Bach transcribed for the organ many works of other composers such as
Vivaldi concertos.  The demands of compositional quantity were great, and
the transcription process shortened the length of time necessary to come
up with new works or arrangements.

Discs devoted to Bach organ transcriptions are not exactly plentiful; these
arrangements are usually inserted into Bach recital discs for the likely
reason that the original compositions were not of great depth.  However,
Hanssler for the Bach anniversary was devoted to recording every Bach note
and released a disc just of organ transcriptions performed by Pieter van
Dijk.  The catalog number is 92.095 and total time is 71:03.  The
transcriptions included are:

BWV 585 - Trio in C minor after Johann Friedrich Fasch.
BWV 586 - Trio in G major after Georg Philipp Telemann.
BWV 587 - Aria in F major after Francois Couperin.
BWV 592 - Concerto in G major after Johann Ernst von Sachsen.
BWV 593 - Concerto in A minor after Antonio Vivaldi.
BWV 594 - Concerto in C major after Antonio Vivaldi.
BWV 595 - Concerto in C major after Johann Ernst von Sachsen.
BWV 596 - Concerto in D minor after Antonio Vivaldi.

Mr. van Dijk, born in 1958, is church organist at the Lutheran church in
Alkmaar.  He also teaches organ and has written articles on various baroque
and pre-baroque composers.  van Dijk's teachers have included Gustav
Leonhardt, Marie-Claire Alain, and Jan Raas.

For the Hanssler disc, van Dijk performs on the von Hagerbeer/Schnitger
organ in the St.  Laurenskerk in Alkmaar.  This organ was constructed in
1646 and extensively renovated by Frans Caspar Schnitger from 1722 to 1725.
Many minor modifications have been made since that time.

Concerning other reviews, I'm aware of only one in American Record Guide.
The reviewer considered the recording one "to be shunned unless you are a
musical flagellant".  Specifically, he felt the tempos were "cautious and
stodgy", the art of registration minimal, and the miking too close.  I
don't usually agree with this particular reviewer.

BWV 585 - This is a transcription of two movements (adagio-allegro) from
a trio sonata for two violins and continuo by Fasch.  Although written at
about the same time as Bach's six Trio Sonatas for Organ, the pedal only
provides supporting notes not directly related to the music's themes.  The
Adagio is a sad one with a few rays of light; the Allegro is more upbeat
with fine strong momentum.

Mr. van Dijk is very impressive in BWV 585.  Not only isn't his tempo
stodgy in the Adagio, he provides the most rhythmically alert performance
I've heard with wonderful registrations.  More than that, he gives the
piece an irresistable insistence and wealth of expressiveness which
makes the the Adagio a masterful transcription.  Christopher Herrick's
performance of the Adagio for Hyperion is a lovely and solemn
interpretation.  However, give them both a listen and hear how much more
diversity van Dijk delivers.  In the Allegro, van Dijk does very well but
quicker pacing would likely have been adavantageous.  His reading can't
quite match the vibrant Werner Jacob on EMI.

BWV 586 - The Trio is likely an arrangement of a Telemann keyboard work.
It's only in one movement and is not complex in construction.  The piece
is strong on cadences, imitation, and parallel thirds.  The music is
emotionally uplifting and has a grandeur about it.  van Dijk takes a little
over five minutes which is similar to Jacob; Herrick only uses a little
over four minutes, and I feel that's advantageous.  Herrick gives the music
a lift and excitement the other two don't realize.  However, van Dijk does
inject stature, and the grandeur and joy are on full display.  This is
likely the kind of tempo that the ARG reviewer objects to but although it
might not be the best tempo, I don't hear anything stodgy about it - a fine
interpretation.

BWV 587 - This Aria is from Francois Couperin's "Les Nations".  It's in
trio form with the pedal having equal stature.  The piece is lovely and
has a flowing rhythm suitable for elegant dancing.  Herrick, Jacob, and van
Dijk certainly provide a wide range of tempos; Jacob is over five minutes,
Herrick a little over four minutes, and van Dijk takes a little over three
minutes.  Jacob sounds like the stodgy one, Herrick is gorgeous, and van
Dijk quite distinctive.  As in his Adagio from BWV 585, van Dijk provides
an insistence with the quicker tempo and is a fine alternative to Herrick.

BWV 592 - Transcribed from a concerto of Italian dimensions, BWV 592 has
two fast and optimistic movements framing a Grave that's quite melancholy.
Tempo-wise, van Dijk is exhibiting a discernable pattern; fast music is
played relatively slow, and slow music is played quickly.  I don't say this
as a negative or positive, just an observation.  van Dijk's first movement
does not possess the effervescence of Kevin Bowyer's excellent first
movement on Nimbus, but the third movement finds van Dijk at the core of
the music's energy and lyricism.  In the second movement, van Dijk is quick
but just as poignant as Bowyer.  Overall, the van dijk BWV 592 is as fine
a reading as any other I know.

