Bach: Favorite Organ Works

Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Anthony Newman (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Anthony Newman
• Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
• Audio CD (April 2, 1996)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000029Q0
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #290,424 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #94 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Variations > Passacaglias

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Way way WAY too fast, January 3, 2003

By 

Mark Dirksen (Beverly Mass. United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bach: Favorite Organ Works (Audio CD)

Do these performances have anything at all to recommend them? Yes: it is interesting to hear non-autograph manual changes on a modern recording of Bach's organ works. Younger organists who know only the monochromatic everything-pleno performance practices of contemporary players may profit from studying Newman's approach to concertato interpretation.

But ye gods! the playing is out of control. Another review praises the lack of "adagio boring stuff", but there is no virtue in speed alone - in a piece such as the C major trio (BWV 529) it verges on blasphemy. It would be laughable, if it wasn't disturbing. This is music written with a higher purpose than mere virtuoso display, so the shockingly fast tempi are all about Newman, not about Bach.

I will admit that the Passacaglia comes off best (even at this pace) and I do appreciate his over-the-top cadenza with the following grand rallentando: too many performances never really "bring it all home." But please don't look to this as your only recording of these masterpieces. There is far more depth and delight in this music than Newman's flashy approach can ever reveal.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anthony Newman is Incredible, December 11, 2001

By 

bargles (Cornwall, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bach: Favorite Organ Works (Audio CD)

This CD is worth every penny. The organ sounds incredible, and it has a booming, thunderous sound to it. Every track is interpreted masterfully by Newman, and contains classics such as the Passacaglia and Toccata and Fugue. Many of the tracks left me breathless, hairs on end and chills down my spine, and others left me feeling happy, and lighthearted. This CD is a must have for any Bach collection.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply fantastic!, June 29, 2010

By 

Leon Zhao - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bach: Favorite Organ Works (Audio CD)

The Passacaglia alone is worth owning this album. Other interpretations are too slow - so slow that you don't even notice the climax. Sure slower pace might satisfy the trained ears who want to hear the flows and harmonics in every stanza, but remember Bach is a dramatic composer and he writes music because music is emotional and pleasant. The only way to tie the whole piece together is to maintain the thread of melody by playing the progressions faster. Bach played this piece in a competition to showcase not only his intellect but also his organist virtuosity and his ability to captivate the audience. I believe Newman got it right.