Johann Sebastian Bach(1685-1750)
      Selected Works for Organ

Passacaglia in C minor, BWV 582
Chorale Preludes, BWV 622 & 659
Schubler Chorales, BWV 645-650
Piece d'Orgue, BWV 572
Prelude & Fugue in B minor, BWV 544
Prelude & Fugue in A minor, BWV 543

Pro Organo 7121
Recorded June 2000
von Beckerath Organ at St. Michael's Church, New York
Nicholas White, Organ
TT 68:33

Don's Conclusion:  What could have been a very good recording is undone by
a lack-luster reading of the Schubler Chorales.


Nicholas White is the organist and choirmaster at St.  Michael's Church in
New York City.  Born in London, White received his Bachelor's and Master's
in music from Clare College in Cambridge in the late 1980's.  The von
Beckerath Organ was completed in 1967 and is certainly a lovely sounding
instrument.

White's Bach recording exhibits many of the aspects of recent Bach organ
recordings on a modern organ.  The performances of the two chorales, BWV
622 & 659, are exceptional for their beauty.  The more powerful Bach works
such as the Preludes & Fugues are not as rewarding; the organ sound is rich
and phrasing is rounded off by White with a resulting loss in the music's
bite.  These strong works tend to lose some of their vitality when the
'edge' is minimal.

So prior to listening to the Schubler Chorales, I was prepared to give a
qualified recommendation.  But White's Schubler Chorale peformances are
the weakest on his disc.  He uses less than advantageous tempos, is too
light at times, and tends to glide on the surface.  Ultimately, two great
peformances, some rewarding ones, and non-competitive Schubler readings add
up to a thumbs-down conclusion.

My comments on each performance are as follows:

I decided to start off with the two chorale preludes.  BWV 622 is a
meditation blending sadness with hope; the upper voice has the embellished
melody, the middle voices are serene and sometimes swaying, and the bass
line creates a strong foundation.  My favorite version is from Wolfgang
Zerer on Hanssler; his slow paced and highly ceremonial reading fully
captures the music's beauty and has a strong and mesmorizing bass line.
Nicholas White provides a great performance; his tempo is well within
the usual boundaries, the embellished melody is stunningly beautiful and
graceful, the bass line is strong and full, and the level of hope is very
high.  Overall, White's is the most vibrant interpretation I know.

BWV 659 is similar to BWV 622 concerning the embellished melody from
the upper voice and a strong underpinning from the bass line; however, BWV
659 is the more assertive and determined composition leading to a sense of
inevitability.  Vibrancy is again strong in White's embellished melody, and
the determination and inevitability are also at high levels.  His reading
is equal to superb alternatives including Bryndorf on Hanssler and Hurford
on Decca.

Passacaglia in C minor, BWV 582 - If you go for Variations, this Bach work
should win your heart.  With more than 20 variations over a repeating bass
line, the Passacaglia is a majestic and uplifting creation.  E. Power
Biggs on Sony gives a tremendous performance of strength and emotional
depth.  White performs as well as most, but he doesn't come close to the
power or poignancy of Biggs; White also does not differentiate the
variations as markedly as Biggs.  Further, White's more legato reading
tends to lead to reduced interest.

Piece d'Orgue, BWV 572 - Known more commonly as the Fantasia in G major,
this piece is the only Bach organ work with a French title and French
headings.  Having three sections, the work leads from the style of a
Fantasia with arpeggios to a five-part Allabreve and then back to arpeggios
of a much bolder nature than in the first section.  Andrea Marcon on
Hanssler delivers a tremendously muscular Allabreve which is unfortunately
a little overbearing with reduced poetry.  Surprisingly, Karl Richter on
Teldec doesn't handle the first section's arpeggios very well; the notes
are not well-defined at all.  Richter's Allabreve is quite strong and
significantly more poetic than what we get from Marcon - it's a stunning
and exceptional interpretation.  With the third section, Richter's poorly
defined arpeggios return.  Leonhardt on Sony/Seon provides the best aspects
of the Marcon and Richter performances.  He's as strong as Marcon but
easily more lyrical; his arpeggios are as crisp as Marcon's and make
Richter's sound so meager.