BWV 593 - A transcription of Vivaldi's Concerto in A minor Op. 3, No. 8,
van Dijk more than meets his match in the Karl Richter version on DG.
Compared to Richter, van Dijk is slow and without much vitality in the
outer movements.  The foundation of the two outer movements is based on
the alternation between tutti and solo passages; since development is
thin, it is crucial that that these alternations between the strong tutti
passages and the hushed/mysterious solo ones be as contrasting and vivid as
possible.  Also, the tutti areas need a high degree of angularity.  Richter
seems to intuitively understand the demands of the music; van Dijk is too
smooth and sedate; contrasts are much weaker than with Richter.  However,
van Dijk's surprisingly slow middle movement is the equal of Richter's.

BWV 594 - This work is a transcription of Vivaldi's Concerto in D major
from his Opus 7 set.  The first movement again greatly depends on the
alternation of tutti and solo passages; although once more on the slow
side, van Dijk displays a more energetic approach than in BWV 593; that's
all to the good.  The second movement is a recitative with a morose quality
that van Dijk well captures.  The third movement is quite a distance from
vintage Vivaldi or Bach.  Banal and repetitive passages emanate from both
tutti and solo sections; development is thin which is perhaps appropriate
since there's very little that's worthy to develop.  Yet, this is almost a
ten minute piece; paring it down to about two minutes would have been a
great decision.

Listening to someone try to make something out of nothing for almost ten
minutes is tough duty.  Jacobs really brings out the worst in the music; he
applies an exponential factor to the repitition and banality.  van Dijk is
bearable.  Any artist who could get me to enjoy this third movement would
have my unending admiration, but I don't think it's possible.

BWV 595 - This is only a fast movement from a three movement concerto by
von Sachsen.  Richter again leaves the slower and less vibrant van Dijk in
the shade.  To be fair, I feel that Richter easily surpasses all others in
his recordings of Bach's concerto transcriptions.  He brings out the full
mastery of Bach's arrangements.

BWV 596 - Here's another transcription of a Vivaldi concerto; this
one's from his Opus 3, Number 11.  The first movement has three sections:
Allegro, Grave, and Fugue.  The Allegro swirls mysteriously, the Grave is
ear-splitting and insistent, and the Fugue is urgent and uplifting.  Kevin
Bowyer's version is excellent and well captures the moods of the music.
van Dijk does well until he hits the Fugue - much too slow and austere.
This is the first time that van Dijk has replaced poetry with power.

As usual, the slow movement finds van Dijk at his best; he does a beautiful
job blending the solo voice from the second manual with the accompanied
homophonic chords from the left hand.  Bach provides a maximim degree of
technical variety to the third movement Allegro.  Again, van Dijk is slow
of pace and doesn't attain the vitality of a fine performance such as
Bowyer's.  van Dijk's reading drags a little.

That's all for the music.  Pieter van Dijk is a man of two stripes.  His
slow movements are generally quick, very alert, and excellent.  The fast
movements are rather slowish and would benefit from greater vitality.
There are times when I do believe his rhythmic lift is greater in slow
movements than in fast ones.  I can't deny that my enjoyment of the fast
movements tended to fade some when I listened straight-through to the disc.
I also can't deny that the promise of van Dijk's magical Adagio from BWV
585 never again surfaced.

Don's Conclusions:  A disc of Bach organ transcriptions does not hold much
of a chance of being a big seller.  However, the music is much better than
the typical baroque transcription and having these arrangements on one disc
can be appealing to serious Bach record collectors.  The performances of
van Dijk have their virtues primarily in the slower movements; none of the
fast movements is among the best available.  Also, there is a cumulative
impact from the less than sterling vitality van Dijk brings to the table in
those fast movements.  For all but the most avid Bach lovers, I can't
recommend the recording.  I do give it a qualified recommendation for those
who want to own all Bach issues of merit.

The ARG reviewer made a point of bringing up what he considers close
miking, and I do agree.  The closeness does not result in an overbearing
quality, but there is little space to the soundstage.  Unlike the ARG
reviewer, I don't feel that the sound interferes with the performances
but some buyers might find it irritating.  I'd recommend sampling the
Adagio from BWV 585; if the sound is problematic and/or the performance
not wonderful, you'll be in for a rough 70 minutes if you buy the disc.
That movement's the highlight and if it doesn't grab you, nothing will.
Personally, I end up thinking better of van Dijk's readings than in the
review I cited, but Richter's recorded performances leave no doubt that
van Dijk is not a stellar Bach performing artist.  He needs to rethink his
approach to tempo and particularly zest and bounce in Bach's faster music.
I'm certain he can make the favorable adjustments which would render him an
excellent intepreter.  Perhaps he will do just that, since I doubt he'll be
reading highly complimentary reviews of his recording.

Don Satz
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