Bach, J S: Organ Concerto in A minor (after Vivaldi), BWV593

Bach’s Concertos and Chorale Preludes per formed on the magnificent Silbermann organ of the Arlesheim Cathedral.

Ivan Ronda plays the Silbermann Organ of Arlesheim Cathedral (Switzerland)

Loiselle and Boucher have selected transcriptions for cello and organ of some Vivaldi’s well-known works. Loiselle appears regularly at various music festivals and events in Canada and has played as a guest soloist with many different orchestras. Vincent Boucher is a very active recitalist. In 2002 he was awarded the prestigious Prix d’Europe by the Académie de musique du Québec.

David Goode performs a grand selection of some of Bach’s best organ works – including the famed Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor – providing modern listeners with a unique chance to hear Bach’s music as congregations of that period may have done.

The Gottfried Silbermann organ of Freiberg cathedral is one of a handful of such 18th-century instruments (built during Bach’s lifetime) to have remained largely unmodified to this day. Bach’s work as an organ inspector shows that he tested and inaugurated a number of Silbermann’s organs in Germany and, although there is no record that he played this instrument, its sound is undoubtedly one that Bach would have recognised and composed for.

In a live concert Bengt Tribukait exposes the two interesting organs at Örgryte New Church, Gothenburg, and their capacities.

The North German baroque organ is a result of a research project at Gothenburg University. It was reconstructed entirely from scratch with old types of tools (also reconstructed) and according to old methods, and has already an international fame.

The other organ was originally used in England but has been imported to Sweden. It is a Victorian organ from about 1870, made by the famous organ-builder Henry Willis.

The concert program contains music from four centuries by (17th c.) Byrd, (18th c.) Vivaldi and Bach, (19th c.) Liszt, (c. 2000) Borisova and Dimitrijev (two young Russian composers, living in Stockholm)

In Bach’s time it was common practice to arrange works of other composers for different instruments.Also the great J.S. Bach transcribed solo concertos (for instance violin concertos, wind concertos) of such famous composers like Vivaldi and Marcello for organ solo.

CD was recorded in Kotka (Finland) on the organ used during the famous Kotka International Organ Competition.

Detailed organ registration available in the booklet.

Including the famous Fugue in D minor BWV 539 (originally for viol solo).

CD recorded with the unique ULSI recording system.

A follow up release of Matthias Havinga will follow in the second half of 2011.

Although it would be almost impossible to believe from the lofty position J.S. Bach occupies in the pantheon of the great composers, during his lifetime he was best known as one of the very greatest virtuosos and improvisers on the harpsichord and organ. He produced works of unrivalled contrapuntal art. As a result of his duties at court and for the church, Bach never travelled beyond what we now call Germany. His musical interests and the influences upon his compositional style came from outside the borders of his homeland. It was in particular the music of the Venetian master - Vivaldi and Marcello. Through the young half brother of the Duke of Sachsen-Weimer (who was a very talented violinist) Bach received the scores of Vivaldi’s op.3 concertos, and he learned from the Prince of a Dutch organist, the blind Jan Jakob de Graaf, who could perform such concertos by heart, in three or four voices. Bach’s transcriptions demand an absolute technical mastery of an order unprecedented at the time.What fun he must have had making these arrangements - a welcome change from the day to day duties that kept him from travelling.

This recording presents pieces freely transcribed by both composers, with particular attention to Bach compositions drawn from the original Vivaldi repertoire. The ensemble Quartetto Icarus is well suited to the polyphonic writing by these two Baroque composers.