The Organ, Master of them all - general organ thread

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

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XB-70 Valkyrie

Was just listening to some Purcell anthems today and realized I have virtually no English organ music.  :o  Spanish organ music has always put me off a bit because much of what I've heard seems a bit bombastic and I'm not a huge fan of the brass stops. Anyway, are there any good sets of English or Spanish organ music to be recommended to the curious listener (who loves the 22 CD French set with Marie-Claire Alain)?
If you really dislike Bach you keep quiet about it! - Andras Schiff

Mandryka

#601
Well I mentioned Kenneth Gilbert's recording at Lanvellec to you before. In addition you may want to try to hear Christopher Stembridge's CD called Wondrous Machine. Another one to explore is Ton Koopman's recording from Addington Hall, and Colin Tilney at Knoll. For Blow specifically, I like Timothy Robert's CD. Leonhardt recorded quite a lot of Purcell and Blow - later in his career there's some Blow at the Dom Bedos in Bordeaux and earlier there's a whole CD dedicated to these two composers. A more old fashioned style, but nevertheless one I find very rewarding, is Thurston Dart's recording of English organ music.
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premont

Quote from: Mandryka on January 21, 2018, 07:58:34 AM


CPO's second installment of their complete Pachelbel contains something I've never come across before, some "psalmlieder" played by James David Christie, they're a sort of fantasy based on a psalm I suppose   -- am I wrong to think that no one else has recorded this music? Anyway here they are, and one of them at least is interesting enough (psalm 124 for example, a big set of variations on psalm 130 too, which I bet could be made very attractive.)  I can't find anything on the organ online either, and for some reason I can't download the booklet to see if there is a mention of them.

In the index of the booklet the different arrangements of Lutheranian chorales are grouped according to the words of the Psalmes , e.g. Psalm 103: Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren or Psalm 137: An Wasserflüssen Babylon. In this way the words of the Lutheranian hymn refer to the respective Psalm in the Bible (Old Testament), the former being a paraphrase of the latter.
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Mandryka

#603
Quote from: (: premont :) on January 22, 2018, 01:15:48 PM
In the index of the booklet the different arrangements of Lutheranian chorales are grouped according to the words of the Psalmes , e.g. Psalm 103: Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren or Psalm 137: An Wasserflüssen Babylon. In this way the words of the Lutheranian hymn refer to the respective Psalm in the Bible (Old Testament), the former being a paraphrase of the latter.

The organ sound is a bit lightweight in some of those psalmlieder  - this maybe be Christie's approach, or it may be a consequence of the organ. I think a bit more depth and power would have sounded good  in Psalm 124 / 3 for example. The music reminds me a bit of Scheidt - "Da Jesu an dem Kreuze stund" for example.

Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Mandryka

#604
I've just found out that Michel Chapuis died in November last year. I have just one recording by him which I cherish, with music by Dumage and Clerambault, and I like his Boyvin too. I vaguely recall there was someone who posted here saying how much they loved his Bach, I can't remember who. I did recently listen to some of his Leipzig Chorales and remember thinking how secular it seemed, and that in itself makes it an interesting reflection of the spirit of his times in Paris maybe. This is, after all, the 50th anniversary year of May '68!
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

premont

Quote from: Mandryka on February 03, 2018, 09:29:36 AM
I've just found out that Michel Chapuis died in November last year. I have just one recording by him which I cherish, with music by Dumage and Clerambault, and I like his Boyvin too. I vaguely recall there was someone who posted here saying how much they loved his Bach, I can't remember who. I did recently listen to some of his Leipzig Chorales and remember thinking how secular it seemed, and that in itself makes it an interesting reflection of the spirit of his times in Paris maybe. This is, after all, the 50th anniversary year of May '68!

The Chapuis fan, you think of, is James.

IMO Chapuis' Du Mage/Clerambault CD is the best recording he ever made, far surpassing his Grigny, F. Couperin, L. Couperin, Bach and Buxtehude. I have not heard his Boyvin though.
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Mandryka

#606


Well I put on his Leipzig Chorales, and around BWV 657 the thing warms up, I feel as I'm listening to Bach through the lense of Django Reinhardt and the Hot Club de France.
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bioluminescentsquid

Frescobaldi Elevation Toccata played fast on a 18th century Portugese organ with a full plenum! It goes against everything I know (not much) about historical practice, but I like it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6UozTUQfVI

Elk

I had a hankling to listen to Franck's organ music this afternoon. I thought what I wanted was one of the chorales, but it happened to be the Pièce Héroïque, not a usual choice. I listened to 5 interpretations: Germani, Guillou, Murray, Dupré, and Torvald Torén. Not surprisingly to me, the Torén swept the field.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Torén set, it was recorded in 1978 and released on the Lyricon label. It has long been my favourite recording of Franck's works. The performances range from amazing to ultimately satisfying. The recording of the organ in the 2 churches in Stockholm are in the demonstration class with true weight in the pedals, which is uncommon even in the digital age--- a bonus for those of us with full range speaker systems.

