Customer Reviews

Bach: Great Organ Works

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a former organist and lifelong Bach fanatic this compilation of some of Bach's best known works is simply as good as it gets. Peter Hurford, nearing perfection at the "Queen of Instruments", puts the five organs from around the world through their paces like nobody's business. Bach himself would have been proud of Hurford's interpretation. Master Composer meets Master Performer - a must have for every organ lover.

I am an organist myself, and I must say that Peter Hurford is the number one master of playing the organ. It sounds as if he has become the organ and creates outstanding music that will give you very intense emotions that you have never felt before. His omnipotent playing abilities are unreal. This is one CD no one, not even the average person, would send back for a refund. You do not have to be a music lover to enjoy Bach's almighty works. This is a very good deal; 2 CDs for less than the price of one new-release CD at a store.

Peter Hurford, one of the great organists around, has produced a great recording of the great organ masterpieces of one of the greatest organ composers ever! In this recording you have almost all of the most famous Bach works. I was quite impressed with the quality of his playing, and his interpretation and style is very good! This is a great recording for the "light" Bach lover to the serious Bach lover!

I am an organist myself, and I must say that Peter Hurford is the number one master of playing the organ. It sounds as if he has become the organ and creates outstanding music that will give you very intense emotions that you have never felt before. His omnipotent playing abilities are unreal. This is one CD no one, not even the average person, would send back for a refund. You do not have to be a music lover to enjoy Bach's almighty works. This is a very good deal; 2 CDs for less than the price of one new-release CD at a store.

Peter Hurford is perhaps one of the foremost organists of his time. He has not only studied music but law as well, giving a scholarly twist on his education. I have always been pleased by his interpretations of Bach. They are no-nonsense, with strict tempos, clean, accurate passages, and registrations which are very lush and vibrant. For the new fan of Bach, there is no better place to start, as this set contains all of the "big" organ pieces for which Bach became legendary, as well as a few well-known chorale preludes. For those who wish to explore Bach's organ contributions in more detail, buy Hurford's complete Bach recordings (Although I believe it is out of print or very hard to obtain, as I have not yet found one). If this is the case, buy Marie-Claire Alain's version on Erato. No two organists understand Bach better.

Peter Hurford is a wonderul musician.. his interpretations of this music are musical.. (esp. with the St. Anne Fugue where each of the three variations are connected with beatiful transitions..)
A wonderful recording.. in an era where everything has to be perfect,
it's nice to hear an artist take some risk and give us their own
personal, unique, and original interpretations.

I find myself a Bach fanatic, and I have very decisively studied him. I find that his pieces are without a doubt the pinnacle of Baroque style and composition. I am an organist and I must say that you don't have to be an musician to appreciate the difficulty and talent here! This is without a doubt a wonderful CD. I feel that this CD will most definately get you addicted to Bach, although there are other CDs you might consider advancing to. After years of use, I felt a desire to hear it all, and so then I bought Marie-Claire Alain's box set of complete organ works. It was wonderful. So in all i believe this is a great CD for people who enjoy Bach, but for those who wish to step up to the next level I would recommend Alain's Box Set.

This album has a lot of music for the money. The recording quality is excellent, but I find that the playing of Peter Hurford, while clean, does not carry the rhythm and soul of some other recordings of this material by others. The music seems more stacato and less flowing than other renditions such as by E. Power Biggs.

Apart from that Peter Hurford is an excellent organ player, you have to hear this organ. Especially on the BWV 552 Prelude and Fugue in E flat major. It is majestic.

excellent. unforgettable works by one of the masters, the grand organs have their own place in time mostly heard in church surroundings. this brings it home.cigar, brandy, toccata and fugue d minor, heaven.