The Organ, Master of them all - general organ thread

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

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Mandryka




I've been playing this for a few days and I'm not sure what to make of it. The organ is characterful, but somehow it sounds like I'm in one room and the organ's playing in another. It's also the sort of dusky french character which I'm not used to hearing in Muffat. The interpretations are on the slow side, and I have the impression that it's more a matter of some fabulous moments than of coherent and integrated pieces -- but that's often the case with toccatas. I also have the impression that this is the sort of recording which will grow on you, rather than knock you out on first listening, but I could be wrong about that. Anyway worth having for me given the paucity of interesting recordings of these pieces.

Here's the organ specification -- what sort of temperament is that?



The CD is unobtainable if you don't know how to get it, amazon and Fnac didn't work.  As far as I can see the only way is to order it is from here


http://www.cddiffusion.fr/catalogue/fiche.php?SID=fTrbqiGd&tc=2&CID=6641


They take a card, they are very quick to send out the order, they are good to deal with.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Mandryka

Here's something that sounds nice by a composer I know nothing about, Samuel Marckfelner

https://youtube.com/v/Lvw_TalxJSs
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Elk

Many pages ago, a writer asked whether a sub-woofer were necessary for the playback of organ music, and another answered no, to which the first replied that that saved him a lot of coin.

Having read these pages on organ music at least twice, I note that many, if not most, of you are concert goers (I'm envious of all the instruments you have had the opportunity to hear and the scope of you musical knowledge of the organ repertoire). That being the case, those lovely, deep tones from the open Cs up from 16' pipes must be missed when playing CDs on most speaker systems. Granted, the majority of the music is within the capabilities of those speakers, but the authority of deep pedals is glorious, and I would not willingly be without them and am fortunate to have subs able to produce lows to the E below.

I hope this doesn't sound peevish. It is merely a preference I am willing to afford for the sake of my pleasure.

Mandryka

#664
Quote from: Elk on June 17, 2018, 05:42:50 PM
Many pages ago, a writer asked whether a sub-woofer were necessary for the playback of organ music, and another answered no, to which the first replied that that saved him a lot of coin.

Having read these pages on organ music at least twice, I note that many, if not most, of you are concert goers (I'm envious of all the instruments you have had the opportunity to hear and the scope of you musical knowledge of the organ repertoire). That being the case, those lovely, deep tones from the open Cs up from 16' pipes must be missed when playing CDs on most speaker systems. Granted, the majority of the music is within the capabilities of those speakers, but the authority of deep pedals is glorious, and I would not willingly be without them and am fortunate to have subs able to produce lows to the E below.

I hope this doesn't sound peevish. It is merely a preference I am willing to afford for the sake of my pleasure.

I'd be curious, elk, if your subwoofer makes the sound of the Leipzig Chorales on this recording acceptable, I find it painful on my ESLs and Gradients. I'm not sure if I just have a duff disc, or whether it's a badly engineered recording or what. Generally I can enjoy recordings on the Groningen Schnitger, it's maybe that Nordstoga is unusually fond of the 32' stop.


Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Marc

Quote from: bioluminescentsquid on May 26, 2018, 08:55:33 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxaJMSAZfcM

Just found out that Piet Kee died yesterday...

Yes. I saw the announcement in the newspapers.
Never heard him life, but his recordings are very worthwhile. He was also a knowledgeable scholar (Bach/Buxtehude) and a well-known composer in NL (though less than his father Cor Kee).

Marc

Quote from: Elk on June 17, 2018, 05:42:50 PM
Many pages ago, a writer asked whether a sub-woofer were necessary for the playback of organ music, and another answered no, to which the first replied that that saved him a lot of coin.

Having read these pages on organ music at least twice, I note that many, if not most, of you are concert goers (I'm envious of all the instruments you have had the opportunity to hear and the scope of you musical knowledge of the organ repertoire). That being the case, those lovely, deep tones from the open Cs up from 16' pipes must be missed when playing CDs on most speaker systems. Granted, the majority of the music is within the capabilities of those speakers, but the authority of deep pedals is glorious, and I would not willingly be without them and am fortunate to have subs able to produce lows to the E below.

I hope this doesn't sound peevish. It is merely a preference I am willing to afford for the sake of my pleasure.

Why should it sound peevish?
It's great to enjoy music the way you prefer it.

Personally, I have thought of buying one, but since I live in a rather noisy flat appartment I've decided to spare my neighbours the E below. ;)
In general: I'm able to accept lesser circumstances when listening to music. It makes the live concerts even more festive and enjoyable. :)

Elk

Mandryka, thanks for the tip, mention of this recording that is. It is fantastic. Rarely, do recordings of organ music do justice to the low bass. The low pedals here are what drew me to organ music in the first place and what I experience in churches here in London, Ontario, Canada. Admittedly, the low bass may be a bit fat on this recording, but nothing judicious use of tone controls might alleviate. One might use this recording to search for a suitable sub though a dealer might not appreciate the deficiencies it reveals.

