Bach, J S: Fantasia & Fugue in G minor, BWV542 'Great'

Following an extremely promising first album devoted to Dowland, here is another chance to hear Damien Guillon, accompanied by his ensemble Le Banquet Céleste, in a programme of solo cantatas by J. S. Bach.

A noted recitalist, Damien Guillon is also invited to appear under the direction of such leading conductors as Philippe Herreweghe, William Christie, Masaaki Suzuki, and Vincent Dumestre.

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.

Any collection of recordings by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) must include a good proportion of his compositions for the organ on which he must have been a master-performer and for which he provided a treasure trove of works. With organs requiring large acoustics they are usually to be found in churches, but such is the expense of maintaining them and the buildings in which they are housed that some are falling in to a state of disrepair or are being removed to be replaced by modern electrical or electronic instruments which, for all their good workmanship, completely fail to match the majesty of the original. Recordings, therefore, on a fine Hi-fi system are a fine alternative to travel long distances to sit on often uncomfortable pews in cold churches (however that is not to say that they should completely replace the chance of hearing an original in real life, like other forms of music a live performance has added dimensions, it is just that it is becoming harder to attend such performances). Lionel Rogg, in this first of several planned sets, brings together many of the more extended works which are set as either a Fantasia, Prelude or Toccata followed by a Fugue and include many favourites including the ever popular Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565.

On the 100th anniversary of the foundation of his ‘jungle hospital’ at Lambarene, Rondeau Production dedicates a very special Bach recording to Albert Schweitzer.

Ullrich Böhme performs works by Johann Sebastian Back at the Silbermann organ at St Thomas, Strasbourg.

Bonus track features a historic recording of Schweitzer in 1936 performing Adagio in A minor from Bach’s C major Tocccata at the church of Sainte-Aurélie Strasbourg.

The new organ in Cranleigh School Chapel was built by Mander Organs in 2011, and was designed as a solo instrument suitable for the performance of organ music of all schools, as well as for teaching and accompaniment.

It is remarkably versatile with a vast array of colours and sonorities obtainable from a mere thirty-one stops.

Here Cranleigh School organist, and virtuoso recitalist, Philip Scriven, demonstrates the organ in a wide-ranging programme of music from the seventeenth to twentieth centuries.

Buxtehude and Bach deeply marked the Baroque world of which they were unquestionable heroes. This CD features Ivana Vallotti’s sublime performances of Buxtehude and Bach organ works, both striking for their exuberant creativity, wonderful contrasts, and palpable joy.

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...

The organist and musicologist Hubert Meister died at the end of 2010 and in his memory MDG is making three of his recordings available for the first time on a double CD. Meister recorded the music from the period between 1701 and 1744 on Mathis organs in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.