Jorg Halubek - Organ Landscapes: Hamburg - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

At the age of 15, Johann Sebastian Bach attended the Latin school at St. Michael's Monastery in Luneburg for two years. There is also evidence of at least one trip to Hamburg during this time. The young Bach must have been impressed and inspired by the North German music scene with it's large organs and independent pedals, the diverse reed stops, the clear and InchsharpInch mixtures and, last but not least, his musical experiences in Hamburg's Gansemarkt Opera House.Bach's chorale partitas bear clear traces of the North German environment, for example in the operatic-ariose elaborations with French ornaments or in the very individual virtuoso arrangements of the variations, which suggest the text interpretations of individual song verses. In contrast to this is the Orgelbuchlein, composed in the somewhat later Weimar years, which forms the foundation for Bach's monothematic composition Here, the sound of a chorale is formed using just one characteristic motif. The roots of this compositional aesthetic can be traced back to Bach's early encounter with Georg Bohm in Luneburg.The history of the large organ in St. Michael's, which can be traced back to the 15th century, is eventful in 1708 the Schnitger pupil Matthias Dropa built a new organ and extended the existing instrument by Niehoff (1553) - the young Bach may have been able to follow the plans. After numerous alterations, the current specification corresponds to that of 1708, and a precise historical restoration is currently being planned. The tremendous richness of color and the tonal spirit of the Baroque period can be clearly heard despite the equal temperament. The Klapmeyer organ in Altenbruch (1730), on which Dropa also worked from 1697-1700, gives an authentic impression of the sound of this organ landscape in Luneburg thanks to the restoration by Jurgen Ahrend (2004). The specifics of the historical sound

The large-scale Bach Organ Landscapes project featuring J.S. Bach's entire organ oeuvre recorded on a range of instruments aims to provide an overview of organ-playing and organ-building traditions that were key to Bach's composing. With a keen eye to the unique cultural organ legacy of the places associated with Bach, Halubek has placed Bach's original sound at the heart of his project. The recordings are accompanied by digital material that offer an almost tactile access to the great composer's sound universe. Album Tracks 1. Toccata et Fuga in F (BWV 540)~Toccata 2. Toccata et Fuga in F (BWV 540)~Fuga 3. Trio in d (BWV 583) 4. Meine Seele erhebt den Herren (BWV 648) 5. Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier (BWV 731) 6. Fantasia and Fugue in c (BWV 562)~Fantasia 7. Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten (BWV 647) 8. Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (BWV 546) 9. Ach bleib bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ (BWV 649) 10. Prelude and Fuga in d (BWV 539)~Fuga 11. In dich hab ich gehoffet, Herr (BWV 712) 12. Allabreve (BWV 589) 13. Praeludium et Fuga in G (BWV 550)~Praeludium 14. Praeludium et Fuga in G (BWV 550)~Fuga 1. Pastorella (BWV 590)~[Part 1] 2. Pastorella (BWV 590)~[Part 2] 3. Pastorella (BWV 590)~[Part 3] 4. Pastorella (BWV 590)~[Part 4] 5. Pedal-Exercitium (BWV 598) 6. Praeludium et Fuga in C (BWV 547)~Praeludium 7. Praeludium et Fuga in C (BWV 547)~Fuga 8. Kommst Du nun, Jesu, vom Himmel herunter (BWV 650) 9. Wo soll ich fliehen hin (BWV 646) 10. Christ lag in Todesbanden (BWV 718) 11. Praeludium et Fuga in h (BWV 544)~Praeludium 12. Praeludium et Fuga in h (BWV 544)~Fuga

Baroque mastermind Jörg Halubek finishes his journey around the great historic organs of Germany. The final installment of his series Organ Landscapes on vinyl. Halubek plays the Silbermann organ (1710-1714) in the Dom St. Marien Church in Freiberg, the Hildebrandt organ (1746) in St. Wenzel Church in Naumburg, and in the St. Johannis Church in Lüneburg.