J.S. Bach on the Organ

[premont]

Six and a half?

Whose is it? By half do you mean part on organ and part on other instruments?

See my answer to Dry Brett Kavanaugh above.

I do prefere AoF with an instrumenarium that distinguishes voices, but IIRC I only have 2 on organ--Gould and (I think) Isoir. And I don't particularly like the Gould.

My preference for the AoF is the organ and next to this harpsichord or clavichord. Ensemble versions may be pedagogically instructive and may also be nice to listen to but makes a chamber music work of it which it isn't.

Neither is Gould my cup of tea. There are more than fifty other organ versions - almost all of them preferable to Gould's. I'm rather happy with Isoir's confident and elegant recording. But if you want I shall recommend you alternative versions.

[JBS]

See my answer to Dry Brett Kavanaugh above.

My preference for the AoF is the organ and next to this harpsichord or clavichord. Ensemble versions may be pedagogically instructive and may also be nice to listen to but makes a chamber music work of it which it isn't.

Neither is Gould my cup of tea. There are more than fifty other organ versions - almost all of them preferable to Gould's. I'm rather happy with Isoir's confident and elegant recording. But if you want I shall recommend you alternative versions.

Thank you! I'll keep that list in mind.

[Holden]

My preference for the AoF is the organ and next to this harpsichord or clavichord.

This has prompted me to investigate and am listening to Lionel Rogg at the moment. Already I like the colour that the organ is producing as parts of the piano version can be somewhat meh. Depends who's playing it.

[premont]

Depends who's playing it.

So is indeed always the case, whatever the instrument. 

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

I have no particular objection as to the sound of the organ, but my recommendation is first and foremost about the musician.

The five ½ others are

Bernard Lagacé

Louis Thiry

Robert Costin

Daniele Boccaccio

Frédéric Desenclos

and an individual recording of book II by Christoph Bossert

And Robert Levin and Daniel Chorzempa play a few of the prel. & fugues on the organ in their complete WTC recordings.

My own preference of these is Louis Thiry with a human and well sounding version on a suitably small organ, but Frédéric Desenclos may be the most "organistic" of them. His interpretation is a bit "strict" and reminds me sometimes of Helmut Walcha. Lagacé is reliable but lacks inner tension when needed. The same may be said about Bossert. Costin and Boccaccio haven't done much for me.

I like the the Frédéric Desenclos.

[premont]

I like the the Frédéric Desenclos.

So do I.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

So do I.

I just found that Sachi Ozawa released the Books 1 and 2, also from Waon label.
They're on Spotify etc.

[premont]

I just found that Sachi Ozawa released the Books 1 and 2, also from Waon label.
They're on Spotify etc.

I'm completely inexperienced as to streaming. I see, that Amazon.de offer both books as mp3 download for the modest cost of 10 euro's each, but usually I try to avoid mp3.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

I'm completely inexperienced as to streaming. I see, that Amazon.de offer both books as mp3 download for the modest cost of 10 euro's each, but usually I try to avoid mp3.

I don't know her performance. The organ maybe built by the same builder. You may want to check some YT videos of her playing before you purchase the albums.