J.S. Bach on the Organ

[prémont]

On the right upper edge of the homepage there are two flags visible: the Dutch 'tricolore' and the Union Jack for the English version. It's possible to order cd's from abroad.
http://www.landgoedgerianna.nl/contact/index.html
For instance, they have (probably a very limited amount) of Bach/Beekman cd's left. One sampler and the volumes 4, 8 and 9.
This series is OOP, so it might be your last chance to get some (only if you're interested, of course).

Thanks to the research of Marc I have been able to acquire almost half of Bram Beekman´s Bach integral, and have used much of the past weekend to listen to him. Fortunately I got the volumes recorded in Alkmaar, Groningen and Maasluis.

What strikes me at once is Beekman´s unsensational style. He deliberately underplays any chance to show his technical powers. In this point he is rather similar to Wolfgang Stockmeier. The next is Beekman´s calm "comfortable" tempi, lending the music nice time to unfold. His registrations are rather scholary, and I certainly appreciate that he plays the entire Art of Fugue without the use of the pedal, as well as he plays the entire Passacaglia with unchanged coupled HW/RP plenum - to mention some examples. His agogics are discrete, so no great gestures here. The combination of his sparse agogics and the fact that he seems to suffer from some legato-fobia and very often articulates non legato / staccato in an almost stubborn way, gives the impression of a somewhat pedantic approach to the music, and makes me think of Daniel Chorzempa´s Bach recordings from the early 1980es, where any kind of legato (even the binding of just two notes) was "forbidden". E.g.: Beekman´s h-minor Fugue BWV 544 is for this very reason hard to stand through, and this is also true of a number of other choralfree works. And generally I find him most impressive in the choralbound works, where he seems to relax a little more. His style is close to the style of Ewald Kooiman as exemplified by Kooiman´s second integral (for Coronata). But Kooiman´s articulation was much more considered in detail and varied and therefore more expressive concerning the affect he wanted to evoke. In this context the book: "Zur Interpretation der Orgelmusik Joh.Seb.Bach´s" by Kooiman and Gerhard Weinberger (Verlag Merseburger 1995) is interesting reading. Unfortunately you have to read it in German.

[prémont]

Preston is too superficial to me, and sometimes even annoying. It feels like he's dancing on a nail bed, especially in many non-liturgical works.

Yes, exactly superficial. I think he skates through most of the P&F´s and T&F´s in a rather insensitive way. But as you wrote later in this thread, his Chorales are better, and I also think he captures the chamber music-like playfulness of the Triosonatas rather well. And also the Concerto arrangements stand his treatment better than the P&F´s. And the Marcussen organ in Dom zu Lübeck he uses for the Concertos is a better instrument than the Marcussen organ in Odense, which Bovyer uses.

[Marc]

Thanks to the research of Marc I have been able to acquire almost half of Bram Beekman´s Bach integral, and have used much of the past weekend to listen to him. Fortunately I got the volumes recorded in Alkmaar, Groningen and Maasluis.

What strikes me at once is Beekman´s unsensational style. He deliberately underplays any chance to show his technical powers. In this point he is rather similar to Wolfgang Stockmeier. The next is Beekman´s calm "comfortable" tempi, lending the music nice time to unfold. His registrations are rather scholary, and I certainly appreciate that he plays the entire Art of Fugue without the use of the pedal, as well as he plays the entire Passacaglia with unchanged coupled HW/RP plenum - to mention some examples. His agogics are discrete, so no great gestures here. The combination of his sparse agogics and the fact that he seems to suffer from some legato-fobia and very often articulates non legato / staccato in an almost stubborn way, gives the impression of a somewhat pedantic approach to the music, and makes me think of Daniel Chorzempa´s Bach recordings from the early 1980es, where any kind of legato (even the binding of just two notes) was "forbidden". E.g.: Beekman´s h-minor Fugue BWV 544 is for this very reason hard to stand through, and this is also true of a number of other choralfree works. And generally I find him most impressive in the choralbound works, where he seems to relax a little more. His style is close to the style of Ewald Kooiman as exemplified by Kooiman´s second integral (for Coronata). But Kooiman´s articulation was much more considered in detail and varied and therefore more expressive concerning the affect he wanted to evoke. In this context the book: "Zur Interpretation der Orgelmusik Joh.Seb.Bach´s" by Kooiman and Gerhard Weinberger (Verlag Merseburger 1995) is interesting reading. Unfortunately you have to read it in German.