While Bach is still my alpha and omega for organ music, I urge those of you fancy Franck and have a turntable to give these recordings a try if you can source them.

There are also later recordings of Torén's Franck that are available to download (http://torvaldtoren.bluemusicgroup.com/), but I have not heard them though I plan to.

Mandryka

Are there any recordings with substantial amounts of organ music by Matthew Locke? I have Terence Charlston's CD, and I like it, and I also have Kenneth Gilbert's English music CD, which has a couple of excellent pieces. France orgue lists a couple of interesting looking things, but they seem to have disappeared. 
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

premont

Quote from: Mandryka on February 21, 2018, 01:11:11 PM
Are there any recordings with substantial amounts of organ music by Matthew Locke? I have Terence Charlston's CD, and I like it, and I also have Kenneth Gilbert's English music CD, which has a couple of excellent pieces. France orgue lists a couple of interesting looking things, but they seem to have disappeared.

I do not think he left other organ music than the seven voluntarys from Melothesia (and the two pieces from manuscript sources). Charlston's CD contains them all, but some of them (only a few pr. CD) are contained in the CDs below. OBS that Leonhardt recorded three of the voluntarys.

https://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/classical/products/8035082--organ-music-robert-woolley

https://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/classical/products/8027741--the-excellent-art-of-voluntary-early-english-organ-music

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Purcell-Anthems-Hymns-Locke-Voluntaries/dp/B00Y24FPYQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519264535&sr=8-1&keywords=locke+leonhardt

https://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/classical/products/7988735--the-elusive-english-organ
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Mandryka

#611
Quote from: (: premont :) on February 21, 2018, 05:06:01 PM
I do not think he left other organ music than the seven voluntarys from Melothesia (and the two pieces from manuscript sources). Charlston's CD contains them all, but some of them (only a few pr. CD) are contained in the CDs below. OBS that Leonhardt recorded three of the voluntarys.

https://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/classical/products/8035082--organ-music-robert-woolley

https://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/classical/products/8027741--the-excellent-art-of-voluntary-early-english-organ-music

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Purcell-Anthems-Hymns-Locke-Voluntaries/dp/B00Y24FPYQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519264535&sr=8-1&keywords=locke+leonhardt

https://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/classical/products/7988735--the-elusive-english-organ

Thank you, I'd forgotten about Leonhardt.

I played the Pavans and Galiards on Charlston's Byrd CD last night, I like it, I especially like the sound of his harpsichord, the supple rhythms, the way he doesn't pound the pulse out.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Mandryka

#612


An astonishing recording by Bruno Forst here, relaunced by Brilliant. Clemencic has shown that this sort of matierial can make fascinating  music to listen to.

According to this review of the first edition of the recording, Bruno Forst's notes are good. Does anyone know of Brilliant have issued them in translation?

