Product Details

• Actors: Hans-Andre Stamm
• Format: Classical, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Geneon [Pioneer]
• DVD Release Date: December 12, 2000
• Run Time: 80 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00004ZERJ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #109,620 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Glorious. Splendid. Awe-inspiring. How else to describe the experience of hearing J.S. Bach's greatest organ music, played by a virtuoso on an instrument that's nearly 300 years old and then delivered via state-of-the-art digital audio? Playing the Trost Organ in Waltershausen, Germany, Hans-André Stamm makes his way through nine different pieces, from thunderous fugues (including the familiar Toccata and Fugue in D Minor) to stately hymns and delicate pastorales. The 80-minute program is impressive, as are the bonus DVD features that accompany it. Among the latter are a bio of the organist; a timeline tracing political, cultural, and biographical events in Bach's world during the early 18th century; "Thuringia Impression," an extra musical selection set to filmed scenes of the green, rolling, German countryside; and an extensive "liner notes" section with notes on the compositions, a description of the organ (it has 2,806 pipes and was reputedly played by Bach himself), and display options for viewing titles, harmonic analysis of the music, or details of the organ's many stops and registrations (i.e., levers and knobs used to achieve its wondrous sounds).

If there's one flaw, it's the surfeit of close-ups on Stamm's hands and feet as he works the keys and pedals (not to mention the odd angles on his face as he studies the music), and the relative lack of longer, wider shots of the magnificent organ and the church in which it's located. On the other hand, one can simply turn off the picture and use the disc like an audio CD, and the power and majesty of Bach's genius will still come through loud and clear. --Sam Graham

Product Description

Co-produced by Pioneer Entertainment, this program was recorded last month in honor of Johann Sebastian Bach's 250th anniversary. It has been recorded in video with 96K / 24bit multi-track audio on the Trost-Organ in Waltershausen, Germany. This organ was selected for its incredible sound and suitability for Bach music. Additionally, Bach himself actually played this particular organ during his lifetime.

The performance is by renowned organist and Bach specialist Hans-Andre Stamm.

Includes Johann Sebastian Bach Favorites:

•Toccata and Fugue d minor BWV 565 •Präludium and Fugue E flat major BWV 552 •Passacaglia and Fugue c minor BWV 582 •Various Choral Preludes

DVD Features:

•96K / 24 bit Non compressed stereo audio •Dolby Digital 5.1 audio •Music Analysis / Subtitles •Performer Profiles •Historical Timeline •Liner Notes •Glossary

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!, October 16, 2002

By 

Philip Warner (Hampton Bays, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bach - Greatest Organ Works, Vol. 1 (DVD)

This disc and its companion (Vol II) are a joy to be enjoyed over and over. As someone who plays the organ(I'm no organist!)
I throughly enjoyed Herr Stamm's playing of Bach. Like the "middle bear" in The Three Bears, his playing is "just
right"... neither too slow nor too fast. His registrations are varied and suitable to those of Bach's time and the choice of works includes enough variation to keep the volumes interesting.

I had the great joy of visiting a "sister" organ to this instrument... the Trost Organ in Altenburg back in 1981. I still recall its wonderful singing quality, lacking the harsher mixtures of the North German Baroque organs of the 16th century. This organ, like the Altenburg, has the silvery qualities of the Silbermann's and were known to be of Bach's liking.

So why only four stars rather than five? Well I would gladly give it four and a half but five... no. I would wish for more
camera on the pedal passages and less of the Church overhead

and organ facade... lovely as they are. In particular those
passages where the pedals are solo or carrying the line should
have been given over to the camera. In another review a listener has wisely suggested three cameras allowing the viewer to choose what he would like to see at any given moment. That would rate a star all by itself!

I hope this wonderful series will continue on DVD. If you have any interest in the glory of J.S. Bach on a real organ then these discs are a must.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Organ Music, February 13, 2001

By 

Paul E. Lundy (Wallingford, IA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bach - Greatest Organ Works, Vol. 1 (DVD)

Great program, great sound, and great photography. It is often hard to get good video of an organ; they do a terrific job here of showing the keyboard, fingering etc. But the best for me is the music analysis on subtitle 2. Since I saw my first DVD 3 years ago, I have been looking for someone to start offering such analysis. It helps those of us who are not expert in music to understand better what's going on. The organ registration on subtitle 3 is interesting, but not useful to me. I hope that we will see a lot more classical music DVD's with this analysis. It can't cost that much, and if one doesn't want to see it, you don't have to turn it on.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Sound!, January 21, 2001

By 

D. MCMULLAN (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bach - Greatest Organ Works, Vol. 1 (DVD)

The sound on this DVD is better than I expected. The Dolby 5.1 soundtrack produces a truly enveloping experience. The balance among the channels is so precise that you feel like you are in the church. For those who have hi-fi equipment, you will also be pleased with the 48k/24 bit non-compressed stereo, which delivers the sound in absolute purity. This is the best sounding organ recording I have heard. The only disapointment I have with this performance is the conservative use of registration changes. Being an organist, I would expect the Passacaglia to include more tonal changes. However, on this period instrument, I can see the difficulty in making very quick registration changes. One more thing, it is odd that they show the face of the performer upclose from a camera on the console. Hans expression is almost comical.