Organ Recital
Fernando Germani
Johann Sebastian Bach(1685-1750):
Prelude & Fugue in G major, BWV 541
Prelude & Fugue in E minor, BWV 548
Prelude & Fugue in B minor, BWV 544
Prelude & Fugue in A minor, BWV 543
Prelude & Fugue in C major, BWV 547
Chorale Settings, BWV 727 & 731
Fugue on the Magnificat, BWV 733
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck(1562-1621):
Variations on "Mein junges Leben hat ein End"
John Bull(1562-1628):
Prelude and Carol "Laet ons met herte reijne"
Fantasia on a Fugue of Sweelinck
Testament SBT 1202 - Recorded 1957/58
Fernando Germani(1906-1998), Organ
TT 79:16
Although Fernando Germani is not a household name, Testament has recently
issued a disc devoted to his playing of Bach, Sweelinck, and John Bull.
Actually, the bulk of the music is from Bach and could be listed as a Bach
disc with three fillers.
Mr. Germani, born in 1906, was a precocious child and played the piano
and violin in public at four years of age. And get this one - at age
eight he started taking lessons in composition from Resphigi who headed
Germani toward the organ. Then at age fifteen, Germani was the organist
of the Augusteo Symphony Orchestra in Rome. Spanning a career of almost
seventy-five years, Germani also was a celebrated teacher in Italy. He
died in 1998, and his legacy will hopefully be more pronounced in future
years.
Germani's Bach performances have a great deal in their favor. He's a
strong and no-nonsense kind of guy; he gets straight to the point and
does so with a high level of demonstrativeness and aristocracy. Further,
Germani never has any problem delving deeply into Bach's soul; it seems
quite natural for him.
My reservations mainly concern the recorded sound. It's a little muffled
and quite compressed; the organ is never allowed to really soar, and
that's a significant negative in Bach's organ music. Second, the bass
underpinning is not well-defined; that's also significant. The third
problem is that the music's contours are consistently rounded; it's hard to
sound bold and sharp. This rounded quality is, to my ears, created by both
Germani and his soundstage. It results in reduced vibrancy.
The Chorale Settings are a much better fit for Germani and his soundstage
than the Preludes & Fugues which need more boldness than the recording
can deliver. BWV 727 & 731 are as good as it gets; the rounded quality
I mentioned does no harm here at all, and we are left with glorious
Germani readings. BWV 547 is the one Prelude & Fugue that Germani
performs superbly. These three works are the highlights of his Bach
interpretations. The work from Sweelinck does not court much favor with
me, but Bull's two compositions are fine additions to the disc.
I end up wishing very much that I could listen to Germani in excellent
sound. As it is, he gives the listener many of the great attributes of
Bach's music. Unfortunately, sound deficiencies don't allow some others
to come through fully.
My journey through the recording goes like this:
Prelude & Fugue in G major, BWV 541 - Lionel Rogg's liner notes describe
this work as an "explosion of vitality and joy". That's exactly the ticket
and Rogg fully conveys those elements in an outstanding reading with great
bounce and energy. Weinberger on CPO is a close second. Germani hits the
core of the music as well, although his reading isn't as sharply etched as
Rogg's. The only problem is that the lower registers are not well-defined
and sort of make me think of sludge. It's a sound problem which still
allows Germani's artistry to shine through but also dampens the enjoyment
a little.
Prelude & Fugue in E minor, BWV 548 - I am partial to the Christopher
Herrick reading on Hyperion. He's very powerful and surprisingly bold
in the Prelude with an infectious rhythm; his Fugue has an incisive and
eerie beginning, and he fully captures the majesty of the music. At all
times, the bass underpinning is strong and excellently defined. And that
underpinning is the problem with Germani's version; the sound is again
rather homogenized. Also, Herrick's performance, as with Rogg in BWV 541,
is sharply etched while Germani's contours are smooth. But there's never
any doubt that Germani has Bach in his soul. He reaches all the right
emotional buttons and with strength and aristocracy.
Prelude & Fugue in B minor, BWV 544 - One of Bach's most vital and
powerful organ masterpieces, the work leaves the listener totally exhausted
or exhilarated. Rogg leaves me exhilarated with the great vitality he
brings to the work. Martin Lucker on Hanssler gives a tremendously strong
and muscular reading that exhausts me. Germani's performance also deals
from strength although he can not match Lucker. Overall, it's a fine
performance which does tend to lag at times in the Prelude; Germani
occasionally goes soft with lessened impact.
Prelude & Fugue in A minor, BWV 543 - I feel that the Prelude is best
presented in a strong and vibrant manner; Rogg provides both while Germani
is a little lacking in vibrancy. Again, his contours are smoother than
Rogg's, and it hurts the performance. Germani's Fugue goes better than
the Prelude as it's highly legato music.
Prelude & Fugue in C major, BWV 547 - 'Bold and sharp' is just the ticket
for the Prelude, and Leonhardt on Sony/Seon does it perfectly. The Fugue
lives on swirling and legato-driven phrasing; Herrick's performance is
quite an uplifting experience.
You can't get 'bold and sharp' from Germani's Prelude, but it does offer
great majesty and dignity. The legato-driven nature of the Fugue is an
excellent fit for Germani; his strong posture adds to a powerful and
memorable achievement. Germani's performance of BWV 547 is my favorite
of the five Preludes & Fugues on the recording.
Chorale Settings, BWV 727 & 731 - Germani's BWV 727 is a gorgeous and
poignant reading which is the best I've ever heard. The intensity of
emotions is very powerful without ever going overboard. Also, Germani's
nobility completely shines through.
BWV 731 is serene music which some performers treat as music to sleep by
such as Piet Kee on Chandos. Gerhard Weinberger on CPO enlivens the music
with a little rhythmic bounce and edge while still maintaining the piece's
beauty and strong foundation. Germani's chorale melody is well projected,
interesting, and lovingly rendered; I can't think of a better version.
Fugue on the Magnificat, BWV 733 - "My soul doth magnify the Lord", and
the music should magnify in stunning and majestic fashion. Threre's not a
better version for conveying the lift and majesty of this music than Andrea
Marcon's on Hanssler; it's a performance that cries out to be recognized.
It's also a slow reading at over six minutes, and Germani shortens it down
to hardly over four minutes. Much of the majesty disappears, although the
performance is still strong and flows well. This is not one of the better
Germani readings on the disc; it's simply way too fast.
Sweelinck's Variations - A comfortable and dignified theme followed by
five variations. It may be the way Germani plays it, but I don't find this
among Sweelinck's better organ works; neither the basic theme nor any of
the variations stick in the memory bank.
John Bull - I like Bull's Prelude and Carol; it has an attractive
ceremonial feature which is excellently conveyed by Germani. The Fantasia
is a strong and uplifting composition which Germani does proud with an
interesting rhythmic pulse.
Don's Conclusions: Fernando Germani is a superb Bach organist let down
some by the recorded sound which can't provide much in the way of boldness
or sharpness. This deficiency can't helf but impact the Preludes & Fugues
on the disc; however, Germani overcomes it all with an outstanding BWV 547.
His Chorale Settings are another great achievement. Unfortunately, BWV 733
is of little value because of excessive speed.
With a few performances of transcendent quality, I must recommend this
disc. I must also point out that the unfavorable sound for the Preludes
& Fugues constitutes a major negative since most of the music resides in
these five works. My recommendation is to acquire the disc with the
reservations noted. Germani is a keeper, good sound or not.
Don Satz
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