Playing back organ music is difficult for most speakers. A simple 2 way system, while sounding awesome on most program material, may be asked to reproduce C1 (double pedal C) at the same time as G4 (G above middle C). The great woofer movement in reproducing the C1 muddies the G4, or the woofer might just flap around rather uncontrollably--- not a very pleasant experience. It is called Frequency Modulation. The benefits of a sub, or subs, are not only extending the bass response of the system, but also reducing FM distortion.

I have been looking for a finer version of the Leipzig Chorales to go along with the Kibbie and Rogg Zurich recordings I have, and this might be it.

Marc, I am lucky to live in a house with a largish recreation room at distance from the living room in which I can play music rather louder than my wife fancies and can generate low frequencies. Ain't life grand?

Mandryka

#668
Quote from: Elk on June 18, 2018, 05:47:24 AM
Mandryka, thanks for the tip, mention of this recording that is. It is fantastic. Rarely, do recordings of organ music do justice to the low bass. The low pedals here are what drew me to organ music in the first place and what I experience in churches here in London, Ontario, Canada. Admittedly, the low bass may be a bit fat on this recording, but nothing judicious use of tone controls might alleviate. One might use this recording to search for a suitable sub though a dealer might not appreciate the deficiencies it reveals.

Playing back organ music is difficult for most speakers. A simple 2 way system, while sounding awesome on most program material, may be asked to reproduce C1 (double pedal C) at the same time as G4 (G above middle C). The great woofer movement in reproducing the C1 muddies the G4, or the woofer might just flap around rather uncontrollably--- not a very pleasant experience. It is called Frequency Modulation. The benefits of a sub, or subs, are not only extending the bass response of the system, but also reducing FM distortion.

I have been looking for a finer version of the Leipzig Chorales to go along with the Kibbie and Rogg Zurich recordings I have, and this might be it.

Marc, I am lucky to live in a house with a largish recreation room at distance from the living room in which I can play music rather louder than my wife fancies and can generate low frequencies. Ain't life grand?

Outside of the complete sets (Alain, Foccroulle, Weinberger, Kooimann, Koopman)  I think the Leipzig Chorales to get is this one, the more I listen to it the more I love it.



https://www.boeijengamusic.com/nl/j-s-bach-leipziger-choraele.html

Tone controls for Nordstega is a good idea and I shall play around with mine soon.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Elk

Thanks for the tip, though for twice the amount for that set, I might more likely get a complete works like Alain2 or the Foccroulle. What I've heard of the Beekman on youtube pleases me. Alain3 not so much. I've also sampled the Weinberger. Maybe I'm not attuned to HIP performances. I'm tempted by the Kooiman, but find it hard to ante up.

You recommended Zacher's Mendelssohn/ Brahms. I've only sampled the Mendelssohn, but the Brahms betters the other 4 recordings I have of the Chorales. The Mendelssohn sounds good too, but it is competing with Hurford's incomplete CD, which is magnificent. Hurford is often maligned. I'm puzzled because his performances are enjoyable and usually the recorded sound is in the demonstration class. There do seem to be some heliocentric views here, but maybe, they are simply more informed than mine.

Speaking of being maligned and heliocentricity, performances which usually elicit a big yawn from me are those of Michael Murray. However, one, Bach recording he made on a Gabriel Kney organ in St, Paul, Minnesota, bears repeated listening. It is a very well recorded recital on a favourite organ of mine, built here in London, Ontario.

More on Romantic music and beyond on a future post.


Mandryka

#670


Interesting recording here I think from Ljerka Ocic. The organ is big and heavy, and she tries to fit the Hexachordum Apollinis on it. She varies touch and ornamentation imaginatively. I don't know whether I like it, but I do know it's interesting.

Well recorded, too well, big thundering bass, this is not a chamber organ so it doesn't easily fit in the living room.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

premont

Quote from: Mandryka on June 28, 2018, 06:03:38 AM
Interesting recording here I think from Ljerka Ocic. The organ is big and heavy, and she tries to fit the Hexachordum Apollinis on it. She varies touch and ornamentation imaginatively. I don't know whether I like it, but I do know it's interesting.

Well recorded, too well, big thundering bass, this is not a chamber organ so it doesn't easily fit in the living room.


Thanks. Ordered. BTW I can't see any information about which organ, she uses.
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Mandryka

#672
Quote from: (: premont :) on June 28, 2018, 10:15:02 AM

Thanks. Ordered. BTW I can't see any information about which organ, she uses.

Nor could I, but hopefully it'll be in your booklet. She's recorded a lot of music, I briefly dipped into this most unusual recording for example





I did find this, and used Google translate to understand it

https://shop.crorec.hr/crorec.hr/vijest.php?OBJECT_ID=830100

QuoteLjerka Očić also celebrated a significant anniversary, 25 years of discographic creation. Branko Magdić, music editor and critic, spoke about the "Sounds of Croatian Historical Organ" and the art work of Ljerka Očić. The value of the notes on the new cycle Ljerka Očić is emphasized, not only because of the artistic value, but also by the fact that the sound of these organs, which are part of Croatian cultural heritage, has been recorded for the first time.

Ljerka Ocic says of these valuable instruments: "My wish was to best present their personality with the music that was born and lived in the times when they were built." The presentation also shows the video of Ljerk's sister Dubravka, who with his picture and text depicted the cross section of our celebrated organist career.

