Customer Reviews

Bach: L'Ouvre d'orgue (The Organ Works) /Rogg

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Rogg's recording of the complete organ works of J.S.Bach are just wonderful. His interpretations are the finest I've heard. I have at least a dozen recordings of many of these, some dating back to the thirties, but Rogg's interpretations seem always to be my favorites. They were all recorded on a wonderful Silbermann organ.

Let's face it: it's not easy to comprehend twelve hours of some of the finest organ music ever composed. The first impressive feature of this recording is the consistently high quality of Lionel Rogg's performance: he chooses his interpretations with great care, insight, even humour, when the occasion demands: all realised on a magnificent, restored 18th-century organ from the legendary Silbermann family. Surely the highlight of the whole set is Rogg's performance of the Passacaglia and Fugue: chilling, grand, extremely expressive, but never overdone. To the smaller Orgelbuchlein pieces he brings just the right touch. And, of course, the big preludes, toccatas, partitas, &c. receive careful readings, too.

The second impressive feature is the price: how Harmonia Mundi gets away with offering a huge set at this low price is beyond me (except, perhaps, that the recordings are rather dated--see below.)

One note of caution: the selection is *extremely* conservative in deciding on canonical Bach works. Anything that is at all doubtful is left off, including some old favourites like the "Kleines Harmonisches Labyrinth" (BWV 591), once attributed to JSB. I understand why HM did this, of course--at 12 discs the set is already top-heavy--but a few of these pieces are well worth hearing alongside the canonical works, and some may actually be genuine Bach works.

The only thing that stops me from giving this the full five stars is the uneven sound quality: these recordings first appeared in 1970, and they show their limitations. At times, especially during the fugues, the voices get muddied, particularly in the pedal; there is even some distortion at the very low end (such as the low C in the Passacaglia theme). However, even with the limited sound, I have to remind myself that one can't purchase a complete set of Bach's organ works in such wonderful performances anywhere else as this astonishingly low price--by all means the Rogg recordings are well worth having.

This is thrilling music, well played on an organ representative of Bach's period. The harmonic structure of the pedal notes is wonderful and this recording seems to sort them out just fine. Its hard to believe that this organ is only 40+ ranks and was originally pumped by human power.

The "Passacaglia" is the finest I have heard, and I do not hear any noticable distortion on the low pedal notes. In fact this recording from the early seventies is more listenable than many newer digital recordings made recently. Also, I listen to this music at levels comparable to those experienced in the church environment.

I am completely satisfied with this boxed set and listen to it often. I advise anyone buy this set based on artistry and musical content and not worry about the sound. It's OK.

I do not understand why this set does not come up on Amazon's Bach Organ works listing. I had to find it under Lionel Rogg.

For those unfamiliar with Lionel Rogg's superlative Bach cycle done in Zürich in the early 'sixties, this set may well prove entirely satisfactory; the reviews here suggest it does and I would not wish my opinions to spoil others' enjoyment of these recordings but I'm bound to say I'm disappointed that this present set is nothing like the original.

The earlier recordings were made using the modern Metzler instrument in the Großmünster and were very widely acclaimed at the time; indeed, they were regarded as being closer to "definitive" than any other set then extant. I continue to regard these extraordinarily fine performances in the same light but playing my collection of very tired LPs has to be rationed. In my judgment the later offering is bland and uninspired, both in performance and choice of registrations - it conveys the impression that Lionel Rogg has "been there, done that" which, of course, he has but it doesn't have to be so obvious. Quality of recording is a little inconsistent and never above average.

Furthermore, an instrument for this programme more appropriate than the organ at Arlesheim might have been chosen; the fact that it is a Silbermann is no guarantee of suitability in respect of Bach performances. This one is by Johann Silbermann, nephew of the great Gottfried Silbermann who built glorious instruments in the North German tradition; a tradition with which Bach's writing indissolubly is joined but the works of brother Andreas Silbermann were couched in a markedly French idiom. His organs, generally, are very fine - the larger of his instruments in Freiburg Cathedral being a good example - but his sons who carried on the business continued in his strong Alsatian bias evident at Arlesheim. As is characteristic of so many Silbermann instruments, this one is lacking in the pedal division.

Sadly, there is no established "Bach organ" specification - we can only conjecture (and, I think, fairly accurately) what this might have been from the instruments of builders like Hildebrandt, Trost and Wender but regardless of speculation, the Arlesheim Silbermann is not even on the short list.

If this review seems a little sour, it is because I fail to understand why Rogg/Harmonia Mundi, after some forty five years of "hibernation", wasted an opportunity to transfer what was a brilliantly performed, superbly recorded and universally acclaimed product to CD. By comparison, the present offering is very mediocre and I no longer have it in my library.

Of the Bach recordings currently available, I would recommend those by Walcha, Fagius or Ritchie. These recordings, particularly the George Ritchie set which benefits from outstanding audio quality and instruments superbly suited to the task - just listen to the Paul Fritts at the Pacific Lutheran University to hear what I mean - are choices preferred to this Harmonia Mundi lack-lustre collection.

