J.S. Bach on the Organ

Coopmv · February 16, 2009, 01:11:10 PM

Quote from: Bulldog on February 16, 2009, 12:04:19 PM
I have vols. 3 and 4 from her cycle. Very enjoyable performances, but nothing special.

So they are no more than average performance?

Bulldog · February 16, 2009, 01:59:41 PM

Quote from: Coopmv on February 16, 2009, 01:11:10 PM
So they are no more than average performance?

They are probably better than average, but here's the problem - It's nice when at least one piece from a disc tells you "music doesn't get any better than this". This happens regularly from Rogg and a few others. With Phillips, no performance reaches the heights, at least not yet.

Coopmv · February 16, 2009, 02:05:01 PM

Quote from: Bulldog on February 16, 2009, 01:59:41 PM
They are probably better than average, but here's the problem - It's nice when at least one piece from a disc tells you "music doesn't get any better than this". This happens regularly from Rogg and a few others. With Phillips, no performance reaches the heights, at least not yet.

Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland by Lionel Rogg on this EMI CD is just superb. I have this CD for a number of years ...

Antoine Marchand · February 16, 2009, 06:40:22 PM

Tonight I was reading the Bach/organ thread in the old forum. In that thread Premont recommended the 2nd complete set by M-C Alain (recorded between 1978 and 1980), although he pointed out that it was OOP in that time. But currently that set is available again in a box with 15 cds at a bargain price. IMHO a must-have:

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Johann%20Sebastian%20Bach%3A%20Orgelwerke%20(Ges.-Aufn.)/hnum/6382298

Finally, a stupid question: Bulldog, are you the former Don?

Coopmv · February 16, 2009, 06:43:02 PM

This Bach Organ Works set by Ton Koopman on Brilliant cannot possibly be the full set. Amazon lists only 6 CD's for this set and there is no reason to think this is an MP3 set ...

Coopmv · February 16, 2009, 06:45:03 PM

Quote from: Antoine Marchand on February 16, 2009, 06:40:22 PM
Tonight I was reading the Bach/organ thread in the old forum. In that thread Premont recommended the 2nd complete set by M-C Alain (recorded between 1978 and 1980), although he pointed out that it was OOP in that time. But currently that set is available again in a box with 15 cds at a bargain price. IMHO a must-have:

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Johann%20Sebastian%20Bach%3A%20Orgelwerke%20(Ges.-Aufn.)/hnum/6382298

Finally, a stupid question: Bulldog, are you the former Don?

I have most of the original CD singles by Marie-Claire Alain on Erato ...

Antoine Marchand · February 16, 2009, 06:53:05 PM

Are you speaking about the 2nd integral recording? Because the third is on Erato too.

Coopmv · February 16, 2009, 06:55:09 PM

Quote from: Antoine Marchand on February 16, 2009, 06:53:05 PM
Are you speaking about the 2nd integral recording? Because the third is on Erato too.

I bought most of her singles in the mid 80's through early 90's. They could be her second recording ...

Antoine Marchand · February 16, 2009, 07:02:27 PM

That's right because the third integral was recorded in the middle of the nineties, when several historic organs were available after the fall of the Berlin Wall

Coopmv · February 16, 2009, 07:09:45 PM

Quote from: Antoine Marchand on February 16, 2009, 07:02:27 PM
That's right because the third integral was recorded in the middle of the nineties, when several historic organs were available after the fall of the Berlin Wall

Her third recording is particularly interesting as some pieces were actually performed on the same organs JS Bach himself had used. This would not have been possible before the fall of the Berlin Wall as these organs are all located in the former East Germany ...

Antoine Marchand · February 16, 2009, 07:18:03 PM

In this nice interview M-C Alain explains her reasons in order to record the third complete set:

http://www.theorganmag.com/articles/alain.html

I have the 2nd and the 3rd sets and I really enjoy both of them.

