J.S. Bach on the Organ

[Geo Dude]

But perhaps you could go non-French, for your third set.

Not a bad idea.  Open to further recommendations in this line of thinking.

Bowyers seems interesting, but I'll have to get that one one at a time, it seems.  I'm not a fan of MP3 CDs.

[Geo Dude]

I opened up the Foccroulle box only to realize that I hadn't dug out this set and played it yet (probably a set that I bought in case went OOP)...based on the first disc and a half, this shall be a great experience.  Still interested in a third set, though.

[Karl Henning]

Jens's suggestion sparks the realization that, with no apparent forethought, my sets are geographically diversified (German, French & Dutch).

[Geo Dude]

Jens's suggestion sparks the realization that, with no apparent forethought, my sets are geographically diversified (German, French & Dutch).

Don't be a tease...which sets do you have?

[Karl Henning]

Hah! The Walcha set upon whose provenance Jens has cast (and righteously) so baleful a light; one of the Alain sets (I am too green to say just which, offhand); and in the flash drive edition, Koopman.

[jlaurson]

Hah! The Walcha set upon whose provenance Jens has cast (and righteously) so baleful a light; one of the Alain sets (I am too green to say just which, offhand); and in the flash drive edition, Koopman.

A selection of my collection... a sign of my obsession about bachian possessions.



(From left to right: Rogg III, Alain II, Walcha I, Walcha II, Koopman, Silbermann Organs, Preston, Alain III, Stockmeier, Weinberger, Vernet, Ruebsam I; not included Fagius, which is part of the Complete Bach set on Brilliant.)

[Karl Henning]

Ah, mine would be Alain II, then.

[Sammy]

Not a bad idea.  Open to further recommendations in this line of thinking.

Bowyers seems interesting, but I'll have to get that one one at a time, it seems.  I'm not a fan of MP3 CDs.

I acquired quite a few of the Bowyer discs when they were initially released and have found his performances frustrating - entirely hit or miss without any particular personality.  He's better than Tillmanns on Danacord, but that's not saying much.

[jlaurson]

Not a bad idea.  Open to further recommendations in this line of thinking.

Bowyers seems interesting, but I'll have to get that one one at a time, it seems.  I'm not a fan of MP3 CDs.

Nah, I wouldn't bother with MP3 CDs, either. I hate the concept... combining the worst of both formats.
Bowyers does it for me, in the few discs I have... admittedly not heard in a while. I remember particularly liking his Organ Mass.
Perhaps I've gotten lucky with the five or so disc sets I have from his cycle... it's true that I've not heard all that many great things about it, apart from those very obvious fluff-reviews that I'd pay little heed.

[Mandryka]

I opened up the Foccroulle box only to realize that I hadn't dug out this set and played it yet (probably a set that I bought in case went OOP)...based on the first disc and a half, this shall be a great experience.  Still interested in a third set, though.

Sometimes I think he's a bit faceless and a bit staid, but there are one or two real beauties in there. Trio Sonata 4 for example, is one of my favourites.

I think what's being said about Walcha 1 is unfair. For example, the  trio sonatas there are unsurpassed for ecstasy. There may be other equally valid ways of playing them, but Walcha's way is, for me, thrilling.

If you really want a third set, the obvious one to get is Rubsam (Naxos). That way you'll be in touch with some very different and challenging  ideas, but still within the HIP framework (maybe)

[jlaurson]

If you really want a third set, the obvious one to get is Rubsam (Naxos). That way you'll be in touch with some very different and challenging  ideas, but still within the HIP framework (maybe)

Good recommendation, that. Ruebsam II is, err... HIP-informed, I suppose. But on American Organs and with a very (charming!) personality driven interpretative credo.
Pity it's not been turned into a convenient set... but here's a link to all the volumes in the series:


Wolfgang Rubsam Bach Organ Works on Naxos

[Geo Dude]

The Rubsam II sounds interesting.  On the other hand, that Ritchie set is OOP but still available for a reasonable price and the idea of an American playing on American organs built based on German baroque organs is interesting...in any case, for the price that the Rubsam discs are available I can afford to pick up several alongside the Ritchie set if I go for that.  (I believe I already have Rubsam's Leipzig Chorales, so I'll need to give that a listen.)

I acquired quite a few of the Bowyer discs when they were initially released and have found his performances frustrating - entirely hit or miss without any particular personality.  He's better than Tillmanns on Danacord, but that's not saying much.

Do you have a recommendation for a favored set?

[Sammy]

The Rubsam II sounds interesting.  On the other hand, that Ritchie set is OOP but still available for a reasonable price and the idea of an American playing on American organs built based on German baroque organs is interesting...in any case, for the price that the Rubsam discs are available I can afford to pick up several alongside the Ritchie set if I go for that.  (I believe I already have Rubsam's Leipzig Chorales, so I'll need to give that a listen.)

Do you have a recommendation for a favored set?

Rogg/Harmonia Mundi, Rubsam/Naxos, Weinberger/CPO and the Hanssler/Bach recordings excepting for Kay Johannsen who I find rather boring. 

[Geo Dude]

Rogg/Harmonia Mundi, Rubsam/Naxos, Weinberger/CPO and the Hanssler/Bach recordings excepting for Kay Johannsen who I find rather boring. 

So, you don't find Weinberger too 'scholarly' and/or boring at times?  Just trying to figure out if there's any kind of a consensus here.  Thanks, by the way.

[Parsifal]

excepting for Kay Johannsen who I find rather boring.

Now that I don't understand, my favorite set of Trio Sonatas ever!

[Sammy]

So, you don't find Weinberger too 'scholarly' and/or boring at times? 

Best I can remember, the only thing that bothered me about his set was that the soundstage was overly reverberant in two or three of the discs.

[Sammy]

Now that I don't understand, my favorite set of Trio Sonatas ever!

Really?  Johannsen?  I found the playing on that disc heavy, slow, dour and lacking the degree of majesty I prefer.  He does perform a few of movements excellently, but my overall feeling is that he joins Bowyer, Tillmanns, Murray and a few others at the low end of the Bach scale.

[kishnevi]

Another point in dealing with complete sets; I've found that it matters how the set is organized: some are organized by pure genre, like Alain II;  some are organized semi-speculatively quasi-chronologically, like Vernet.  I've found my ears work better with the latter approach, but of course not everyone's ears are like mine, and some may prefer to have all the chorales in one vast series, and the free from works in another series. 

[Sean]

I got to know these works from the Hurford, which I first bought partly in the clumsy jewel sets, then later complete; the playing is articulate and on top of the counterpoint yet there's a sense of fullness along with well consistently focused sound and smooth contours .

I don't like the somewhat mixed up layout and the itemization of works could be clearer- I spent time identifying which was exactly which with the list of works in Grove. The only other recording I've since heard through once or twice is the Hans Fagius on Brilliant Classics, a very different approach cultivating rich dark lines with a wider acoustic, and an interpretation to go to only after you've gained familiarity I think. I gave the set to the local catholic priest actually, who makes some use of it before services begin...

By the way folks, a plea for more specific threads. We don't want to wade through 100 pages of meandering comments on this block of 17 hours of music. Bach organ works- complete recordings is fine, but otherwise I'd always just start individual threads and get more focused discussions on The Bach organ Preludes and fugues or The German organ mass etc. I couldn't be bothered with titles like the present one...

[Que]

Now that I don't understand, my favorite set of Trio Sonatas ever!

Kay Johannsen's performance scores high points with me as well.

Q