Johann Sebastian Bach

The final volume in Margaret Phillips’ critically-acclaimed survey of the complete Bach organ works, includes the rarely-recorded ‘Neumeister’ chorale preludes, together with a selection of other works, including some of Bach’s best-loved organ music, such as the 4th Trio Sonata, and the brilliant and virtuoso Preludes & Fugues in D major (BWV 532) and A minor (BWV 543).

The ‘Neumeister’ chorale preludes, discovered at Yale University in 1985, encompass a wonderful variety of techniques, with many opportunities to exploit the colours of a large historic instrument, such as this one in the Grote Kerk, Leeuwarden, in the Netherlands, which was built by Christian Müller in 1727, and is one the world’s finest historic organs, set in a perfect acoustic.

A magnificent conclusion to a series being hailed as one of the finest recordings of Bach’s organ music on disc.

"Since the 1751 Hemsch is one of the most beautiful harpsichords in existence and its tone and mechanics are perfect, why not use it here? the interpreter’s role is to make sure his French harpsichord speaks decent German." Frédérick Haas

French harpsichordist Frédérick Haas has made a name for himself with an aristocratic, pensive style more attuned to introspection than pyrotechnics. He has a profound knowledge of the inner workings of harpsichords, and the secrets of their fine-tuning, and wrote the quirky booklet note for this release. Frédérick Haas performs recitals on harpsichord and fortepiano, plus he directs the Ausonia ensemble. He owns this spellbindingly beautiful Henri Hemsch Harpsichord built in 1751, as well as a Ferdinand Hofmann fortepiano, from Vienna, 1785-90.

Nowadays, the fashion is mainly for historically authentic interpretation: performers play from facsimiles or original scores, with historically accurate orchestration, articulation, etc.This recording of selected works by Bach in organ arrangements by William Thomas Best (1826-1897) gives evidence of an approach to Bach’s compositions that may seem quite capricious today. Alongside his arrangement of Bach’s 'Chaconne' for violin from the Partita No. 2 in D minor, this SACD presents highlights from his comprehensive edition of Bach’s organ works, from chorale preludes to the C minor 'Passacaglia'.In his editions and arrangements Best saw it as his mission, particularly for an English audience which was entirely unfamiliar with Bach’s works, to provide the organist with what amounts to stage directions in matters of choice of tempo, articulation, registration, selection of manuals and, where appropriate, the use of the swell pedal. In this way the great free-standing organ works appear as dramatic scenas or ballads, while the smaller-scale works and chorale preludes come across as poetry.Best achieves a convincing dramatic presentation of Bach’s music: by means of refined, well-placed tricks of the trade the poetic meaning of individual passages is made apparent, and his economy of means and avoidance of all superficial effects enable the grandiose form of each work to come to the fore. The performance indications, or rather suggestions, are presented in such a way that the organist is amply challenged as a musician, interpreter and personality at all times.

Carsten Wiebusch studied church music at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf. As an organist he achieved success at international organ competitions including the August Gottfried competition in Magdeburg and the Johann Sebastian Bach prize competition in Wiesbaden, both in 1995. He teaches an organ class at the Musikhochschule in Karlsruhe and has been organist at the Christuskirche, Karlsruhe, since 1999.The Klais organ at the Christuskirche was inaugurated in 2010. Its powerful yet poetic tone is heard on this SACD for the first time in any recording.

Imagined as a concert that Bach could have instigated, this disc explores the Cantor ‘s art of transcription and reveals the wealth of influences which the Germanic empire was exposed to in the first half of the eighteenth century. Going back and forth between fantasy and counterpoint, between German and Italian styles, Bach makes these forms and styles his own and thus plays with the rich sound pallets of the viola da gamba and the harpsichord. This album is the first recorded by two rising stars whose tremendous energy and complicity has conferred greater depth to this concert.

Imagined as a concert that Bach could have instigated, this disc explores the Cantor ‘s art of transcription and reveals the wealth of influences which the Germanic empire was exposed to in the first half of the eighteenth century. Going back and forth between fantasy and counterpoint, between German and Italian styles, Bach makes these forms and styles his own and thus plays with the rich sound pallets of the viola da gamba and the harpsichord. This album is the first recorded by two rising stars whose tremendous energy and complicity has conferred greater depth to this concert.