Quote from: http://www.clicmusique.com/arte-tanger-nouvelle-methode-clavier-gonzalo-baena-frost-p-100350.html?language=enEn 1540 parut le premier livre espagnol consacré à la musique pour instruments à clavier. L'auteur, Gonzalo de Baena, un castillan au service du roi du Portugal, obtint en 1536 un privilège royal qui lui permit d'éditer son ouvrage quatre ans plus tard. Il semble que son œuvre n'ait connu qu'une diffusion très limitée, voire inexistante, l'exemplaire subsistant étant peut-être le seul jamais imprimé. Acquis au début du XIXème siècle par la Bibliothèque du Palacio Real à Madrid, l'ouvrage connut un sort tragi-comique : lors de son inscription dans le registre d'entrée, l'employé distrait ou amoureux, au lieu du titre « Arte novamente inventada para aprender a TANGER « (Méthode nouvellement inventée pour apprendre à toucher - les instruments à clavier -), inscrivit « Arte de TEJER » (Méthode pour tisser) !!! L'ouvrage, classé hors de sa catégorie, disparut jusqu'en...1992, redécouvert par l'organiste passionné de musique ibérique Bruno Forst. Outre une partie théorique, où Baena expose sa méthode (en fait, la mise en tablature de la musique pour orgue, censée permettre même à des non-initiés de pouvoir jouer sans autres connaissances préalables...), sont présentées 45 pièces qui illustrent son propos et constituent la plus grande part du livre. Les œuvres choisies sont essentiellement des transcriptions d'œuvres vocales certainement appréciées par l'auteur, qui révèle ainsi un goût nettement passéiste, la majorité des compositeurs choisis vivant une, deux, voire trois générations plus tôt (tel Ockeghem, né en 1410). Seules les pièces dues à l'auteur lui-même, et à son fils Antonio (vers 1500, après 1562), présentent une musique contemporaine de la publication de l'ouvrage. Il est à noter que l'écrasante majorité de ces compositeurs sont des franco-flamands, reflétant le goût de Charles Quint puis de son fils et successeur Philippe II. Les pièces, disposées dans un but didactique par difficulté croissante, vont de simples duos à une polyphonie complexe à quatre voix. Bruno Forst utilise pour ces deux CDs deux instruments différents, un petit orgue baroque de 1658, situé dans l'église de Brea de Aragon (province de Saragosse), et un instrument de dimensions similaires construit en 2007, mais selon la tradition de l'école de facture d'orgue madrilène du XVIIème siècle, dans l'église San José de Navalcarnero (Province de Madrid). Ces instruments au son clair et précis font entièrement justice à ces pièces méditatives, parfois colorées par les jeux d'anches, grâce à l'exécution nerveuse et précise du jeune organiste. Un régal raffiné pour aficionados. (Jean-Michel Babin-Goasdoué)

This word tisser (weave I think, though I'm not well up in this sort of vocabulary, maybe it's spin ) is amusing.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Dry Brett Kavanaugh

Falcioni's recording is not bad, but it is plastic and faceless. Any good recording on Georg Muffat??

Que

Quote from: Forever Electoral College on March 14, 2018, 04:53:45 PM
Falcioni's recording is not bad, but it is plastic and faceless. Any good recording on Georg Muffat??

Confirms by own impressions.

This one is awesome - both sonically as in interpretation:

[asin]B000BDGBZY[/asin]

Also included in this box set, which offers 4 more great recordings for the same price...

[asin]B0788YKWCF[/asin]
Q

premont

Quote from: Forever Electoral College on March 14, 2018, 04:53:45 PM
Falcioni's recording is not bad, but it is plastic and faceless. Any good recording on Georg Muffat??

There are not many available recordings of Apparatus Musico-organisticus at the moment. I also find, that Kelemen's recording is the most attractive of these.
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Dry Brett Kavanaugh

Quote from: (: premont :) on February 03, 2018, 10:47:09 AM
The Chapuis fan, you think of, is James.

IMO Chapuis' Du Mage/Clerambault CD is the best recording he ever made, far surpassing his Grigny, F. Couperin, L. Couperin, Bach and Buxtehude. I have not heard his Boyvin though.
What are you guys' opinion on his recordibg of Lubeck if you have heard? Thank you

Dry Brett Kavanaugh

Thanks a lot. I ordered the box set.
Quote from: Que on March 14, 2018, 10:49:10 PM
Confirms by own impressions.

This one is awesome - both sonically as in interpretation:

[asin]B000BDGBZY[/asin]

Also included in this box set, which offers 4 more great recordings for the same price...

[asin]B0788YKWCF[/asin]
Q

Mandryka

#618
Quote from: Forever Electoral College on March 15, 2018, 06:08:24 PM
What are you guys' opinion on his recordibg of Lubeck if you have heard? Thank you

1969 was the time when recreational drugs started to become popular in Paris and this is Lubeck on speed. It was recorded at the same time as his Bach and I think it incarnes the same aesthetic ideas - fresh and vigorous, with very little grandeur or emotional sensitivity.

The Klapmeyer organ was an interesting choice and I wonder if the booklet essay, which are often excellent for Astrée, discusses it.

Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Mandryka



I'll just take the opportunity to mention Friedhelm Flamme's Lubeck, which I find very rewarding. He gives us a Lubeck whose music is like a bold exploration of symphonic organ colours. Flamme lets the music take all the time it needs to express a vision of enormous poetry, there's grandeur and emotional sensitivity in spades. The Treutmann organ may or may not be ideal (just as some people (not me!) also have reservations about Chapuis' organ) - but the Treutmann sounds wonderful and is totally complementary to Flamme's profound vision.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen