Advent and Christmas (11): Three chorale preludes for Christmas

Gaël Liardon (1973–2018) was a ingenious Swiss classical keyboard player, composer and academic.

He was a great master of small forms such as the sequence of variations. His baroque-style organ works are never formulaic reproductions or a style copy, but equally inspired as well as artistically focused on the musically essential.

Played to his memory, this compilation contains three short but precious chorale preludes for Christmas time:

„Veni Emmanuel“ is a fughetta in four parts, composed in Pachelbel‘s style with chorale imitation episodes.

„O Jesulein süß, o Jesulein zart“ ist a soft and fluent lullaby-chorale trio, published originally as Pentecoste choral prelude „O heiliger Geist“, o heiliger Gott“, witch is based on the same tune.

„Es ist ein Ros entsprungen“ is a interesting miniature; the composing structure with several sections refers deliberately to Buxtehude’s magnificent chorale fantasia „Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern“.

0.00 Veni, Emmanuel
2.00 O Jesulein süß, o Jesulein zart
4.38 Es ist ein Ros entspungen

source: imslp.org.