The Organ, Master of them all - general organ thread

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Rotterdam, yes.  The central catalogue. I'm a heavy user.

Just curious about this one, you know.

I'm mainly a baroque bloke. So it could be a good, could be a bad experience. Let's wait and hear.

I borrowed a lot of music there, too, in the late 1990s. If you encounter any skips on the discs, contact me... I love Bach's organ works. Langgaard's music is very different, but his use of the organ is very inventive... Ik ben benieuwd.

[Marc]

I borrowed a lot of music there, too, in the late 1990s. If you encounter any skips on the discs, contact me... I love Bach's organ works. Langgaard's music is very different, but his use of the organ is very inventive... Ik ben benieuwd.

The organ has grown into my fave instrument during the last two years, like it was during my childhood.
I visited some concerts and also had encounters with 19th and 20th century organ music.

Here's a 20th century piece that sometimes can bring me into musical heaven, if I'm in the right mood:

http://www.mediafire.com/?989lfas9u6lklr2

Jan Welmers (*1937), Sequens. Played by Jan Hage on the König organ (1776) in the Stevenskerk, Nijmegen, NL.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Here's a 20th century piece that sometimes can bring me into musical heaven, if I'm in the right mood:

http://www.mediafire.com/?989lfas9u6lklr2

Jan Welmers (*1937), Sequens. Played by Jan Hage on the König organ (1776) in the Stevenskerk, Nijmegen, NL.

Thanks! I'll give it a listen...


Here the opening movement of Messis, as a foretaste...


http://www.mediafire.com/file/nwime2nm2cm/Flemming_Dreisig_Rued_Langgaard_Messis_Organ_drama_5_Mesis__Drama_i_tre_Afterner_for_Orgel_BVN_228__1_Anskriget.mp3

[Marc]

[....]
Thanks! I'll give it a listen...

Here the opening movement of Messis, as a foretaste...

[....]

Thanks to you, too!
Listening right now .... and enjoying it.

[prémont]

Thanks J Z and Marc for these examples which I also have downloaded and intend to listen to to morrow.   

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

@Marc Just listened to Jan Welmers' Sequens for the first time. There are some wonderful sounds in that piece. The playing seems to me to be excellent, too. By coincidence I just discovered that several of my musical friends on Facebook know the organist, Jan Hage! I had never heard of him before you gave me that link...

[Marc]

@Marc Just listened to Jan Welmers' Sequens for the first time. There are some wonderful sounds in that piece. The playing seems to me to be excellent, too.

I think Sequens works better as a live experience.
My fist encounter with this piece was during a concert of Jan Hage in the Martinikerk, Groningen. At a certain moment, the entire church seemed to be filled with organ and nothing but organ. That was great!

By coincidence I just discovered that several of my musical friends on Facebook know the organist, Jan Hage! I had never heard of him before you gave me that link...

Yes, he's not entirely unknown.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I think Sequens works better as a live experience.
My fist encounter with this piece was during a concert of Jan Hage in the Martinikerk, Groningen. At a certain moment, the entire church seemed to be filled with organ and nothing but organ. That was great!

I recognise this. In 1994, 9 May (just looked it up in my notes), my then wife and I were at an organ concert in Notre-Dame, Paris. The organist, Helmschrott, played one of his own pieces, called Méditation 4. This made an enormous impression. The whole church was flooded by sound, which crashed over you from the heights...

[Coopmv]

I recognise this. In 1994, 9 May (just looked it up in my notes), my then wife and I were at an organ concert in Notre-Dame, Paris. The organist, Helmschrott, played one of his own pieces, called Méditation 4. This made an enormous impression. The whole church was flooded by sound, which crashed over you from the heights...

When it comes to performance of organ works,  you western and northern Europeans have it made.  You have the churches and you have the organists.  We Americans have few choices.

[Marc]

When it comes to performance of organ works, you western and northern Europeans have it made. You have the churches and you have the organists. We Americans have few choices.

We'll keep on uploading some stuff from over the ocean once in a while, Coop.

Don't underestimate your fellow countrymen- and women, though!
I can only speak of baroque organ recordings, but that area is definitely not a European only thing.

Of course, the historic instruments are here in Europe, but I have listened with enjoyment to several American organists, like E. Power Biggs, Daniel Chorzempa, Peter Sykes, Elizabeth Harrison, Joan Lippincott and George Ritchie.
And there are many interesting instruments in the USA, built on historical principles.

But I think it is true that most American music lovers are raised in a culture of equal temperament, which means that there aren't that many possibilities for those who like keyboard instruments tuned in meantone (et al) in 17/18th (or earlier) music.