The latest CD "Southern German Organ Baroque" from the edition of the Sounds of Croatian Historical Organ can be purchased online at shop.crorec.hr . . .

Quote"This cycle of sound carriers is conceived as a small chronicle of the Croatian organist tradition, a testimony to the needs of the inhabitants of this country for music that throughout history has lived and spread to the sacred spaces of exceptional beauty, this cycle is designed as a" hommage "to regional features, workshops, their differences, and at the same time subtle virtues, which, with their individual aesthetics, obscure the atmosphere of old times, while simultaneously sound vibration links past the present, "wrote Ljerka Očić.

It is a continuation of the cycle of the CD "Sounds of Croatian Historical Organs" by Ljerka Ocic with the collaboration of Lidija Horvat Dunjko on the album "Johann Sebastian Bach - Book of Annan Magdalen Bach (1725) - Choice".
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Mandryka



What looks like another fabulous recording from the great Ljerka Očić, in fact I've only heard G Bohm's nichtig/fluchtig, but I can already tell that it's a completely rethought through performance, and seems to capture that elusive combination of dance and prayer and song. Where Očić is so good is in the variety of attack, which makes the music sound always so fresh. The rest of the CD has music by Cabezon, Byrd, Scheidemann and other usual suspects. Characterful organs in Croatia, I guess all of them old. Well recorded to boot.

There's more by her - a recording of a lot of Frescobaldi, for example.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

premont

Quote from: Mandryka on June 28, 2018, 06:03:38 AM


Interesting recording here I think from Ljerka Ocic. The organ is big and heavy, and she tries to fit the Hexachordum Apollinis on it. She varies touch and ornamentation imaginatively. I don't know whether I like it, but I do know it's interesting.

Well recorded, too well, big thundering bass, this is not a chamber organ so it doesn't easily fit in the living room.


Additional information about the organ used:

Antonius Weiner 1737 (Fransiscus church of Bv Mary's assumption, Samobor). A relatively small 8' organ with 16 ranks on two manuals and pedal. Most of the pipes seem to be original. Restored by Heferer Company 2005. Tuned a=440,7 and Kirnberger III modified.
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Mandryka

#675
Quote from: (: premont :) on July 09, 2018, 02:50:59 AM

Additional information about the organ used:

Antonius Weiner 1737 (Fransiscus church of Bv Mary's assumption, Samobor). A relatively small 8' organ with 16 ranks on two manuals and pedal. Most of the pipes seem to be original. Restored by Heferer Company 2005. Tuned a=440,7 and Kirnberger III modified.

Thanks, I like that and the Renaissance and Baroque one even more, probably because it isn't as heavy! the latter with music by Byrd and Frescobaldi and Böhm. I shall have to sample her Sweelinck recording soon.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

king ubu

posted this in the upcoming concerts thread, but I guess I'd rather get a reply or two over here:

I'm planning to catch some of the more casual organ concerts run in summer at Grossmünster, right around the corner from my (still fairly new) workplace ... whom should I consider, other than Molardi?

https://www.grossmuenster.ch/documents/142/Orgelprogr-2018Web.pdf

Kay Johansen doing Reubke I should not miss, I guess?
Es wollt ein meydlein grasen gan:
Fick mich, lieber Peter!
Und do die roten röslein stan:
Fick mich, lieber Peter!
Fick mich mehr, du hast dein ehr.
Kannstu nit, ich wills dich lern.
Fick mich, lieber Peter!

http://ubus-notizen.blogspot.ch/

Mandryka



Alexander Koschel is an organ scholar who records for Fagott and who seems to have made a special study of the Weissenfels Schlosskapelle organ, which to me sounds wonderful. The recording features music by old friends like Scheidt and Pachelbel and Bach, but mostly music by composers I know very little about like J.R. Ahle, J.F. Alberti, G.C. Wecker, J.Ph. Krieger, Ch.G. Witte, J. Kuhnau, J.H. Buttstett, F.W. Zachow, A. Armsdorf, N. Vetter, G.F. Kaufmann. I shall certainly be exploring more of Koschel recordings, I get the feeling there's a lot of buried treasure there.

Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

premont

Quote from: Mandryka on July 10, 2018, 09:44:18 AM


Alexander Koschel is an organ scholar who records for Fagott and who seems to have made a special study of the Weissenfels Schlosskapelle organ, which to me sounds wonderful. The recording features music by old friends like Scheidt and Pachelbel and Bach, but mostly music by composers I know very little about like J.R. Ahle, J.F. Alberti, G.C. Wecker, J.Ph. Krieger, Ch.G. Witte, J. Kuhnau, J.H. Buttstett, F.W. Zachow, A. Armsdorf, N. Vetter, G.F. Kaufmann. I shall certainly be exploring more of Koschel recordings, I get the feeling there's a lot of buried treasure there.

He also recorded vol. four of the Fagot Scheidt series.

By chance I put his new recording and its compagnion :

https://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/classical/products/8461504--j-s-bach-middle-german-organ-music-of-the-16th-18th-centuries-vol-2

on my wishlist two days ago.
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premont

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