The Organ, Master of them all - general organ thread

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

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Mandryka

Quote from: (: premont :) on May 23, 2013, 01:28:01 PM
One of the first Bruhns sets I acquired was Helmut Winter´s recording for Harmonia Mundi on the splendid Klappmeyer organ in Altenbruch. I think Winter succeded in making this truly phantastic music sound fresh anew. I have got some other sets, but this remains my favorite.

Thanks. i'll get ir just as soon as I'm back in the UK.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Geo Dude


Mandryka

#262
Quote from: Geo Dude on June 24, 2013, 10:09:03 AM


Any thoughts on this?

Yes. I've sampled it, mainly when I've been exploring different recordings of the same piece. My impression is that these are very extrovert exciting postive-mood buoyant performances, maybe lacking some of the emotional nuances which others have brought to the music.

Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Geo Dude

Quote from: Mandryka on June 25, 2013, 09:58:38 AM
Yes. I've sampled it, mainly when I've been exploring different recordings of the same piece. My impression is that these are very extrovert exciting postive-mood buoyant performances, maybe lacking some of the emotional nuances which others have brought to the music.



Hmm...given the cheap price point on the market place it sounds like it might complement some of my other recordings well.

Mandryka

Quote from: Geo Dude on June 25, 2013, 11:03:23 AM
Hmm...given the cheap price point on the market place it sounds like it might complement some of my other recordings well.

Which other recordings have you heard?
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

premont

Quote from: Mandryka on June 25, 2013, 09:58:38 AM
Yes. I've sampled it, mainly when I've been exploring different recordings of the same piece. My impression is that these are very extrovert exciting postive-mood buoyant performances, maybe lacking some of the emotional nuances which others have brought to the music.

I have listened it all through once some months ago- not enough to judge it properly. Extrovert and a bit superficial was my first impression. In between many other projects I am going through the set once more, and my first reaction to the second listening was, that I found it deeper and more nuanced, than I recalled.
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Wakefield

Quote from: (: premont :) on June 25, 2013, 01:28:51 PM
I have listened it all through once some months ago- not enough to judge it properly. Extrovert and a bit superficial was my first impression. In between many other projects I am going through the set once more, and my first reaction to the second listening was, that I found it deeper and more nuanced, than I recalled.

Do you have his set of harpsichord works? I have read good reviews (one yours?), but the samples have never convinced me.
"One of the greatest misfortunes of honest people is that they are cowards. They complain, keep quiet, dine and forget."
-- Voltaire

premont

Quote from: Gordon Shumway on June 25, 2013, 01:44:56 PM
Do you have his set of harpsichord works? I have read good reviews (one yours?), but the samples have never convinced me.

Even here I can not provide more than a first impression, but my initial reaction was more positive than my first reaction to his Bux organ recording.
I recall concepts like nice and melodious, and many of the suites benefit from that kind of approach.
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Mandryka

#268
Quote from: (: premont :) on June 25, 2013, 01:28:51 PM
I have listened it all through once some months ago- not enough to judge it properly. Extrovert and a bit superficial was my first impression. In between many other projects I am going through the set once more, and my first reaction to the second listening was, that I found it deeper and more nuanced, than I recalled.

Obviously not everyone plays Buxtehude aiming for lots of  emotional expression, but I do think that if you're not going to play expressively,  then you have to have some other way of making the music  sound interesting. Reiner Oster, for example, doesn't seem particularly emotional, but there's tons of nobility in there.

My impression with Stella is fireworks, thrills and sometimes he makes me smile - as if he finds a bit of comedy in the music, a sense of fun in sound-making. I guess each has to decide for himself whether that does justice to Buxtehude.


Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

JaapT

Mandryka mentioned whether someone had any recommendations the music of Bruhns. In general Foccroulle is the set to consider, he is always stylish and well informed and he plays on what I consider one of the most beautiful organs I know (unfortuately only from records): the Schnitger organ in Norden.

Having said that, my first encounter with Bruhns was his e-moll preludium played by Piet Kee in Haarlem. I still consider the best performance of this work. It is a CD with works from various composers (Bach, Bruhns, Mendelssohn, Kee). You can buy it second hand: http://www.marktplaats.nl/a/cd-s-en-dvd-s/cd-s-instrumentaal/m691932653-piet-kee-at-st-bavo-haarlem.html?c=8c285449651fa109c354bbabe740c1b&previousPage=lr

Yet another recommendation, but not organ: Bruhns' cantatas beautifully sung by Cantus Cölln.

Mandryka

#270
I think that the Reincken Rivers of Babylon fantasy here is wonderful, on the Arp Schnitke at St Jacobi.  It ebbs and flows. For the first time I could hear why it was that JSB liked that music so much



I don't say the rest of the record is so good, and it may well just be that the Reincken only sounds so special because it has been so neglected in recordings up to now (I know that sounds awul, and I don't mean to belittle Jean Claude Zehnder's achievement here.) . Jean Claude Zehnder plays the big Bux chorale 210 and I didn't see that that was so interesting.



