Matthew Owens - Organ Works 2 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

A close contemporary of Buxtehude, Johann Pachelbel was by all accounts an outstanding keyboard player himself, and his compositions provide a fascinating stylistic bridge between early-Baroque composers such as Frescobaldi and Froberger (both of whom influenced him) and the later music of Bach and his contemporaries. Organist Matthew Owens embarks on a major exploration of the many extant organ works of Pachelbel beginning with this first volume recorded on the iconic 1965 Frobenius Organ of The Queen's College Chapel in Oxford, considered a vital instrument in the classical organ revival in Britain. Demonstrating the huge range of his abilities as a composer, the diverse forms and styles Pachelbel used are revealed in this compelling recital.

In this fifth volume of the complete organ works of Johann Pachelbel, Matthew Owens continues his revelatory exploration of a composer who stood at the crossroads of German musical traditions. Recorded on the characterful historic Metzler organ of Trinity College, Cambridge, this programme illuminates Pachelbel's synthesis of northern virtuosity and southern lyricism - from the cascading brilliance of the toccatas and the poised contrapuntal craft of the fugues, to the devotional intimacy of the chorale preludes and Magnificat Fugues. Owens's performances bring a rare clarity and expressive warmth to music that bridges liturgical purpose and concert artistry. With it's elegant blend of scholarship, colour, and vitality, this latest instalment in the acclaimed series reaffirms Pachelbel as one of the most eloquent voices of seventeenth-century organ literature.

Vittorio Cosma - Colpo Di Luna [COMPACT DISCS] date 05/01/2008