pastorales and of course fugues:. Bach was not the only one to write such things.  But when were they played? As mood music while the congregation settled into the pews or left after service? Or while the clergy processed up and back? At little recitals during the week?

What function did they have?

I think that the church (as a building) had a much broader (social) function in those days. Doors were almost always open, one could walk in to relax, talk with other people, make a (business) deal or two. The organist was sometimes there to accompany those social churgoers, and probably to astonish them from time to time, either with free works or with hymn-based stuff (and improvisation). In short: promenade concerts.
Apart from that, I guess that even then organists already organized organ concerts.

[Jo498]

Buxtehude's "Abendmusik" took place in church although they were basically concerts without a service. At such and similar occasions even long and elaborate pieces could be played.
Shorter Toccatas (or the like) could be played as "intrata" before the church service began and at the end. And while many festive occasions had even choral music (like Bach's cantatas for the inauguration of the new city council, "Ratswechselkantaten") I think that there were other festive services where one would not bother with a whole cantata but be happy about any additional splendour an organ could give to the occasion.
There are so many fairly big organs even in small towns and villages all over (northern/central) Europe. This was a considerable expense for the community, so I think they found many ways to make use of them.

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

What about the older generation of organists? It seems there is very little mention of these performers here. I realize they often played instruments that are not historically appropriate and had styles that are far removed from modern HIP mentality. Nevertheless, I enjoy some of their recordings a great deal

Thoughts and recommended recordings of:

Marcel Dupré (and his student Michael Murray)
Karl Richter
Anton Heiller
Albert Schweitzer
Pierre Cochereau

??

[Cato]

What about the older generation of organists? It seems there is very little mention of these performers here. I realize they often played instruments that are not historically appropriate and had styles that are far removed from modern HIP mentality. Nevertheless, I enjoy some of their recordings a great deal

Thoughts and recommended recordings of:

Marcel Dupré (and his student Michael Murray)
Karl Richter
Anton Heiller
Albert Schweitzer
Pierre Cochereau

??

Check out the Mercury Living Presence recordings of Marcel Dupre' !  He was no slouch as a composer either!

https://www.amazon.com/Marcel-Dupre-Remastered/dp/B0113A5ANW/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Michael Murray has some excellent recordings of the organ symphonies of Louis Vierne.

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Along with Dupre', the "go to" organist in the good ol' days (my good ol' days at least) was E. Powers Biggs !'

I found this recording from the good ol' days of QUADRAPHONIC STEREO!!!



Now on an SACD:

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Biggs-Rheinberger-Concertos-Orchestra/dp/B01N2126KT/ref=sr_1_15?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1501369014&sr=1-15&keywords=E.+Power+Biggs

[Mandryka]

Thoughts and recommended recordings of:

Pierre Cochereau

??

BWV 686, there used to be a really crazy over the top one on YouTube , here

https://www.youtube.com/v/EFw1QlCM35I

[Mandryka]

And anyone who can enjoy Cochereau's Aus Tiefer Not may well enjoy Virgil Fox's organ rendition of Stokowski's orchestral transcription of Komm süsser Tod on the Wanamaker in Macy's department store in Philadelphia.


https://www.youtube.com/v/Xje4OYalB5Q

[bioluminescentsquid]

I like baroque works played romantically 

Some Sweelinck in St. Suplice. (although a bit fast to be called romantic)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyhZaSso414

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

B@stard probably pours ketchup over his Boeuf Bourguignon 

Seriously, I love his videos; he looks as if he's having such a great time. (although so much talking through the music). I would like to get some of his CDs.

[Mandryka]

I like baroque works played romantically 

Some Sweelinck in St. Suplice. (although a bit fast to be called romantic)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyhZaSso414

You know I never realised that fantasy was based on a real hymn tune before, it's a revelation to hear it played with someone singing along like that. 

[bioluminescentsquid]

You know I never realised that fantasy was based on a real hymn tune before, it's a revelation to hear it played with someone singing along like that.

I didn't know about the hymm, which one? I thought it was simply the chromatic lament bass.

I've been playing this fantasia a lot lately (on the piano); at lots of places I'm tempted to hum along. It's indeed very sing-able. Easy to sightread, hard to play well.

Some Vincent Lubeck (!) on a Ladegast organ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewUgG8B2gbg
(Although I would say that the registration makes it sound more baroque than the organ is)

[Mandryka]

I didn't know about the hymm, which one? I thought it was simply the chromatic lament bass.

I just assumed it was a hymn, there's some bloke singing his head off at St Sulpice.

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

I know very little about the mechanisms of couplers, but is it possible to couple the upper octaves of a manual to a different manual, while leaving the lower octaves uncoupled--or vice versa? He only plays the lowest manual here, but the other manuals seem to replicate either upper or lower octave notes... Or does he have the pedals coupled to some manuals as well?

[bioluminescentsquid]

I know very little about the mechanisms of couplers, but is it possible to couple the upper octaves of a manual to a different manual, while leaving the lower octaves uncoupled--or vice versa? He only plays the lowest manual here, but the other manuals seem to replicate either upper or lower octave notes... Or does he have the pedals coupled to some manuals as well?

It looks like the pedal coupler.

I'm guessing that the Hymn was because it was played as part of a service? I would doubt that Sweelinck would compose on a Catholic hymn. Never mind, Sweelinck did write quite a few Catholic motets, and the Christmas tune "Een kindeken is ons geboren"

(Not quite related, but I read somewhere, I think in Glen Wilson's liner notes, that Sweelinck may have been a closeted Catholic like Bull and Byrd.)

[kishnevi]

Wikipedia says he wrote music for Calvinist, Lutheran and Catholic liturgies.

But I am skeptical that a man who spent over four decades as the musician of an important Calvinist church in Amsterdam was a secret Catholic. Catholics in the Netherlands were not quite as oppressed as those in England (like Bull and Byrd), and unlike their English brethren, would have had more opportunity to physically relocate to Catholic territory. And even if relocation was not an option, wouldn't he have at least found another way to make a living?