"North German and Danziger Organ Music"
Dietrich Buxtuehude(1637-1707)
Passacaglia in D minor
Praeludium in F major
Prelude, Fugue and Ciacona in C major*
Erschienen ist der herrliche Tag
Ciacona in E minor**
Vincent Lubeck(1654-1740)
Praeludium in E major*
Praeludium in D minor
Georg Bohm(1661-1733)
Praeludium in C major
Nicolaus Bruhns(1665-1697)
Praeludium in E minor
Praeludium in G minor*
Johann Nicolaus Hanff(1665-1711)
Auf meinen lieben Gott*
Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott*
Friedrich Christian Mohrheim(1718-1780)
Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott*
Jesu, der du meine Seele*
Trio III in G minor*
Danziger Tabulatur(1591)
Vater unser im Himmelreich*
Deus in adjutorium(Lasso)*
Danacord 540
Recorded 2000
Marcussen Organ of Lubeck Cathedral
Sandtner Organ of Eichstatt Cathedral*
Buxtehude Organ in Torrlosa, Sweden**
Hans Helmut Tillmanns, Organ
TT 70:47
Summary: Select Your Organs Well
The previous four volumes reviewed were either devoted to Bach or had
Bach on the program; this volume has no Bach entries. As is his common
procedure, Tillmanns uses modern organs. But there is a surprise with
Tillmanns playing one of Buxtehude's works, the Cicacona in E minor, on the
only surviving organ actually played by Buxtehude. For what it's worth, I
did not find Tillmann and Buxtehude a good match in the previous volume.
Tillmann's creamy legato can be like poison to Buxtehude's music, and this
new disc for review has about a third of its program devoted to Buxtehude.
Another third is in the Praeludium category courtesy of Lubeck, Bohm, and
Bruhns; the last third has chorale settings from Hanff, Mohrheim, and the
Danziger Tabulatur.
As you will read below, I reached a point in my listening regime where my
opinion of this disc, Tillmanns, and the previous discs I reviewed took an
unexpected turn. Read on:
Lubeck's E major Praeludium - This a wonderful work given a exceptional
performance by Robert Kobler on a Berlin Classics disc I reviewed a few
months ago. The music is captivating as Kobler takes me on a trip to other
galaxies; his lift and exhilaration are inspiring. With Tillmanns, we
remain on Earth. There's a reticence out of the organist which keeps the
music from careening to unknown worlds. More than anything else, Kobler
must have Lubeck in his blood-stream. I wouldn't mind a shot of Lubeck
either.
Lubeck's D major Praeludium - This piece is not up to the level of Lubeck's
E major primarily because of a repeated-note subject in the fugue which can
get tiresome before the conclusion. However, the 'free' opening section is
a stunner with its powerful austerity. Also, the fugue is a good match for
Tillmann's legato style of playing. His 'free' section is not as stern as
the one from Harald Vogel on Loft Recordings, but Tillmanns injects a nice
sense of mystery which is equally rewarding.
Bohm's Praeludium in C major - A thoroughly enjoyable creation with a
strong/angular prelude followed by a delightful, uplifting, and even
playful fugue. Tillmanns does well in the prelude, but his legato does
work against him. His fugue is superb with the music taking very well to
his even flow; also, Tillmanns provides a healthy supply of playfulness
which is atttractive.
As with Buxtehude, the music of Nicolaus Bruhns has much 'bite', and
I can't report that Tillmanns has a strong bite. Yet, he provides the
abundant power needed in the two Bruhns works on the program. Add in
a fine sense of flow and lyricism, and the result is quite enjoyable.
However, when I want some Bruhns, I likely would head toward artists such
as Luc Beausejour and William Porter who invest the music of Bruhns with
all the bite it needs and provide a more complete picture of the composer's
style.
For the praeludium portion of the program, Tillmanns acquits himself very
well. His lyricism is never in doubt, and pacing is generally attractive.
My reservations center around the works that need a strong degree of
angularity such as the Lubeck E major Praeludium and the ones of Bruhns.
Tillmanns doesn't offer it; he never offers it. This makes me wonder why
he bothers to program music which cries out for angularity; it doesn't
bring out Tillmann's best.
Chorale settings tend to be more in line with Tillmann's style, and I find
his performances rewarding. Tillmanns brings his usual list of positives
and negatives to the table, but only Hanff's "Ein feste" greatly benefits
from an angular style. One other reservation is that the lower voices can
sound quite thick.
Coming to the Buxtehude pieces, it's reasonable to rush to hear an organ
really played by the composer; as it happens, the Ciacona is programmed
last on the disc. Listening to this work performed by Tillmanns greatly
changes my perception of the disc. No longer is Tillmanns a constant
dose of cream with indistinct articulation; I thought at first that I
was listening to a different organist such as William Porter. No, it is
Tillmanns, and he sounds so much better. The man really does know how to
articulate, present detailed counterpoint, and avoid thickness and sludge.
The disc leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Finally, on the fifth cd of his
that I am reviewing, he reveals to me that he's been playing organs which
simply exacerabate his penchant for legato and turn it into cream. Just
taking the disc at hand, I can easily project how much more enjoyable the
program would have been if the Buxtehude organ was used throughout; instead
I get just six minutes of it.
I don't believe this is a matter of my general preference for historical
over modern organs. I have a slew of discs on modern organ which I love
listening to. The problem is to find and play organs which best present
the music, given the performing style of the artist. My opinion is that
the Tillmanns style and the modern organs he has been using are a poor
match.
Of course, there's a whole other way of looking at this disc. It is
enjoyable and we get the Buxtehude organ as a bonus. Perhaps I'll end up
thinking this way, but my current thinking is that I feel cheated when a
bonus is better than the foundation.
Don's Conclusions: Those who have been acquiring and greatly enjoying the
Tillmanns/Danacord discs need not hesitate with this one. For those who
have had some skepticism and reservations, the disc just might anger you by
the time you've finished going through its program. I will likely continue
with reviews of the three remaining Tllmanns cds I have, but I'm in a sour
mood about it.
Don Satz
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