Bach, J S: Chorale Prelude BWV648 'Meine Seele erhebt den Herren'

Arrangements by Ton Koopman

This new recording features some unique historical organs in Germany, which have a strong link with the great composer himself, organs which Bach might have known, and whose builders he greatly respected.

This 2CD contains the famous Schübler Chorales, concert pieces based on the chorale melodies from Bach’s Cantatas, and a selection of famous Preludes and Fugues, testimony of Bach’s consummate contrapuntal skills.

Matteo Messori is one of the leading Baroque organists of Europe; his previous recordings for Brilliant Classics (Kunst der Fuge, BC 94061 and Clavierübing, BC 94201) have been awarded 5 star reviews in international classical magazines. His Schütz edition is a recorded landmark for that still neglected master.

J.S. Bach is widely regarded as the father of the Baroque period. A master of vocal, keyboard, orchestral and chamber repertoire, he is one of music’s greatest legends – a man whose works, which were truly revolutionary for their time, continue to inspire generations of composers.

Bach’s virtuoso skill as an organist was world renowned, and he was particularly celebrated for his use of registration. Spanning 2 CDs, this compilation is dedicated to some of his bestknown Preludes and Fugues, and also features the celebrated Schübler Chorales. While the former works betray the composer’s unparalleled ability to give distinctive qualities to each of the fugal voices, the latter collection – compiled by the publisher Johann Georg Schübler in 1748 – is largely made up of chorales based on melodies from Bach’s cantatas, and was intended for concert performance. The celebrated Fantasia and Fugue in C minor BWV357 and Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV538, which Bach himself is said to have held in high esteem, complete the line up.

One of Europe’s leading organists, Matteo Messori has recorded widely for Brilliant Classics. Here he combines energy with with artistic flair to deliver consummate readings of these engaging works: a mustbuy for the keyboard and Baroque connoisseur.

This is the first recording of the new Glatter-Götz/Rosales organ in Magdeburg Cathedral, inaugurated in 2011.

It is perfectly designed for perfoming works by the Baroque masters.

The instrument brings great acousitical clarity and a huge range of colour to these works.

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.

Respighi had always been committed to the art of transcription, arranging Bach’s Violin Sonata in E minor in 1908-09 with acute perception. This was followed during 1929 and 1930 by even greater and more resplendent Bach settings. The powerful sense of orchestral colour acquired during his training under Rimsky-Korsakov is heard to bold yet subtle effect in the Three Chorale Preludes. The Prelude and Fugue in D major is even more gloriously lavish, drawing on the full resources of the modern symphony orchestra, as does the brilliantly realised Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor. Edward Elgar’s transcription is a work of sustained grandeur and rich musical intensity.

Respighi’s most famous transcriptions are probably still those of the ancient airs and dances, first published in 1917, but his Bach transcriptions are hardly less impressive. These richly coloured works rescore and reclothe Bach for Respighi’s time – 1929-30 – and do so brilliantly. They are exciting creations in their own terms, utilising every facet of a modern symphony orchestra, and so too is Elgar’s sole example.

The true identity of the organ featured here was not discovered until 2007. It was originally built in 1913/14 for the “Britannic” ocean liner, sister of the “Titanic”. Because the vessel was used as a hospital ship during World War I, it was probably never installed on the ship’s passenger deck. It has been renovated and called the “Britannic Organ” and is in outstanding condition. Here we have performances by Rumsey, as well as Welte rolls and some of the oldest recordings of historic organists.

The organ in the church of Leufsta Bruk (north of Uppsala) was built in 1726-28 by Johan Niclas Cahman, Sweden's foremost organ maker at the time. It is without comparison the most outstanding among the maintained baroque organs in Sweden. It has recently undergone a thorough restoration in order to bring it, as far as possible, back to its original state. Therefore, this CD demonstrates the sound and musical possibilities of the organ in all its former glory. Moreover, professor Fagius likes to show how congenially this instrument conveys J.S. Bach's matchless music.

In addition to the commentary by professor Fagius, the booklet contains beautiful colour photos of the organ and also of the interior and surroundings of the church.