Premont, thanks for this review of Beekman! I share your opinion that he's more impressive in the liturgical works.
About Kooiman: I have been listening with great pleasure to his Kellner-interpretations, part of the Thüringen-organ series. But I fear his Bach integrals are OOP.

[Marc]

Who would be your first choice or choices?

Dear Don, would you mind waiting for the 'answer' for a while?
My short furlough is over, and I'm beginning with a new job, which is going to take a lot of my time in the near months. So there won't be much time left for thorough listening, I'm afraid.
I've bought far too much organ cd's the last four months, and I've only listened to them in a more or less 'cut up' way (no systematic hearing, so to speak). In general, I already mentioned something about my preferences recently.

I will pick some organists though, and listen to their Leipzig Chorales, and try to be disciplined enough to take some notes. If such a 'review' is really worthwhile .... dunno. I don't know anything about the technical aspects of organ playing, including the registration part. Do I hear 'flauto dolce'/'vox humana'/'bassoon'/'bourdon' (?), etcetera.

BTW: to learn something more about the instrument, I might be visiting an organ building company next saturday: Mense Ruiter in Zuidwolde, province of Groningen, Netherlands. It's Orgeldag in the nothern regions of the Netherlands, so everyone is free to visit. Including free visiting of a lot of churches with historic organs. I've 'planned' to visit the organ of the Hervormde Kerk at Noordwolde, (province of Groningen again). It was built around 1658/1659 by Hendrick Huis (alterations in 1802 and 1833 by resp. Hermann Freytag & Nicolaas Anthonie Lohman), and restored by Mense Ruiter in 2007.

Here's a pic of the Huis-organ:



I guess my saturday will be ..... fine.

[Bulldog]

I hadn't listened to Kevin Bowyer's account of the Leipzig Chorales for a few years, and my memories were not favorable.  However, he sounded mighty fine last night, so I take back anything negative I said about his Bach on the board.

[prémont]

I guess my saturday will be ..... fine.

There you got a good idea. I wish you a nice and instructive day.

[prémont]

I hadn't listened to Kevin Bowyer's account of the Leipzig Chorales for a few years, and my memories were not favorable.  However, he sounded mighty fine last night, so I take back anything negative I said about his Bach on the board.

Do not know his Leipzig Chorales, they may be better, but I know many other vol.s of his Bach set e.g. Art of Fugue, Clavierübung III, the Toccatas an a large part of the P&F´s, and I am not in the least impressed by his superficial Bach on speed style, and I would without hesitation rank him among the undermost 10%. Do you actually recommend his Leipzig Chorales?

[Bulldog]

Do not know his Leipzig Chorales, they may be better, but I know many other vol.s of his Bach set e.g. Art of Fugue, Clavierübung III, the Toccatas an a large part of the P&F´s, and I am not in the least impressed by his superficial Bach on speed style, and I would without hesitation rank him among the undermost 10%. Do you actually recommend his Leipzig Chorales?

Let's not go whole-hog here.  My favorable reaction had much to do with my traditional thinking that Bowyer's Bach sucked.  He's far from being one of my favored artists, but I've definitely heard worse - Murray comes to mind.

[Coopmv]

Let's not go whole-hog here.  My favorable reaction had much to do with my traditional thinking that Bowyer's Bach sucked.  He's far from being one of my favored artists, but I've definitely heard worse - Murray comes to mind.

Michael Murray is probably the worst organist in recording.  His fellow American organ Daniel Chorzempa is way better. 

[Marc]

I guess my saturday will be ..... fine.

There you got a good idea. I wish you a nice and instructive day.

Yes, it was a nice and instructive day. Visited two churches (with the Lohman organ in Zuidwolde [1817/1836] & the Huisz organ [1658/1659] in Noordwolde) and the studio of organ builder Mense Ruiter. What a delicate job that is. Unfortunately, my knowledge & understanding of technics & physics has always been rather poor. But I also brought a friend of mine and he's much more interested in the technical part of any thing. Which meant he had a great time, too.
When we entered the village church in Noordwolde, an amateur organist - who played rather well - was playing Buxtehude's D minor Passacaglia BuxWV 161, and he was obviously very very pleased with the instrument.