Que · February 16, 2009, 09:41:48 PM

Quote from: Coopmv on February 16, 2009, 06:43:02 PM
This Bach Organ Works set by Ton Koopman on Brilliant cannot possibly be the full set. Amazon lists only 6 CD's for this set and there is no reason to think this is an MP3 set ...

See posts on page 3 of this thread.

Q

prémont · February 17, 2009, 05:08:00 AM

Quote from: Antoine Marchand on February 16, 2009, 06:40:22 PM
Tonight I was reading the Bach/organ thread in the old forum. In that thread Premont recommended the 2nd complete set by M-C Alain (recorded between 1978 and 1980), although he pointed out that it was OOP in that time. But currently that set is available again in a box with 15 cds at a bargain price. IMHO a must-have:

Certainly nice to see, that this integral has been made available again.

BTW I have sent you two PM´s.

Bulldog · February 17, 2009, 07:46:33 AM

Quote from: Antoine Marchand on February 16, 2009, 06:40:22 PM
Finally, a stupid question: Bulldog, are you the former Don?

The former Don, the current Don and hopefully the future Don.

Antoine Marchand · February 17, 2009, 08:22:09 AM

Excellent, this explains why the people called you Don, when I did read Bulldog. I like your old avatar with that puppy asking for a brush

.

Bulldog · February 17, 2009, 08:43:41 AM

Quote from: Antoine Marchand on February 17, 2009, 08:22:09 AM
Excellent, this explains why the people called you Don, when I did read Bulldog. I like your old avatar with that puppy asking for a brush .

Looked for it, but I can't seem to find that avatar.

Opus106 · February 17, 2009, 08:57:31 AM

Quote from: Bulldog on February 17, 2009, 08:43:41 AM
Looked for it, but I can't seem to find that avatar.

Bulldog · February 17, 2009, 11:34:39 AM

Quote from: opus67 on February 17, 2009, 08:57:31 AM

Thanks much - it's back in my computer now.

jlaurson · February 17, 2009, 02:00:17 PM

Could someone post pictures (I'd suggest: not too big, all of the same size) of the different MCAlain Bach sets?

Individual releases and the box(es) to which the different sets correspond...

Would be great to get an idea that way, supported by the all-important visual.

I take it that the silver one is the Third ("Silber-mann organs")... I am told that the re-issued one [first picture] is the Second... I gather the one with Bach popping up might be the first? (Or the original issue of the 2nd.)

Does anyone have the 2nd and 3rd... and what do they (dis)like about them, in comparison?! Thanks!

prémont · February 17, 2009, 02:41:11 PM

This is the new release of the second set:

The AoF does not belong to any of the series as such. She recorded the work twice (the first was recorded upon the Marcussen organ, Sct. Laurents Kerk Rotterdam (note: not Alkmaar). The picture displays the second recording. The first has - to my knowledge - never beem released on CD.

Ths is the first release of the third set:

These are the the ones I own. I do not know the other pictures, - but the silvery picture (first in the second row) depicts the Müller organ in Haarlem, and must be the third set.

The first integral (from 1959 - ca 1964 on exclusively Danish organs) was - to my knowledge - never released on CD. I know it only from LPs and do not own it. It is not that innovative, and I never understood, why it caused a stir when it was released. Maybe the argument was the Danish organs (mostly Marcussen and Frobenius organs).

Quote from: jlaurson on February 17, 2009, 02:00:17 PM
Does anyone have the 2nd and 3rd... and what do they (dis)like about them, in comparison?! Thanks!

From my point of view the second set is preferable for sheer musical reasons. It is played upon good neo-baroque organs (Marcussen, Metzler et.c.) and it is a lively and expressive account, whereas the third set - played upon well restored baroque organs - makes a more calm, but also more "grandiose" impression. I have never made a direct comparison, but it feels like the tempi are a bit slower, and the period instruments are more impressive, whether you want it or not. Ideally you should have both sets.