SACDs - Böhm, G

On Vol. 8 of our Organ Works of the North German Baroque Friedhelm Flamme interprets Georg Böhm’s complete organ works on the Creutzburg organ in the Church of St. Cyriacus in Duderstadt. Böhm was an organist and composer, notable for his development of the chorale partita and for his influence on the young J.S Bach.

The Arp Schnitger organ in St. Ludger’s Church in Norden is among the most important baroque instruments of its kind.

The artists perform an appealing programme designed to demonstrate the strengths of the instrument.

This is Luchterhandt and Janssen’s third release on “their instrument”.

In his youth, J.S. Bach came across two North German musicians who considerably influenced him: Georg Böhm and Buxtehude. Their stylistic influence on Bach can be seen clearly in his early works. This SACD demonstrates the musical connection in a selection of pieces. Formal parallels and harmonic borrowings made by Bach from the North German masters become apparent. In this recording, Martin Neu plays the Ahrend organ in Herzogenaurach. The organ builder Jürgen Ahrend from Leer, North Germany is reckoned to be one of the leading organ builders and restorers, and who has gained an international reputation particularly for his consistent restoration work and his great artistry in voicing. The Ahrend organ in Herzogenaurach was built by his son Hendrik Ahrend who continues the tradition of Ahrend organs.

Hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, a collection of love songs grew up. Under the title of the “Most beautiful of songs”, they found a home in the Old Testament—it was Martin Luther who first gave them the name of “Song of Songs”—and since that time they have inspired and fascinated a vast number of theologians, mystics, philosophers, poets, painters, and, last but not least, composers.

Particularly during the Baroque period, these poetic, sensual, vividly descriptive texts were set over and over again to music, and they inspired librettists to expand on the original texts. Some of the most beautiful settings of the Song of Songs were produced in Germany.

Founded in 1921, The Netherlands Bach Society is the oldest Early Music ensemble in the Netherlands, and possibly in the whole world. Yet along with the musicians, its artistic director Jos van Veldhoven is still continually in search of contemporary ways of presenting this music, whether it be the traditional performances of the St. Matthew Passion in Naarden, other works by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) or music by his predecessors, successors, contemporaries and fellow spirits.

Beloved & Beautiful is the fourth cd in a series of songs, carefully chosen and combined because of the themes they represent. The programmes are often compiled in an original way and thus give a refreshing view of the various musical styles from Schütz/Monteverdi to Haydn/Mozart, as well as of the central composer Bach himself. The flexibility of the ensemble makes it possible to perform works from the secular and sacred repertoires in a great variety of combinations of musicians.

“the performance maintains the high standards established by the NBS and van Veldhoven in the Passions and Oratorio. Classical CD of the week The Sunday Times

“Dutch soprano Johannette Zomer leads a fine team of soloists with the society singers under their eminence grise, Jos van Veldhoven, in an ethereal version of this magnificent work, recorded with crystal clarity.” The Observer

Agnes Luchterhandt and Thiemo Janssen play the world-famous Arp Schnitger organ in St.Ludgeri’s Church in Norden. This husband and wife duo present the marvelously beautiful tone colors of East Friesland’s most magnificent organ, recorded in superb sound, in selections by Bach and his Northern German models Buxtehude and Reinecken.