Bach, J S: Chorale Prelude BWV720 'Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott'

Volume 6 of Margaret Phillips’ on-going and critically-acclaimed cycle of the complete organ works of JS Bach Two CD set at ‘two-for-one’ price, each disc is a self-contained recital featuring major works, a trio sonata, a concerto and a selections of chorale preludes.

The first disc features one of the worlds most iconic historic organs, built in 1738 by Christian Müller, in St Bavo’s church in Haarlem. The second disc features the large 2004 Bernard Aubertin organ in St Louis-en-l’Île, Paris. Built in eighteenthcentury German style this instrument is a similar size to the one in Haarlem and offers a fascinating comparison.

Repertoire includes some of Bach’s largest works for organ, with the Prelude and Fugues in Eminor (‘Wedge’) and B minor at Haarlem and the Fantasia and Fugue in G minor at Paris.

The discrepancy between virtuosity, artistry and genius on the one hand and the reality of the musical profession on the other has probably never been more aptly expressed than in the Arnstadt church council´s criticism of the young Johann Sebastian Bach:" He confuses the congregation." He confused them with his chorale arrangements full of brilliant and ingenious ideas and his free organ works. Fortunately, posterity mostly sees Bach in quite a different light than his immediate contemporaries!

This disc includes transcriptions by W. Braunfels, C. Tausig, Vaughan Williams, I. Iljin, C. Lucas, S. W. Didenko, I. Philipp, A. Malheiro Prado, and A. Brieskier performed by German pianist Angelika Nebel and includes some premiere recordings.

The programme on this recording includes some of J.S. Bach's most famous organ works, as well as a number of chorale fantasias, including one discovered quite recently. Indeed, the opening bars of “Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält” were all that we knew of the score of that piece until March 2008, when a fair copy turned up at a public auction...

Mendelssohn was a master of improvisation on the organ and on this CD Lutz and Schmeding follow in his footsteps, performing on instruments closely linked to Mendelssohn.

This recording presents several of J.S. Bach's most famous organ works as well as various chorale preludes.The majority of these pieces demonstrate the influence of the North German school and of Buxtehude and Reinken in particular, although how this is done depends very much on whether the piece concerned is a chorale prelude or one of the larger free-form works. Until recently the opening bars of Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält were all that we knew of the score, given that a fair copy came to light in a public auction only in March 2008.

Leopold Stokowski arranged nearly 40 works from Bach’s catalogue for the modern symphony orchestra, and José Serebrier’s second volume of Bach-Stokowski Transcriptions is as colourful and wide-ranging as the first (8557883).

In response to popular and critical demand the present selection begins with the most famous Bach orchestration of all, the celebrated Toccata and Fugue in D minor. This reached its widest public in Walt Disney’s Fantasia and here introduces a programme of sumptuous arrangements, including other music from the pre- and post- baroque periods.