I have had the good fortune to acquire the eight discs that organist Hans
Helmut Tillmanns has recorded for Danacord.  Three of the eight are devoted
to Bach works; the others are strongly in the baroque camp with some 19th
century organ music interspersed.

It isn't my usual regimen to buy as many as eight discs at one time, but
that's how I was able to avoid shipping costs from the Danacord web site.
That Tillmanns has eight recordings for Danacord is just a nice
coincidence.

Part I will actually cover the most recent Tillmanns disc which is Bach all
the way with a mixed selection of his organ works.  I felt that I would
gain the most insight by starting with this program:

Fantasia in G major, BWV 572
Chorale, BWV 663
Prelude & Fugue in E minor, BWV 533
Chorale, BWV 653
Partita, BWV 768

Danacord 557
Recorded May 2001
Weimbs Organ of St. Nicholas Church, Kall, Germany
Hans Helmut Tillmanns, Organ
TT: 58:59


Hans Helmut Tillmans, although not having a major international reputation,
has more than thirty recordings to his credit.  The teacher who reportedly
impacted him the most was Helmut Walcha.  For this recording, Tillmans
plays an organ built by the Weimbs Company in 1998.  Although a new
instrument, the liner notes dwell on the premise than this Weimbs organ
is an 'historically aware' one(my words).

Overall, I have significant reservations about the performances and the
sound engineering, although the Tillmanns disc also has much to offer.
Tillmanns, with the exception of BWV 572, displays a penchant to stay away
from the strong and public performance in favor of an intimate approach
which sometimes lessens enjoyment.  Two examples well show this problem.
In the Partita BWV 768, Tillmanns destroys all semblance of contrast in
the middle variations by treating the fifth and sixth variations more
intimately than in any other version.  For BWV 533, Tillmanns offers none
of the brashness and fresh attitude of the work.

Sound is a big problem in the Fugue of BWV 542.  The tendency of the
upper voices, throughout the disc, to be on the bright side comes to
center-stage.  It's quite unappealing and combines with a poorly defined
bass which sounds like it's in a different soundstage.

The good things are striking.  Tillmann's two chorale performances
benefit greatly from his musical personality, and his Fantasia in G major
is exceptional for its beauty and power.  *Some* sections of the Partita
BWV 768 such as the 1st and 10th variations are the best I've heard.

As is my usual regimen, I started with the two chorales, both of which
are pieces from the Leipzig Chorales.  BWV 663 is a comforting and
uplifting chorale arrangement with the chorale melody/cantus firmus in
the tenor voice.  The music is blessed with many excellent recordings.
For performances of an average tempo between six and seven minutes, Bine
Katrine Bryndorf on Hanssler and Christopher Herrick on Hyperion are hard
to beat.  Bryndorf is the most uplifting with a vitality that leaps out the
speakers; Herrick delivers a smoother flow which is very appealing.  Peter
Hurford on Decca takes over seven minutes and gives a thoroughly comforting
reading.  If your taste runs toward the faster side, Peter Sykes on Raven
adds an irresistable urgency to the music.

Tillmanns offers the slowest reading of BWV 663 I listened to.  It doesn't
drag at all and is as enjoyable as Hurford's performance.  There is one
little reservation; although the middle and upper voices ring out very
clearly, the lower voices are not clear and actually sound a little murky.
This isn't a major consideration for most Bach chorales, but it could be
damaging in Bach's more powerful works.  Overall, Tillmanns rates highly
in BWV 663, but I do favor the Bryndorf interpretation which is loaded
with stature.

BWV 653 - Again, Tillmanns gives a gorgeous and intimate performance.
Albert Schweitzer on Pearl offers a six minute reading of great dignity;
Tillmanns is in the five minute range.  However, he hardly sounds slower
than Schweitzer due to his more 'private' interpretation.

Concerning the two above chorales, Tillmanns gets my strong approval.  The
organ has a lovely sound, and the intimate nature of the performances works
beautifully for these two pieces.