This is the first, and best, recordings of Johann Sebastian Bach Organ Works I have heard. Lionel Rogg's performances are smooth and flawless. I usually feel I have not heard an organ work by Bach until I have heard Rogg's recording on the Silbermann organ at Arlesheim in 1970, which this boxed set presents. The Toccatas and Fugues are the highlight; especially the fabulous Toccata in F Major. I have played this piece by this organist more than any recording in my life. His rendition of the usually least-admired Toccata in E made me admire it fully for the first time. Usually his performances are the best and definitive versions of each piece. The dramatic feel, tempo and phrasing are the best I've heard. Occasionally other versions of the smaller chorales are more engaging than Rogg's. The Arlesheim organ is also rather small, although powerful; and the sound of the organ doesn't vary too much from disc to disc through the 12 CDs. I don't know why one reviewer complained about the "sound" however; it is fabulous and all notes are extraordinariily clear on all pieces. Also, it's not a complete set of Bach organ works, but that does not make it any less essential to anyone who wants to own recordings of the Master's organ works.

NOT Johann Michael Bach! How did that get there?

I would like to add that I have all these 3 sets of Bach Organ Works, performed by Lionel Rogg for the Oryx, EMI & Harmonia Mundi labels.

As a student, I idealized his mid-1960's 'Oryx Recordings'. But yesterday, I serviced my old Rotel turntable and replayed some of the LPs from the Oryx series; comparing them against my EMI remastered, mid-1970's CD versions,(also played by Rogg on 'modern' organs) - and then my 'Harmonia Mundi' CD set on a Silbermann Organ.

Sorry, but I don't know how anyone today can be content, after listening to the original technical sound quality emanating from the LP's! Apart from the 'crackles & clicks', the stereo is narrow and compressed. There is no really wide, dynamic, aural spectrum either. Also, one notices the really low-signal to high-noise ratio. Thank God for the wonders of digital remastering, otherwise you'd fail to appreciate much of Rogg's subtle, detailed interpretation.

I had deluded myself, entertaining once-rosy memories, gained in the early 1970's. No way would I praise Rogg's 1960's recordings as being 'more authentic.' Let's say these Oryx recordings were groundbreaking for their time, but now there are 2 other series, newly remastered onto CD format, which better proclaim Rogg's interpretive talent.

Organ buffs may also care to purchase the excellent 15-CD 'Berlin Classics' series, (re-released approx 2008). All these very early (1960's-1972) former VEB/edel/East German State recordings use several lovely, different sized, GDR located, Silbermann organs. They also benefit from 'sonic-soundmapping'(?) i.e. An ADD reprocessing, which translates as "VERY presentable; clean, wide-ranging sound." The 5 different East German organ virtuosi (emanating from the former DDR's musical schools in Dresden, Weimar & Leipzig) furnish one's ear with very thrilling, clearly articulated performances.

I heard raves about the Rogg set, so I bought it. Am I glad I did? I guess so. Long story short, there's not much "bounce" to his playing. Is it the organ? I don't know. Sure Kevin Bowyer is inconsistent, but I dare you to find a better "Wedge". All in all, a fine, workmanlike set of organ works by The Master. 12 CDs in paper sleeves with no dubious works.

Si hay un tipo de obra que de inmediato es reconocida como "típica de Bach" son sus creaciones para órgano (sinceramente creo que pocas personas en el mundo no reconocerían los primeros compases de la "tocata y fuga en Re menor"); sin embargo, pocas personas saben que Bach escribió una muy extensa obra para este instrumento, seguramente inspirado en uno de sus compositores más admirados: Buxtehude. Fue tal el interés del joven Bach por la obra de este maestro, que no dudó en ir caminando hasta Lubeck para escucharlo y aprender algo de él. Debido precisamente a lo extenso de la obra de órgano de Bach, es raro encontrar recopilaciones completas de todas estas melodías. Esta colección de discos es una verdadera maravilla, ya que se combina un precio muy atractivo con una interpretación realmente excelente a cargo de Rogg en el órgano Silbermann de Arlesheim de Suiza. En los doce discos viene casi toda la obra que para este instrumento escribió Bach (solo faltan algunas obras descubiertas recientemente), todas perfectamente catalogadas y con comentarios muy autorizados para cada una de ellas en mano del mismo Rogg, lo que hace del folleto una guía indispensable para la correcta audición de esta monumental obra. Un consejo adicional: la música de órgano suele ser abrumadora por su grandiosidad, así que le recomendaría que dosificara cuidadosamente el placer de escuchar estos discos (en lo personal, cuando compré esta colección estuve oyendo un disco diario hasta acabarla). Si trata de escucharla toda de un tirón, estará frente a su equipo de sonido por más de 12 horas, y seguramente quedará hastiado del sonido del órgano; pero si lo dosifica, verá que pronto estará regresando una y otra vez a sus melodías favoritas.