To be honest though: this tuning and temperament stuff isn't really my thing. This (American ) musician certainly knows more about that:

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bpl/

[Coopmv]

We'll keep on uploading some stuff from over the ocean once in a while, Coop.

Don't underestimate your fellow countrymen- and women, though!
I can only speak of baroque organ recordings, but that area is definitely not a European only thing.

Of course, the historic instruments are here in Europe, but I have listened with enjoyment to several American organists, like E. Power Biggs, Daniel Chorzempa, Peter Sykes, Elizabeth Harrison, Joan Lippincott and George Ritchie.
And there are many interesting instruments in the USA, built on historical principles.

But I think it is true that most American music lovers are raised in a culture of equal temperament, which means that there aren't that many possibilities for those who like keyboard instruments tuned in meantone (et al) in 17/18th (or earlier) music.

To be honest though: this tuning and temperament stuff isn't really my thing. This (American ) musician certainly knows more about that:

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bpl/

Indeed, I have always enjoyed the performance of Daniel Chorzempa.  In fact, I think Chorzempa may have renounced his US citizenship and re-naturalized as an Austrian citizen - he is of Austrian heritage.  E. Power Bigg's style sounds too old-fashioned to me and I have yet to have any serious listen of Joan Lippincott's performance - listened over the web but own no actual recordings ...

[Opus106]

New, and currently on offer at Presto. Has anyone watched this series?

[Coopmv]

New, and currently on offer at Presto. Has anyone watched this series?

It would have been most interesting if Helmut Walcha was included in the DVD set as well. 

[Que]

Repost from the French Baroque thread:



A 3-CD set with the complete organ music of Louis Couperin (1626-1661). Davitt Moroney plays the organ of the Abbaye de Saint-Michel-en-Thiérache, built by Jean Boizard in 1714.

I hate to recommend hard-to-find items, but this issue on Tempéraments (TEM 316001/3 (1995) is really something.... In 1957 a private collector rediscovered 68 unknown organ compositions by Louis Couperin, uncle of François. Only in the early nineties a publication of the works was prepared by Davitt Moroney and in these recordings from 1995 he also premiered the music on recording.

And what wonderful music and what wonderful recording it is!  :)I'm still discovering the French organ school, but this is surely the best I've heard so far. Louis Couperin emerges as a tremendous organ composer. Pride of place take the two stunning Cycles de Fugues et Fantaisies that take over half of the three disc. They are preceded by just over one disc of more traditional styled music, mostly in plein jeu. These cycles of fugues outshine even any of his efforts for the harpsichord that I have heard. It seems that before it was a similar, smaller cycle of Fugues et caprices by François Roberday was pointed out of being the equivalent from the French baroque of later examples by Bach. However fine that cycle is (more about it later), Louis Couperin is the real thing. Beautiful are these fugues: subtle, inventive, expressive, delectable and very touching. Couperin was befriended with Froberger and was through him exposed to Italian influences which are clearly noticeable in these cycles.
Amazing how a rediscovery of lost music can change the outlook of a composer and of a whole era.

Anyway: all organ buffs take heed if this set happens to come your way!

Q

[Marc]

Dutch organist and advisor Jan Jongepier has died of cancer yesterday at the age of 70. He was well-known and admired for his improvisations and also as a teacher, and as advisor for organ restorations and (re)building.
Another sad message for the Dutch organ world, after the premature death of Ewald Kooiman in 2009.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

The Grim Reaper has been busy - a old friend of my father's died of cancer, too, yesterday. 

[Marc]

The Grim Reaper has been busy - a old friend of my father's died of cancer, too, yesterday. 

My condolences.
If you feel like comforting yourself with Bach's BWV 565, check out JSB's personal organ thread.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

My condolences.
If you feel like comforting yourself with Bach's BWV 565, check out JSB's personal organ thread.

Thank you. Perhaps I shall...

[Marc]

Inspiring ancient organ music played on an ancient organ:



http://www.amazon.com/William-Byrd-Clarifica-me-Composer/dp/B000UTOD5E

Léon Berben plays William Byrd on the organ of the Grote Kerk in Oosthuizen, NL. Oldest pipework from early 16th century, rebuilt in the 2nd half of the 17th century by Pieter Backer. Recently restored by Flentrop organ builders.

[Geo Dude]

Anyone interested in a contemporary composer's organ works should look into the recording The Music of Dan Locklair.  It's good stuff.  I'll post some more detailed thoughts once I give it a re-listen.