I myself wasn't on any player's list, so I did not bring any music. Too bad, because in Zuidwolde I had the chance to play something. This organ wasn't officially part of the organ day, because it's being restored right now by Mense Ruiter.
Anyway: I played the first bars of Mozart's KV 545 on the yellow ivory keys of this Lohman organ (it sounded great! ), and a boogie woogie on an old small chamber pipe organ at the builder's workshop. Especially the latter recital was greeted with great enthousiasm by the other visitors.

[Antoine Marchand]

During the weekend I was listening to some excerpts of the Stockmeier's recordings.

I just heard 30 sec. or so in every piece, but I was rather impressed about his sobriety and straightforward style.  

Nice sound, too.

Has anyone any opinion about him?

[prémont]

During the weekend I was listening to some excerpts of the Stockmeier's recordings.

... I was rather impressed about his sobriety and straightforward style.  

Has anyone any opinion about him?

Sober and straightforward style is an apt description. His efforts may not be the result of the latest historical information, and some will find his playing underarticulated. But even leaving HIP considerations aside he is a rather self effacing artist, letting the music speak for itself, avoiding any kind of excesses a la Koopman and the likes. Stockmeier´s integrale is available for 22 Euro´s on DOC at JPC. The AoF and the Neumeister chorales are not included, but else it is one of the most complete sets available.

[Antoine Marchand]

... he is a rather self effacing artist, letting the music speak for itself, avoiding any kind of excesses a la Koopman and the likes.

That was exactly my impression. I'm the Koopman's alter ego  , but you are right: as an organist he can be unbearable sometimes.

Stockmeier´s integrale is available for 22 Euro´s on DOC at JPC. The AoF and the Neumeister chorales are not included, but else it is one of the most complete sets available.

What a great store is JPC! 

[robnewman]

Antonio Vivaldi - Double Concerto Op.7 No. 5
Transcription for Solo Organ - (Leipzig c. 1741)
Johann Sebastian Bach
BWV 594
(Marie Claire Alain - Organist)

One of those unique pieces. Not just because it's extraordinary music by Antonio Vivaldi and an equally extraordinary transcription for solo organ by JS Bach but because the organist here is herself one of the most talented, Marie Claire Alain. Between Vivaldi and Bach everything musical seems possible. 


http://www.mediafire.com/?5ihjqwwwjmm

/

[Marc]

Sober and straightforward style is an apt description. His efforts may not be the result of the latest historical information, and some will find his playing underarticulated. But even leaving HIP considerations aside he is a rather self effacing artist, letting the music speak for itself, avoiding any kind of excesses a la Koopman and the likes.

Poor Ton! Gosh Premont, you're harsh!

But indeed, Stockmeier is, whatever edition you buy, well worth his money. Sometimes maybe too much legato for my likings, but he's an honest no-nonsense interpreter, if I may say so. Also, there's this 'bonus' in the kinda 'crackling' sound of the Kreienbrink organs, which I'm rather attracted to.

[prémont]

But indeed, Stockmeier is, whatever edition you buy, well worth his money. Sometimes maybe too much legato for my likings, but he's an honest no-nonsense interpreter, if I may say so. Also, there's this 'bonus' in the kinda 'crackling' sound of the Kreienbrink organs, which I'm rather attracted to.

Yes, as I implied above, his style is a bit "oldfashioned". But nice that you draw attention to the Kreienbrink organs. Even if they are modern neo-baroque organs, they have got an appealing crisp sound, which in my opinion is well suited for Bach. An he uses maybe 15 different organs all in all. One may suspect Kreienbrink having sponsored the recordings. I shall add, that the DOC release has got the better sound.

[Coopmv]

His was my first set... the faux-linen covered box from Music & Arts (or some such label). Good stuff, indeed.

My 22-CD Weinberger set is still in its cellophane after it arrived from MDT over a month ago.  I started listening to my stereo Helmut Walcha set a few weeks ago but have managed to get to only CD2.  I like Helmut Walcha and really do not give a damn as to what some people think ...

[FideLeo]

I like Helmut Walcha and really do not give a damn as to what some people think ...

There's nothing wrong with being a Walcha fan. 

[Marc]

There's nothing wrong with being a Walcha fan. 

Seconded.

[prémont]

Seconded.

Thirded.