James Johnstone - J.S. Bach Clavier-Übung Part III
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METCD1094
£20.00
£20.00
per item
The Clavier-Übung Part III is one of the great organ collections in Bach’s musical legacy. This monumental work begins James Johnstone’s new survey of Bach’s solo organ compositions which will encompass performances on outstanding baroque instruments from across Europe.
The first release in this series is performed on an instrument of German origin exactly contemporary with the music’s publication in 1739, the famous Joachim Wagner organ which was commissioned for Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway.
The first release in this series is performed on an instrument of German origin exactly contemporary with the music’s publication in 1739, the famous Joachim Wagner organ which was commissioned for Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway.
James Johnstone is an organist specialising in the Baroque era. He is professor of Early Keyboards at Guildhall School of Music & Drama London and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. He has performed and recorded extensively as a soloist and with the Gabrieli Consort & Players, Trio Sonnerie, the Monteverdi Choir and Florilegium.
To organ aficionados the Clavier-Übung Part III is considered one of the pinnacles of Bach’s keyboard achievements. To the non-specialist it is a “must have” thrilling ride of unexpected musical diversity, strangeness and exploration at the hands of the Master. Despite its somewhat prosaic title “Keyboard Exercise” the composition demonstrates an inventiveness and chromaticism that would challenge modern jazz composers like John Coltrane.
That litotes (Keyboard Exercises) disguises tremendous technical demands on the performer and on the instrument. In this recording the full range and distinctive sound of the Wagner organ, whose maker Bach was familiar with, is tested and explored to wonderful effect.
"In the case of the Trondheim Wagner organ there is the happy marriage of an exactly contemporary instrument to the Clavier-Übung Part III publication by a Berlin-based builder, Joachim Wagner, whose instruments demonstrate a unique blend of central German tradition with the North German influences [...] Combined with the splendid acoustics of the Nidaros Cathedral we are perfectly placed to enjoy this extraordinary music."
(The Organ, Spring 2016)
"The anthology is demanding [...] but Johnstone rides the technical challenges to hands and feet with great assurance."
(David Lindley for Organists' Review, September 2016)
"A disc generally distinguished by thoughtful, impeccably nuanced playing, reinforced by an instinct for persuasively judged tempos. The reflective delicacy of the first Kyrie, the bubbly conversational poise of the Christ, unser Herr, BWV684, and the adroitly characterised four Duetti all insist that future releases in Johnstone’s cycle will be required listening."
(Paul Riley for BBC Music Magazine, November 2016)
To organ aficionados the Clavier-Übung Part III is considered one of the pinnacles of Bach’s keyboard achievements. To the non-specialist it is a “must have” thrilling ride of unexpected musical diversity, strangeness and exploration at the hands of the Master. Despite its somewhat prosaic title “Keyboard Exercise” the composition demonstrates an inventiveness and chromaticism that would challenge modern jazz composers like John Coltrane.
That litotes (Keyboard Exercises) disguises tremendous technical demands on the performer and on the instrument. In this recording the full range and distinctive sound of the Wagner organ, whose maker Bach was familiar with, is tested and explored to wonderful effect.
"In the case of the Trondheim Wagner organ there is the happy marriage of an exactly contemporary instrument to the Clavier-Übung Part III publication by a Berlin-based builder, Joachim Wagner, whose instruments demonstrate a unique blend of central German tradition with the North German influences [...] Combined with the splendid acoustics of the Nidaros Cathedral we are perfectly placed to enjoy this extraordinary music."
(The Organ, Spring 2016)
"The anthology is demanding [...] but Johnstone rides the technical challenges to hands and feet with great assurance."
(David Lindley for Organists' Review, September 2016)
"A disc generally distinguished by thoughtful, impeccably nuanced playing, reinforced by an instinct for persuasively judged tempos. The reflective delicacy of the first Kyrie, the bubbly conversational poise of the Christ, unser Herr, BWV684, and the adroitly characterised four Duetti all insist that future releases in Johnstone’s cycle will be required listening."
(Paul Riley for BBC Music Magazine, November 2016)