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| 1. Toccata And Fugue In D Minor, BWV 565 |
| 2. Fantasia And Fugue In G Minor, BWV 542 |
| 3. Organ Concerto No. 4 In C Major, BWV 595 |
| 4. Toccata And Fugue In D Minor, BWV 538 'Dorian': Toccata |
| 5. Toccata And Fugue In D Minor, BWV 538 'Dorian': Fugue |
| 6. Chorale Preludes: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 645 |
| 7. Chorale Preludes: Kommst du nun, Jesus, vom Himmel herunter, BWV 650 |
| 8. Organ Concerto No. 2 In A Minor, BWV 593: 1. (without tempo indication) |
| 9. Organ Concerto No. 2 In A Minor, BWV 593: 2. Adagio. Senza Pedale a due Clav. |
| 10. Organ Concerto No. 2 In A Minor, BWV 593: 3. Allegro |
This particular rendition I selected because I loved the rich, resonant sound of the recording which, despite some analogue glitches due to its being recorded from 1964 to 1980, transferred well to CD. This full-bodied sound is at its best on the pieces played on the Silbermann and Great Silbermann organs, which have a strikingly powerful sound that one might almost expect of an orchestra's brass section. Tracks 4 and 5, "Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor (Dorian)" highlights this the best. The other reason I chose this one was because it uses modern tuning--while some purists might not care for that, I personally prefer it this way.
The mind never has a chance to become restless, while listening to the great concertos and tocatta-and-fugues--almost always there are two or three different, yet interlocking things going on at once. Depending on what you focus on from moment to moment, each listening experience is unique, and the excitement of it never wears off--it is almost like hearning it for the first time, every time.
The one real drawback to this compilation, and why I couldn't award this album a full 5 stars despite the excellence of its other parts, was the two choral preludes. Although the same organ was used successfully in the first "Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor" (perhaps Bach's MOST famous organ work), during the preludes, one of the organ's stops produces a noise that is best likened to the several electric razors tuned to musical notes...a prelude in Buzz-major, if you like. There's also a certain vivaciousness lacking in the playing of the preludes in comparison to the other majestic works, and I usually just skip these two.
That said, although I would normally dock an album 2 stars for such a major problem, the rest of it (the majority) is absolutely stunning, hence a 4-star rating. After all, I don't regret this purchase.
This particular rendition I selected because I loved the rich, resonant sound of the recording which, despite some analogue glitches due to its being recorded from 1964 to 1980, transferred well to CD. This full-bodied sound is at its best on the pieces played on the Silbermann and Great Silbermann organs, which have a strikingly powerful sound that one might almost expect of an orchestra's brass section. Tracks 4 and 5, "Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor (Dorian)" highlights this the best. The other reason I chose this one was because it uses modern tuning--while some purists might not care for that, I personally prefer it this way.
The mind never has a chance to become restless, while listening to the great concertos and tocatta-and-fugues--almost always there are two or three different, yet interlocking things going on at once. Depending on what you focus on from moment to moment, each listening experience is unique, and the excitement of it never wears off--it is almost like hearning it for the first time, every time.
The one real drawback to this compilation, and why I couldn't award this album a full 5 stars despite the excellence of its other parts, was the two choral preludes. Although the same organ was used successfully in the first "Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor" (perhaps Bach's MOST famous organ work), during the preludes, one of the organ's stops produces a noise that is best likened to the several electric razors tuned to musical notes...a prelude in Buzz-major, if you like. There's also a certain vivaciousness lacking in the playing of the preludes in comparison to the other majestic works, and I usually just skip these two.
That said, although I would normally dock an album 2 stars for such a major problem, the rest of it (the majority) is absolutely stunning, hence a 4-star rating. After all, I don't regret this purchase.
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