The Organ, Master of them all - general organ thread

Started by Harry, January 08, 2008, 01:08:57 AM

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Marc

Quote from: Mandryka on December 28, 2017, 05:51:36 AM
Very pleasant recital, very pleasant organ, very pleasant music. I mean the Leiden one)

[...]

Unfortunately Theo Visser had to retire earlier this year due to the lasting effects of a cerebral infarction.

Mandryka

#541
You MUST get the Leiden recording Premont, I've played it twice today. You can download it here in the UK, but if they won't let you do it in Denmark let me know and I'll get it for you.

https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/leiden-netherlands-hooglandse-kerk-various-artists/8716758003331

The Jean Pierre Lecot CD seemed heavy to me, there's a lot of singing and I didn't think the  voice was appealing. In the Sweelinck Balletto he does something I've never heard before - at the end he makes the sound of a drum beating the pulse more or less, I don't know if it's his feet, a drummer, or some sort of special stop.

(Having said that, he's very good in the du Caurroy.)
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Mandryka

Quote from: Marc on December 28, 2017, 08:26:51 AM
Unfortunately Theo Visser had to retire earlier this year due to the lasting effects of a cerebral infarction.

Thanks for letting me know that, I was wondering why there was no more on record from him.

Carpe Diem I say!
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Marc

Quote from: Mandryka on December 28, 2017, 08:33:36 AM
Thanks for letting me know that, I was wondering why there was no more on record from him.

I think there are dozens (and dozens more ;)) of good organists who do not make any record at all.
Just doing their duty during services, teaching, giving concerts.

Quote from: Mandryka on December 28, 2017, 08:33:36 AM
Carpe Diem I say!

That's right.
(Sitting on my fat ass and listening to music all day. 8))

premont

Quote from: Mandryka on December 28, 2017, 08:32:23 AM
You MUST get the Leiden recording Premont, I've played it twice today. You can download it here in the UK, but if they won't let you do it in Denmark let me know and I'll get it for you.

https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/leiden-netherlands-hooglandse-kerk-various-artists/8716758003331

Qobuz has sent me a general notification, that the service is unavailable in Denmark.
So I am unable to use it.

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bioluminescentsquid

#545
Quote from: Mandryka on December 28, 2017, 08:32:23 AM
The Jean Pierre Lecot CD seemed heavy to me, there's a lot of singing and I didn't think the  voice was appealing. In the Sweelinck Balletto he does something I've never heard before - at the end he makes the sound of a drum beating the pulse more or less, I don't know if it's his feet, a drummer, or some sort of special stop.

(Having said that, he's very good in the du Caurroy.)

I'm guessing it's the wooden chompers that de Vries uses in the latter part of his improvisation I linked?
I mean these bad guys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rIBHK7McF0

bioluminescentsquid

Quote from: Que on December 27, 2017, 12:11:18 AM
Eyeing this new issue:



Q

Found the acoustic (?) to make the playing sound a bit gauche. But otherwise it's a mighty fine organ.
source: samples on Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/aeolus-music/sets/johann-gottfried-muthel-complete-fantasies-choral-preludes

bioluminescentsquid


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvhcK2TLTPM
Louis Couperin's organ music has been terra incognita for me (as for most French Baroque organ music), and I hope that this recording remedies that. It's on my ipod so I can familiarize myself with it, and I've already made my first runthrough. Haven't noticed many things though.
For those familiar, anything to look for, or opinions on the recording?
Nice Flemish instrument, lightweight but delivers.

Mandryka

#548
I don't enjoy that one as much as Beyhurst or Jansen in Louis Couperin I'm afraid. It may be a reflection of the choice of the music that Dirksen makes, the organ seems a bit uncharacterful (how much of it is old? ) and the performances are a bit inexpressive if I remember right. But if you notice anything remarkable about it let me know and I'll happily give it another shot.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Mandryka

Quote from: bioluminescentsquid on December 28, 2017, 11:18:01 AM
I'm guessing it's the wooden chompers that de Vries uses in the latter part of his improvisation I linked?
I mean these bad guys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rIBHK7McF0

Lol, it's the sort of thing which may come off better in the church where you can see it than on a CD where you can't!
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

bioluminescentsquid

#550
Quote from: Mandryka on December 28, 2017, 10:55:07 PM
I don't enjoy that one as much as Beyhurst or Jansen in Louis Couperin I'm afraid. It may be a reflection of the choice of the music that Dirksen makes, the organ seems a bit uncharacterful (how much of it is old? ) and the performances are a bit inexpressive if I remember right. But if you notice anything remarkable about it let me know and I'll happily give it another shot.
You're right, I looked up the stoplist and only most of the Hauptwerk is original. And indeed a bit of a generic Frenchy organ sound, although I'll admit that I've heard so little French organ music that most of the organs sound the same (unlike Dutch or Northern Germans, where lots of times I can tell the instrument just by hearing it).
I can't claim to have more insights than you (this is my 2nd run) but I have a gut feeling that Dirksen is playing L. Couperin like it's Sweelinck. I'll compare it with his playing in the Glossa/NM Sweelinck later.
But I don't dislike his playing, it's a good contrast to all the extravagant harpsichord performances a la Skip Sempe.

Now, I can't find anything about Beyhurst or Jansen. (although I do know Jan Jansen - is he the one you mean - through a middling Clavier Ubung and a potentially good Trio sonatas) Which recordings are you referring to?

