- DVD Audio (26 Aug 2002)
- Please Note: This is a DVD-Audio disc which is playable on most DVD players as well as all DVD-Audio players.
- SPARS Code: DDD
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Teldec
- ASIN: B000059ZHE
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 269,407 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product details |
Track Listings
| 1. Toccata and Fugue in D Minor |
| 2. "Vater unser im Himmelreich" |
| 3. Fugue in G Minor |
| 4. "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" |
| 5. "Nun Komm, der Heiden Heiland" |
| 6. Prelude and Fugue in E Flat Major |
| 7. Trio Sonata in G Major |
| 8. Passacaglia in C minor |
Product Description
Album Description
Includes - Picture Gallery. Historical Timeline.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Having heard Ton Koopman's recordings before I know his playing is not my style. So I bought this DVD-A mainly for the sound and tried to discover what the high resolution medium could do for organ recording. Not having been inside the Grote Kerk I don't know how close this recording comes to reproduce the real experience. But on my surround sound setup (mainly for SACD) I can say the sound is excellent. All pipe organ recordings pose some problems but one persistent problem for me is where the sound comes from. Usually the pipes are situated much higher than the audience and listening to recordings you don't get this accurate vertical sound stage. The microphone is usually mounted at the level of the pipes and this recording appears to be no exception.
This was recorded in 2000 using 24/96 in stereo and surround sound. Depending on your setup you might want to turn down the rear channels. There is also a Dolby Digital surround mix if you only have a DVD video player. The DD mix is also very good but is lower in volume and thinner (when adjusted in volume) compared to the DVD-A surround mix.
Koopman as usual throws in his signature trills right at the beginning of the Toccata and Fugue in D minor (BWV 565) and other embellishments throughout. The tempi of this and the Prelude and Fugue in E Flat (BWV 552) are too fast for the organ and building. The pedal pipes need time to speak. In the Prelude in E Flat he generally 'underdots' and the fast passages in the middle sound muddled. In "Wachet auf" (BWV 645) I prefer a more legato articulation. In the Trio Sonata in G major (BWV 530) I prefer the use of quieter manual stops. The Passacaglia in C minor (BWV 582) comes out the best. The two chorale preludes "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland" (BWV 659) and "Vater unser im Himmelreich" (BWV 682) are quite charming.
The booklet has short essays on Koopman, the recording and the Christian Müller organ. The absence of a stop list for this important instrument is a serious omission. I give five stars for the sound and three for the playing.
This was recorded in 2000 using 24/96 in stereo and surround sound. Depending on your setup you might want to turn down the rear channels. There is also a Dolby Digital surround mix if you only have a DVD video player. The DD mix is also very good but is lower in volume and thinner (when adjusted in volume) compared to the DVD-A surround mix.
Koopman as usual throws in his signature trills right at the beginning of the Toccata and Fugue in D minor (BWV 565) and other embellishments throughout. The tempi of this and the Prelude and Fugue in E Flat (BWV 552) are too fast for the organ and building. The pedal pipes need time to speak. In the Prelude in E Flat he generally 'underdots' and the fast passages in the middle sound muddled. In "Wachet auf" (BWV 645) I prefer a more legato articulation. In the Trio Sonata in G major (BWV 530) I prefer the use of quieter manual stops. The Passacaglia in C minor (BWV 582) comes out the best. The two chorale preludes "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland" (BWV 659) and "Vater unser im Himmelreich" (BWV 682) are quite charming.
The booklet has short essays on Koopman, the recording and the Christian Müller organ. The absence of a stop list for this important instrument is a serious omission. I give five stars for the sound and three for the playing.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
12 reviews
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Spacious Organ
11 Sep 2001
In most home playback systems, the biggest difference between listening to a stereo CD at home vs. hearing a live concert is the sense of space. Stereo playback simply can't convey the 3D ambiance of a concert hall. An increased sense of a realistic performing space is the single most important advance that surround playback via DVD-Audio can offer. Virtually all styles of music can benefit from surround sound, and I imagine many classical fans have high hopes that surround playback can bring us a significant step closer to an excellent concert hall musical experience.
Certainly an organ performance in a church is a highly distinctive setting rich in reverberant, spatial information. I believe that these "famous organ works by Bach" performed by Ton Koopman is the first DVD-A of solo organ. First, let me say that the audible sense of the church's space here is wonderful, making it the most realistic organ recording I've ever heard; there's a palpable feeling of this acoustic space. This can be a mixed blessing, for while this recording starts to sound like what you would hear in a real church, this also means you are hearing lots of echoing sound, meaning that sometimes Bach's glorious, intricate counterpoint (especially in rapid passages, of course) is obscured. Ideally I'd want the recording engineers to let me hear the primary sound more clearly, along with the spatial echoes. Perhaps this is impossible, or too unnatural?
Koopman has recorded lots of Bach, and here he performs on an excellent, historically correct organ, built in 1727 (ie, during Bach's lifetime). Apparently Koopman has a distinguished reputation, but for some reason these performances did not strongly engage me. He sometimes seems to clearly avoid cautious, controlled playing (admirable), but, for example, his performance of the famous Toccata & Fugue in D minor comes across to me as rushed, almost cavalier. Other performances seem to range from straightforward to good, but for some reason are almost always uninvolving to me.
There are some extras on the DVD, the booklet is thorough, and overall this release is a conscientious presentation. If you are interested in a spatially realistic recording in the first organ DVD-A, you should check this out. Even though I have some reservations regarding the performance, I give it 4 stars for the wonderful ambiance (previously never heard in home playback).
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Close to Perfection
28 Aug 2001
This is my second DVD-audio. I actually bought a sub-woofer because of this DVD-audio (a Hsu VTF-2). Everything is perfectly in place in this DVD-audio. The great interpretation, the choice of music, the sound take, the sense of space, the echo, the different registers chosen, the feeling of being there in a church. I never liked Low Frequency effect in movies, they seemed to be too gimmicky to me, but in that recording you feel the organ pedal, and this amplify your sense of being in a Church surronded by chords reverberation. Fantastic, this is better that any of my 500+ cds or 2000 LPs. I am now a DVD-audio convert. I am only sorry that SACD and DVD-audio will compete instead of having a single high-end audio standard.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
A Good Demonsration Disc for DVD-Audio Systems
7 Jun 2001
Amazon Verified Purchase
This recital of familiar Bach organ works performed by Ton Koopman is a very good one he mixes favorites like the Toccata & Fugue and the Passacaglia & Fugue with lesser known chorale preludes I feel that Mr. Koopman uses some good taste and imagination in his choices of registration and ornamentation. Or in other words he doesn't get carried away with playing these works, he lets the music speak for itself. This recital comes from an excellent set of recordings on the Teldec label which seems to be leading the way in DVD-Audio releases. Since I'm only playing this disc on a DVD-Video player I cannot comment on some of the added features on the disc, I can say that this is a good recital performed on the Muller Organ in the Grote Kerk Leeuwarden which sounds like a perfect organ for these works. Here's hoping for more!
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