Anyway that sent me on a BuxWV 210 hunt, all the usual suspects -- Stella, Bryndhorf, Vogel, Kraft. And the ususal results -- with Kraft delivering a performance which is more my cup of tea than most. Less virtuoso fireworks, more depth. But on spotify two major discoveries in Bux210. First Vernet, and then the completely mind blowing, revealing, revolutionary performance from Julia Brown. Slow, noble, natural and  inevitable progress of the music, this for me is great Bux playing. I'm gonna have to hear more Julia Brown, for sure.

Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Que

Quote from: Mandryka on August 02, 2013, 11:59:45 PM
Anyway that sent me on a BuxWV 210 hunt, all the usual suspects -- Stella, Bryndhorf, Vogel, Kraft. And the ususal results -- with Kraft delivering a performance which is more my cup of tea than most. Less virtuoso fireworks, more depth. But on spotify two major discoveries in Bux210. First Vernet, and then the completely mind blowing, revealing, revolutionary performance from Julia Brown. Slow, noble, natural and  inevitable progress of the music, this for me is great Bux playing. I'm gonna have to hear more Julia Brown, for sure.

If you haven't tried Jean-Charles Ablitzer's Buxtehude yet, I suggest you do.  :) As downloads available on itunes, overview HERE.

Q

Mandryka

#272
Quote from: Que on August 03, 2013, 04:42:16 AM
If you haven't tried Jean-Charles Ablitzer's Buxtehude yet, I suggest you do.  :) As downloads available on itunes, overview HERE.

Q

No, I haven't heard Ablitzer but I can see he's put his Buxwv 210 on youtube so I can listen easily to how he sees the music.

Re Julia Brown, I just saw that there's a review of her Vol 5 on musicweb which singles out her 210 as something pretty special. I just listened for the first time to her play the g minor prelude (148), I like what I hear, this woman has a face, you know. The performances aren't generalised either, she means what she says. Her tempo choices in both pieces suit me fine.

She used a meantone organ tuning, to some stunning effects in both 210 and 148. The more I listen to baroque music the more I think tuning matters big time.

Oh, and by the way, one thing I'd like to hear is Vogel playing the Reincken Babylon Fantasie. It's on this CD



Does anyone know if it's the same as this



which is available here:

http://www.groningenorgelland.nl/index.php?item=cd_s&action=page&group_id=10&lang=NL
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Marc

Quote from: Mandryka on August 03, 2013, 09:00:46 AM
[....]
Oh, and by the way, one thing I'd like to hear is Vogel playing the Reincken Babylon Fantasie. It's on this CD



Does anyone know if it's the same as this



which is available here:

http://www.groningenorgelland.nl/index.php?item=cd_s&action=page&group_id=10&lang=NL

I own the second one mentioned, and it's a very fine disc with recordings Vogel made in the 70s and 80s for Radio Bremen. The first disc has got a slightly different selection of compositions played, so I can't tell you if the Reincken Babylon Fantasie is the same recording. Your question made me curious, too. That's why I just ordered that first one (Opera Omnia 1) at the library. Maybe in a week or 10 days I can tell you more.

Marc

Quote from: Marc on August 03, 2013, 12:02:29 PM
I own the second one mentioned, and it's a very fine disc with recordings Vogel made in the 70s and 80s for Radio Bremen. The first disc has got a slightly different selection of compositions played, so I can't tell you if the Reincken Babylon Fantasie is the same recording. Your question made me curious, too. That's why I just ordered that first one (Opera Omnia 1) at the library. Maybe in a week or 10 days I can tell you more.

No the same recordings. The first one mentioned is from 1991. It's slower, with different registrations. Both performances are a joy to listen joy. So: in either case, no money is thrown away. :)

milk


Que

Quote from: milk on September 15, 2013, 11:17:20 PM

Looks interesting.


Sure, provided we can figure out what is to be seen on that tiny picture! :laugh:

How is this? ;)

[asin]B00DIGYVLM[/asin]

Q

milk

How is this? ;)

[asin]B00DIGYVLM[/asin]

Q
[/quote]
Indubitably better! ;D

Opus106

Quote from: milk on September 16, 2013, 09:17:34 AM
Indubitably

Way off-topic: I can't read or hear that word without being reminded of this. ;D

Now, back to Leighton's disc...
Regards,
Navneeth

Que

New release. It is hard to get my head around this: ArsMusici licensing 10 recordings to be sold by Membran in a box set for 13 euros...?? ??? ::) :)

Amazing..... :D



Q