April Bach-of-the-Month Honors
2015-05-14 - Playing and PiecesWith the conclusion of Lent and the arrival of the Easter season, everyone was extra busy, but the number of uploads on the Concert Hall continues to grow by leaps and bounds - and not just in numbers of uploads but HIGH QUALITY PERFORMANCES!
Sometimes old J. S. Bach seems to dominate the month with the number of "appearances" that he makes! In April, the old boy was not quite as "present" as he sometimes is, but the uploads of his music were all of high quality.
I've made my three "choices" from the Bach performances of April, but I say in advance that the ones that I'm highlighting are not listed in any sort of order, so when I refer to my "first" highlight, I'm not saying that this is my pick as the "best". It will be up to you, the reader and the LISTENER, to choose YOUR favorite!
So, let's got "Bach to business" and see what I came up with... ;-)
The first item that I chose is the Concerto in D Minor, BWV 596, uploaded by PLRT on April 21st. Here is the link: https://www.contrebombarde.com/concerthall/music/16527
What a great performance of the concerto that seems to be the rarely performed. I first heard it on and old E. Power Biggs recording made at Zwolle, and immediately loved it. It struck me as being a superb composition, but other than the famous slow movement (Largo), it's probably the "least familiar" of the Bach/Vivaldi works.
Well, in this performance, played upon the Krzeszow Organ by Michael Engler (SP), the performer is at the top of his game! The articulations are crisp and brilliant, and the music dazzles with blazing energy. True virtuosity takes second seat to the music, as PLRT makes the music dominate the scene. A real gem, this performance, and on a highly "unusual" choice of instruments, too! In listening to this, you'll feel that the Krzeszow organ was the perfect choice, as music, player, and instrument all join together to complete this glorious sonic spectacular!
If you haven't listened to this, you really should. You'll hear a rarely-played Bach piece played with refined brilliance and fire, something that we have come to expect from PLRT!
So, BIG BRAVO and CONGRATULATIONS to you Patrick! (PLRT) THANK YOU for sharing your talents with us!
The second item I've selected is a "multiple" item. Actually it's 45 items, as I'm referring to wolfram_syre's uploading of the entire Orgelbüchlein, BWV 599-644.
https://www.contrebombarde.com/concerthall/playlist/listen/588
There was a time when I thought, "I'm not playing THOSE "little" pieces any more! They are for beginners!" Yes, well, HOW wrong a statement is that?
These pieces show all of the Master's art, in relatively brief essays, while still containing all things we might call "Bachiian" within them. It is only when we go deeply into such pieces that we see just how profound they are, and Wolfram's performances help us to make our journey.
I always listen to and admire Wolfram's performances. Whether it be Bach, or Dubois, or Reinken, or a Wagner transcription, I know that I will hear not only a virtuoso technical performance, but a performance that has been completely and lovingly "thought through," bringing out all the hidden details in the music.
It's also fun to see that Wolfram has used a variety of organs for his performances. We get a "tour" of Bach's "musical moods" and a sampling of the many wonderful organs we have to perform his music on.
Whether you are a student learning these pieces, or a seasoned performer who has played all of them many times, hearing these performances are valuable lessons. If we LISTEN to other organists play, we can best determine our OWN personal style and preferences. To become a performer with a "signature sound" to our playing, we need a wide knowledge base, and it is immediately evident that Wolfram is a man with not only a wide base of knowledge, but the combination of intellectual and technical virtuosity.
There are too many links to give for the entire Orgelbüchlein, but if you haven't heard it, do yourself the favor and LISTEN! You'll find a wealth of beauty in these "little" pieces... ;-)
BIG BRAVO and CONGRATULATIONS to you, Wolfram (wolfram_syre)! THANK YOU for sharing your musical insights with us!
The third item that I've selected is a "double" item, or "split" performance. It is the Toccata, Adagio & Fuga, BWV 564, played by 24jpr. It is a "split" performance, meaning that it is played on two OAM sample sets - the J.A. Silbermann-Metzler at Arlesheim and the wonderful "new" 1687 Arp Schnitger at Steinkirchen
https://www.contrebombarde.com/concerthall/music/6962
https://www.contrebombarde.com/concerthall/music/16117
There used to be an advertisement for a investment planner on TV, called E F Hutton. Their commercials used to say: "When E F Hutton speaks, people listen!" Well, that's the way it is with 24jpr! When 24jpr plays Bach, people listen! His wonderful "Wilhelm Friedemann rehearsing" series gives testament to that reality, and this superb performance of BWV 654 gives further proof to what we already knew - that Jean-Philippe is a highly gifted performer of Bach's music.
At the time of his performance, I "threatened" him with the title of "Toccata King", which is be no means a bad thing to be known as. His virtuosity comes through, as it always does, but he does it with such a "calm sense of control" that we hardly notice. Well, OK, we DO notice, but it is a "brilliance of command," rather than a breakneck dive that leaves us hoping that he'll make through to the end.
Not 24pjr! He takes us for a ride, often with fireworks going off around us, but we can always remain sure that he is in control. There's no "rough ride" here, but always one that is everything that we could want it to be. In short, we are listening to an artist showing himself to be in top form, with everything just the way we ourselves would wish to be able to do. A true artist, to be sure!
Let's not forget the two wonderful instruments either! OAM ALWAYS delivers the highest quality in their wonderful sample sets. What a pity that they can't be used in a "public" environment, as I know of several churches who would like to add some OAM sample sets to their HW palette.
BIG BRAVO and THANKS to you Jean-Philippe (24pjr) for sharing your talents with us!
So there you have my April picks for Bach-of-the-Month. Although March of this year was the 330th anniversary of the great Johann Sebastian's death, his music still sounds fresh and "forever young" to our ears. Long may it be so!
I'll be "Bach" next month with the May picks! (I think maybe I should ask Darryl if I can hire some new joke writers!)
Comments
That is the first time since very long anybody writes anything about my playing, and in such positive words! Thank you very much for that : music making, to me, is sharing emotions and it feels great to know the goal is -even partially- met.
Also, as a student, it is a formidable motivation to push always further. Maybe it is important, for those starting the study of music, to know that all those concepts you mention (virtuosity, calm sense of control, brilliance of command,...) are there for everyone who is willing to WORK HARD for them.
Last, I wanted to say a word about our instrument, the pipe organ. They are works of art, each one of them unique, requiring so many different skills to be built, and so many hours of work. At the same time, because of the costs involved and the few adequate spaces, the people building them fare in such a narrow market that they can't help fearing the possible "competition" of all electronically (re)produced organ sounds.
We should be able to understand them, as they should understand that it fills a huge demand for home practising from all those for whom a pipe organ is not a choice (cost, space, neighbours, ...).
I know it's a question open for long debate, but I think -IMHO- that the approach of OAM is the right one, at least in Europe. Mankind is so lazy that it is very often the easiest way that is taken. Instead of fighting for a 500k€ budget for a pipe organ, it is so much easier to only fight for a 50k€ Hauptwerk system...
But doing that we forget 2 things. First, that both "systems" are not comparable (as a Symphonic Orchestra and a CD of a symphonic orchestra are not comparable, nor a Monet and a photocopy of a Monet); second, that without pipe organs there would be (and will be) no (new) samplesets.
So, limiting the use of those "copies"/"models" to the personal practice of the instrument seems to me a fair equilibrium that should allow for more interest in the instrument while promoting the actual pipe organ building in public spaces and communities that can reasonably afford it (if they are willing to WORK HARD for it).
Best,
Jean-Philippe (alias "TK") ;-)