Organ Great

Seven different organs from the Swiss firm of Metzler carry the weight of the project, which is where Herrick's consistency begins. Other complete Bach collections use many and varied makes and locations in the hope of keeping our interest alive. Herrick's journey brings us a sound that has enough variety to show the Metzler's ability to bear a responsible approach to Bach despite their modern construction.

Since its opening in January 2017, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg has been the cultural landmark of the city. The Latvian organist Iveta Apkalna has made her her new musical home, as Apkalna regularly performs in the Elbphilharmonie as titular organist and knows the spectacular Klais organ in the Great Hall like no other artist. Berlin Classics now presents the world premiere recording of a solo program on the Elbphilharmonie organ with titular organist Iveta Apkalna: "Light & Dark".

This is an unusual recording of William Byrd's choral music for several reasons. First, it involves the Great Service, an Anglican work (nobody's first choice with the Catholic Byrd), and an amorphous and not terribly often recorded one at that. Second, the singers of Musica Contexta perform with a hypothesized period English pronunciation that may well be authentic but takes a bit of getting used to. The Service is filled out with organ versions of Byrd motets in an attempt to give it not its original form, but at least something of the flow it would have had in performance.

This is an unusual recording of William Byrd's choral music for several reasons. First, it involves the Great Service, an Anglican work (nobody's first choice with the Catholic Byrd), and an amorphous and not terribly often recorded one at that. Second, the singers of Musica Contexta perform with a hypothesized period English pronunciation that may well be authentic but takes a bit of getting used to. The Service is filled out with organ versions of Byrd motets in an attempt to give it not its original form, but at least something of the flow it would have had in performance. And most unusual of all is the intrusion of instruments, in the form of the English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble, into the pristine world of Renaissance. .

With this two-disc set, Friedhelm Flamme brings us Volume 13 in his impressive and valuable coverage of the work of the North German baroque organ masters. Here he turns his attention to the complete organ works of Michael Praetorius of Wolfenbüttel. Praetorius is well known to many early-music lovers for his delightful dance music arrangements from "Terpsichore"; but in fact he was also a choral and organ composer of the very first rank, as well as contributing invaluable theoretical and practical material to our knowledge of music history in his writings.

Helmut Walcha - Organ Masters before Bach (2002) {1978 - Deutsche Grammophon - 469 764-2}
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© 1978, 2002 Deutsche Grammophon | 469 764-2
Classical / Baroque / Organ music

The organ music of Johann Sebastian Bach stands as a singular monument both in the history of music for this instrument and in the career of Helmut Walcha. This excellent organist recorded all of Bach’s organ music (much of it several times), as well as most of his keyboard music on harpsichord. Walcha lost his sight at an early age, and played music only through memory, helped by his mother and, later, his wife, who played the music on piano, one voice at a time. He later put the voices together, and developed a deeply unique appreciation of the texture of music.