Johann Sebastian Bach(1685-1750)
            Organ Works

Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major, BWV 564
Partite diverse sopra, BWV 768
Prelude & Fugue in A minor, BWV 543
Prelude & Fugue in A major, BWV 536
Chorale Preludes, BWV 654 & 668a
Passacaglia in C minor, BWV 582

Calcante 009 - Recorded May 1994
The Fritts Organ, Arizona State University
Jonathan Biggers, Organist
TT 77:01

Calcante is a small company out of Ithica, New York which specializes
in organ recordings.  Jonathan Biggers is Link Professor of Organ and
Artist-in-Residence at Binghamton University in New York.  Some of you
may be familiar with him through his performances on the NPR program
"Pipe-dreams".

I can't report that I find the performances recommendable.  Sometimes, as
in BWV 564, he displays a fine degree of muscle, but he generally tends to
restrain himself.  Textures are on the heavy side and the playing is quite
smooth.  Biggers usually employs faster than average tempos that do not
enhance excitement or momentum; his foundations are often soft, and he
tends to bend rhythms which results in lost drive.

Here's my notes as I listened to the disc:

Toccata, Adagio, and Fugue in C major, BWV 564 - This work has some great
variety in it highlighted by the pranks of the Toccata and sadness of the
Adagio with its powerful transition to the Fugue which is majestic almost
beyond belief.  Although I listened to a few versions, I'll restrict my
comments to the Martin Lucker on Hanssler.  Lucker, along with Andreas
Marcon, is highly muscular, bold, and precise in Bach.  Lucker's BWV 564
deals from strength and a little sterness.  He's a dangerous prankster in
the Toccata, and his Fugue really lifts him beyond all other versions; it's
so bold, stark, ordered, and powerful while creating its own sense of
beauty.

The reason I dwell on Lucker is that Jonathan Biggers employs a similar
style to BWV 564.  Biggers is certainly bold at every available moment;
that's when he's at his best.  It's just that he can't match Lucker,
although he's not far behind.  I suppose I'm making it sound like Biggers
would be a fine stand-in for Lucker.  That's on target except for the
Biggers transition from Adagio to Fugue.  Instead of power and increased
'affekt', we get an organ trying to rise out of tons of heavy oil; it
sounds very bad to my ears and is a major blot on an otherwise excellent
performance.

Partite diverse sopra, BWV 768 - This is one of four chorale partitas Bach
composed.  In this case, 'partita' means a basic theme followed by several
variations.  BWV 768 is Bach's most elaborate and longest chorale partita;
it consists of a chorale followed by eleven variations.  The first six
variations are for the manual with the remaining ones having an obbligato
pedal.

The Partite diverse sopra does not offer the sheer power of BWV 564; it's
a relatively intimate work although the 3rd, 5th, and last variations are
highly assertive.  Weinberger's reading on CPO possesses his usual traits:
strong, angular, and with a tendency to mistake tenderness for solemnity.
Preston has lighter textures than Weinberger and is more animated in most
of the variations.  His quicker tempos certainly help in presenting a more
vibrant account than Weinberger.  Excellent rhythmic vitality such as in
the magnificent 10th variation makes Preston's a superb BWV 778.

Biggers starts off with a chorale of little weight or beauty.  Then his
1st variation has insufficient bounce and a rhythm which decreases the
poetry of the piece.  The urgency of the 2nd variation is low; Biggers
just doesn't dig deeply.  His 3rd variation unfolds too quickly, the 4th
is low on lyricism, etc.  etc.  Overall, the Biggers BWV 768 is a jumble
of contorted rhythms, fast tempos, and weak foundations enveloped in a
superficial glaze.  I'm very surprised that the strength that Biggers
displays in BWV 564 is abandoned by him in every variation except for
the last one; poetry and a fine rhythmic pulse also get discarded.  My
impression is that Biggers realized that BWV 778 has needs different
from BWV 564 but went too far to compensate and lost his direction.

Prelude & Fugue in A minor, BWV 543 - A work of vitality and swirling
rhythms which excellently suits Lionel Rogg but doesn't sound like it has
much affinity with Biggers.  He's too fast in the fugue, the strength he
possesses in BWV 543 is again at a reduced level, and I feel he makes a
mess of the swirling rhythms; he seems to bend them in an unmusical
fashion.

Prelude & Fugue in A major, BWV 536 - I love the poetry, strength, and
ceremony of this work.  Biggers must well identify with it also, because
he gives an excellent performance.  He eschews his faster than average
tempos and is actually in the ballpark with Wolfgang Rubsam and Andrea
Marcon.  Rubsam is tough, severe, and 'in your face'; this Bach work
easily accomodates the approach.  Marcon's my favorite for the great
detail he provides and his tremendous optimism in the Fugue.  Biggers
is quite similar to Marcon in the Prelude but doesn't really take an
optimistic route for the Fugue.  His approach is sultry and a little
exotic.  Overall, I consider Biggers as fine as the Rubsam issue.

Chorale Preludes BWV 654 & 668a - These are two of the eighteen Leipzig
Chorales which are among his best in the genre.  My favored BWV 654 comes
from Bine Katrine Bryndorf on Hanssler; the spiritual optimism leaps out
of the speakers.  Biggers perfers a sumptuous approach which is mighty
tempting.

In BWV 668a, Biggers goes down the tubes with a performance which is
much too solemn; his choice of registrations just adds to the somber
mood.  Switch to Leonhardt on Teldec and hear a bright and confident
interpretation with great lift.  Some sources maintain that Bach composed
this work while on his deathbed.  Bach's send-off composition is ideally
served by Leonhardt; Biggers is off-course.

Passacaglia in C minor, BWV 582 - One of Bach's most popular organ works,
the Passacaglia is a power-packed and majestic creation.  E. Power Biggs
on Sony gives a fantastic performance of strength, inevitability, and
poetry.  Biggers starts off well, but he doesn't go anywhere as his
perforamance becomes increasingly routine and even dull.

Don's Conclusions: The Jonathan Biggers disc is not recommended.  Out of
seven works, four are basically not competitive with most other alternative
versions.  Also, at no point is Biggers revelatory or better than the
alternatives.  Competition is intense, and Biggers is not up to the
comparisons.  Sound quality is excellent, but that doesn't alter my
assessment.

I don't want to give the impression that Calcante recordings should be
avoided.  For the past few months I've been luxuriating in a wonderful
2-disc set of Scheidemann organ music from this company, and I have ordered
more recordings from them.  I do suggest that those who buy organ discs
check out the Calcante website.

Don Satz
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