Customer Reviews

Bach: Toccata & Fugue

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

 

 

I'm of the opinion that Johann Sebastian Bach was a man ahead of his time. While in many of his pieces you can very clearly hear the influence of his contemporaries, sometimes you encounter strange dissonances and unusual chords that bring to mind a much more contemporary sound. Understand, I am not a technical expert when it comes to music--I don't read music or know all the terminology, but I grew up on classical music and I know what I like. Bach's organ works, for the most part, definitely fall into that category.

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.

I will simply list my caveats with this recording, as the highlights have already been established.

The organ is -far- too shallow. It needs a lot more bass resonance.

The choice of organ pieces could have been a lot better here. Bach wrote many haunting and breathtaking fantasias, yet there is only one fantasia on the disk. I guess that this CD will appeal more to people looking for a lighthearted side of Bach's organ works.

Regardless, I like this recording. I've listened to it a bunch of times, and Richter's playing is phenomenal.

Karl Richter interpretation and registration for Bach organ peices is, by far, the best of all the great organists. Track 4, BWV 538, the "Dorian"-Toccata will stop you dead in your tracks ! ! ! !

Again, bought this for a relative who really likes Bach. Cd arrived quickly and in perfect condition.

This is not a bad compilation of some of Bach's most awesome organ works. Some of the recordings sound a little old though.