Look For Historical Organs In Sweden at Amazon
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Organs and pianos respond to ‘equal temperament’ rather differently. That is, what works on the piano fails hideously on the organ. An organ tuned to 12-TET should be classified as an implement of torture under the Geneva Conventions. Piano tuners of the old school used to count the ‘beats’ produced by intervals; the ‘beats’ you hear on a modern organ are what make you want to get to your Sunday church service AFTER the organist has finished her preludes. If you’ve never especially enjoyed organ recitals, this is a CD that you NEED to hear. It will change your attitude toward the instrument. It sounds like music! The ‘old organ’ now in the Morlanda Church, on the Swedish isle of Orust, survived by neglect, lack of funds, and the stubborn conservatism of old parishioners. It was first constructed in 1604. Then it was expanded and repaired in 1715, repaired again in 1734, enlarged again in 1784-86. It was moved to its present location in 1804. In 1915, the Morlanda parish decided to replace it with a new larger organ, salvaging only the ornate facade. Luckily, the richest parishioner objected, so the organ was left in disuse until 1952, when it was ‘scientifically’ restored to approximately its condition in 1715. It’s one of the loveliest-sounding authentic baroque organs in North europe, as you’ll hear on the recording. The organ suits the music and the music suits the organ on this CD, with compositions by Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621), Matthias Weckmann (1616-1674), Johan Kerll (1627-1693), Johann Jacob Froberger (1616-1667), and Georg Böhm (1661-1730). Obviously these composers were the progenitors of the organ music of Buxtehude and Bach — so much better known today — but they were capable and exciting composers in their own right. Most of the selections on this CD take the form of variations, a form that Bach also employed frequently. Such variations allow the keyboardist the maximum opportunity for virtuosic fingerwork, and the Morlanda organ, with its low air pressure and quickly responsive touch, is perfect for such flashy passagework. Organist Hans Davidsson is a specialist in the playing and restoring of such chamber organs, and the foremost scholar of the music of Matthias Weckmann. He’s a Professor of Organ and Performance Practice at the University of Göteborg, a major institution in the study of historical organs, and he also holds an appointment to teach organ at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. And even under the weight of all those credentials, he plays extremely well! |
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