I took out of the recesses of my record collection an Argo disc of
chorales and fantasias for organ and solo instrument composed by Johann
Ludwig Krebs (1713-1780).  Krebs was a pupil of Bach's and reportedly held
in high esteem by the teacher.  Composing organ pieces with an additional
instrument was initiated in the early 1700's and does provide an extra
dimension which I like up to a point.

The Argo disc features the organist Peter Hurford who is well known for his
Bach organ series on Decca.  The solo instruments consist of wind and
brass.  The recording was made in 1991.

What of the music? It's very tuneful, and a few pieces are memorable.  But,
some of it is cloying, and the lack of distinctiveness makes for a long
hour if listening straight through.

The real star of the show is the crispy clear and beautiful organ sound;
it's stunning.  Hurford does as much with the pieces as possible, but
great organ and organist don't quite make you forget that the music has
limitations.  For those interested, the organ of Gloucester Cathedral is
used; it was built in 1971 by Hill, Norman, and Beard.

Well, I've played the disc twice today, and I'll be putting it back in the
recesses of my collection.  In a few years, I will play it again.

Don's Conclusion: Buy a lot of your favorite Baroque composers before
considering Krebs (unless he is one of your favorites).  If you do buy it,
play it in small doses.  The disc might not be in print any longer, so the
decision could be easy.

"Donald Satz" <[log in to unmask]>