Que



Organ: Saint-Michel-en-Thiérache, France 

I believe it's on Spotify, iTunes, etc....

Mandryka

#552
Quote from: bioluminescentsquid on December 29, 2017, 03:06:09 AM
You're right, I looked up the stoplist and only most of the Hauptwerk is original. And indeed a bit of a generic Frenchy organ sound, although I'll admit that I've heard so little French organ music that most of the organs sound the same (unlike Dutch or Northern Germans, where lots of times I can tell the instrument just by hearing it).
I can't claim to have more insights than you (this is my 2nd run) but I have a gut feeling that Dirksen is playing L. Couperin like it's Sweelinck. I'll compare it with his playing in the Glossa/NM Sweelinck later.
But I don't dislike his playing, it's a good contrast to all the extravagant harpsichord performances a la Skip Sempe.

Now, I can't find anything about Beyhurst or Jansen. (although I do know Jan Jansen - is he the one you mean - through a middling Clavier Ubung and a potentially good Trio sonatas) Which recordings are you referring to?

   

Both may be hard to find, I don't know, let me know if you want them.

There's a debate about whether this music is by Louis Couperin, Glen wilson thinks it isn't, I once saw something Davitt Moroney wrote where he said that there's more secure  evidence that the organ music is by LC than there is that the harpsichord music is by LC!
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Marc

Quote from: bioluminescentsquid on December 29, 2017, 03:06:09 AM
[...]

Now, I can't find anything about Beyhurst or Jansen. (although I do know Jan Jansen - is he the one you mean - through a middling Clavier Ubung and a potentially good Trio sonatas) [...]

Jan Jansen (father of violinist Janine Jansen) is the former organist of the Domkerk, Utrecht, NL.

AFAIK, he's not related to Jan Willem Jansen. The latter was a pupil of a.o. Wim van Beek and Ton Koopman. Since already the 1980s, Jansen has been working in Toulouse. I heard him once at a recital in the Martinikerk of Groningen, NL, playing a Renaissance/Early Baroque programme, and I thought he was very good. I guess his Couperin is worth checking out.

bioluminescentsquid

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

Franz Tunder's "In dich hab ich gehoffet, Herr" played by Cor de Jong on the organ of the Leiden Pieterskerk. Brisk, but breathtaking playing, love how he starts with the chorale, amazing contrast between the ruckpositiv plenum and the vox humana. Reminds me of Wolfram Syre's Tunder (which I've grown to love).

Mandryka

#555
Thanks for that. What a noisy organ! i think that's a brilliant, rapid, virtuosic and incisive performance. I love the way he makes the transitions so natural - I especially love the way he makes Tunder's music leap out of the hymn at the start!

I just discovered this Buxtehude/Hasse/Tunder CD on a Stellwagen organ. I'll listen to it properly later today.



Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Marc

And now for something completely different...



Organ works of Puccini (sonatas, marches, waltzes), played by Liuwe Tamminga.

Been listening this morning, and it's good fun!

bioluminescentsquid

#557
Quote from: Mandryka on December 30, 2017, 10:07:36 PM
Thanks for that. What a noisy organ! i think that's a brilliant, rapid, virtuosic and incisive performance. I love the way he makes the transitions so natural - I especially love the way he makes Tunder's music leap out of the hymn at the start!

I just discovered this Buxtehude/Hasse/Tunder CD on a Stellwagen organ. I'll listen to it properly later today.



It seems like old tracker organs in general are very clickety-clackety. I heard a concert on this organ last summer played by Erwin Wiersinga and was very impressed.
Another fleet-footed Sweelinck Poolse dans on the organ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zNUeFvRv6E
His playing's very Koopmanesque, in a way. I'd like to know what Koopman playing Tunder would sound like.

Have you seen Tomita Kazuki's videos of him playing on the Stellwagen organ? I think they're the finest playing on the Stellwagen organ I know, excluding possibly Jeremy Joseph's or Sietze de Vries' recordings that I haven't heard. (Harald Vogel's Buxtehude on it doesn't do anything for me, surprisingly, although I haven't really seriously listened to it) Also very well recorded; I think it's a very hard organ to record and was surprised how differently the real thing sounded from recordings when I heard it also last summer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bpoSRdCCuw

By the way, how do you think of Kraft's Totentanzorgel recordings on SS? I think they're remarkable, all the mysticism without the kitschy (incorrect expression?) neo-baroque registrations that he uses on later recordings.

premont

Quote from: bioluminescentsquidl.. the finest playing on the Stellwagen organ I know, excluding possibly Jeremy Joseph's or Sietze de Vries' recordings that I haven't heard.

Would you mind to provide a link (or two) ?

Quote from: bioluminescentsquid
By the way, how do you think of Kraft's Totentanzorgel recordings on SS? I think they're remarkable, all the mysticism without the kitschy (incorrect expression?) neo-baroque registrations that he uses on later recordings.

What is SS?

And which recordings do you consider later? The ones he made on the great new Kemper main organ around 1970?
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premont

Concerning the Stellwagen organ Sct Jacobi Lübeck these recordings are worth considering:

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Die-Orgeln-in-St-Jakobi-L%FCbeck/hnum/7341353

https://www.amazon.de/Orgelwerke-St-Jakobi-Lübeck-Armin-Schoof/dp/B000028BTS/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1514804333&sr=1-2&keywords=armin+schoof


And also Walcha's Bach recordings (Archiv 1947) even if they were made before the restoring of the organ by the Hillebrand brothers in 1978.

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