Fantasia & Fugue in G minor, BWV 542 - A power-packed Fantasia with two
passages of sublime repose that creates such a great contrast within the
music's fabric; the Fugue has a 'destination' as it exuberantly barrels
down the road.  My favorite version comes from Karl Richter on Deutsche
Grammophon; no other interpretation provides such stunning contrasts in the
Fantasia, and his Fugue is as exuberant and dedicated to resolution as any
other performance.  Lately, I've also been enjoying Gabor Lehotka on
Laslerlight/Classical Evolution.  This performance isn't quite in Richter's
league, but the brash style in the Fantasia and the sweet/rustic sound of
the 'unknown organ' are irresitable.

Tillmann's Fantasia is loaded with power and a fine supply of angularity;
he creates greater momentum and excitement in the opening minutes than
Richter.  However, Tillmann's moments of repose do not possess the magic
of Richter's.  More damaging to Tillmann's BWV 542 is his very weak Fugue;
Tillmanns plays it in a relatively demure and polite fashion as if the
performance was a private one.  Some may like this approach, but I feel it
greatly lessens the music's impact and exuberance.  Even if I did like the
performance, the sound is not good.  The upper voices are too bright; much
worse, the boomy and murky bass sounds like it's ten miles away from the
upper voices.  It's an unusual mess with poor balance at its core which
ruins the performance of the Fugue from the start.

The Fantasia in G major, BWV 572 is also titled "Piece de Orgue".
Tillmanns surprises me with a powerful performance which is a great
alternative to exceptional versions from Gustav Leonhardt and Harald Vogel.
Leonhardt is quite stern, Vogel streches the music horizontally, and
Tillmanns stretches upward.  He doesn't scrimp this time on providing
the organ's full majesty.

Prelude & Fugue in E minor, BWV 533 - This is a short work that Bach
composed during his time at Arnstadt.  The music is playful, sharp,
and brash - Gerhard Weinberger on CPO and Wolfgang Rubsam on Naxos give
excellent readings.  Weinberger is the epitome of angularity, and Rubsam's
performance is more varied and interesting than any other I know.  This is
not prime-time for Tillmanns; smooth and benign, the qualities of youth and
bite are in low supply.  In terms of interest, Tillman's registrations are
routine and no match for Rubsam.

Partita BWV 768 - One of Bach's most substantial organ works, the
composition consists of an inital subject followed by eleven variations.
The music is entirely intimate until the fifth variation which injects
Urgency and some muscle.  For me, the heart of the work comes from the
last two variations which are highly heroic and uplifting.

Simon Preston's version on Deutsche Grammophon is hard to beat.  He
excellently contrasts the variations among one another, bringing out all
the intimacy, poignancy, and ceremony of the work.  Tillmanns performs
exceptionally through the first four variations; his intimate treatment is
gorgeous and well suited to the music.  Unfortunately, he decides to use
like approach to the fifth and sixth variations as well.  In addition to my
view that those variations are best served by a much stronger and public
interpretation, Tillmanns goes without the contrast that they provide at
the mid-point of the work.  As a result, Tillmanns just seems to drone on
in a one-dimensional manner.  He does recapture the work with a stunning
and uplifting 10th variation.

Don's Conclusions:  At best, I can only give this Tillmanns disc a
qualified recommendation.  Of the six works performed, two are not
competitive or particularly enjoyable.  A third, the Partita, has major
problems toward the middle of the work.  Since these three works constitute
most of of the disc's music, reservations are heightened.  To add further
to the reservations, disc time is rather short.  However, those readers who
have a strong preference for maximizing the intimate nature of Bach's music
would likely have greater affection for the disc than I do.

In Part 2, I'll cover Tillmann's disc devoted to Bach organ chorales.
The picture I currently hold of Tillmanns leads me to anticipate a more
rewarding set of performances than offered in this mixed recital.  Stay
tuned.

Don Satz
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