The three above alternative versions have one common feature; they are slow
and approach or exceed ten minutes.  Aside from Nicholas White's reading,
Harald Vogel's is the quickest one I know.  Vogel is as good as Leonhardt,
just faster.

Well, I've used up a lot of words and haven't yet said anything about
White's performance other than it is a quick one.  All is not well for
White in the first and third sections; he's too smooth and rich.  This
music needs some bite.  The Allabreve is very powerful like Marcon's, and
it has significantly more poetry to it.  However, the arpeggio problems
hold White back from occupying the exalted postions of Vogel and Leonhardt.

Update:  What I'm most noticing so far is that White seems to be more
effective in the chorales where his smooth playing pays some dividends.
In the other works, he tends to use too much legato for my tastes, and the
soundstage's richness definitely exacerbates the effect.  Other than that,
White is excellent.  His strength is admirable, Bach's poetry and depth
hold no problem, and the sound quality is sumptuous.

Prelude & Fugue in B minor, BWV 544 - White's performance is a quick one
like Rogg's, but White is less exhilarating for two reasons:  Rogg provides
more detail and plays a Silbermann organ.  White's organ is a lovely
sounding instrument, but it hasn't the distinctiveness of the Silbermann.

Prelude & Fugue in A minor, BWV 543 - Lionel Rogg is also exceptional in
BWV 543.  He's a master of Bach's swirling rhythms, and this work greatly
benefits from Rogg's approach which also involves great detail.  White's
Prelude is fantastic; he delivers great bursts of energy throughout the
piece.  However, his Fugue doesn't flow as well as Rogg's, and much of the
detail is rounded off by White.

For the Schubler Chorales, I can't think of a better set of performances
than the one offered by Helmut Walcha on Deutsche Grammophon.  It would be
quite a tribute if White's readings compare well to Walcha's.

BWV 645, referred to as the "wake-up" chorale, presents the awakening of
all that is virtuous.  Pure joy permeates Walcha's quick performance; its
uplighting nature is inspiring, and Walcha provides excpetional detailing
of voices.  Nicholas White isn't close to Walcha's level.  Even faster than
Walcha, White sounds a little frivolous and surface-bound.  Also, his
detailing of voices is much less pronounced than with Walcha.

BWV 646 concerns the plight of the sinner.  What flight path will the
sinner take? The path to God, of course.  Bach's music excellently conveys
this flight, and Walcha is an exceptional messenger.  Although on the slow
side at over two minutes, it's so easy to visualize the sinner moving
upward to redemption.  For a very quick version, Kevin Bowyer on Nimbus is
great; his sinner is winging his way to God at at an urgent clip.  White's
reading is in Bowyer's category but with a lighter texture; also, Bowyer
uses very interesting registrations that White does not employ.  Overall,
White's performance is fine but nothing distinctive.

Most recorded performances of BWV 647 are slow at four minutes and quite
reverential.  I prefer three minute readings which enhance the vitality and
optimism of the music.  It's perfectly viable since the text states that
those who have faith in God know "the right season for joy".  Walcha takes
the quicker and more energetic approach but he's no match for Christopher
Herrick's equally fast performance.  Herrick is much more vital than
Walcha; he's more vital than any other artist on record.  Nicholas White
offers a slow and reverential reading very similar to most.  There's
nothing wrong with it, but the performance does not stand out in any
respect.

In BWV 648, White gives a fine reading on the quick side.  Although I
do prefer the slower performance of Werner Jacob which provides greater
reverence, White surpasses Walcha's equally quick reading; White offers
a greater degree of gravity.

White falls back down in his BWV 649.  Based on the text, the music needs
to blend comfort and joy with some tension and weight.  Walcha does this
perfectly in his slow peformance.  White provides one of the fastest
versions on record and misses the emotional breadth of Bach's creation.

The last Schubler Chorale, BWV 650, is pure joy and vitality.  The text
constitutes a prayer for Jesus to return to earth.  With Walcha's reading,
the listener can create the image of Jesus' return; his vitality, poetry,
and projection are superb.  White's tempo is in Walcha's range, but his
reading has less weight and sounds a little weak.

The Schubler Chorales are not kind to Mr.  White.  Many alternative
versions of each of these six chorales are better propositions than
what White delivers.  Overall, he's a mix of too slow, too fast, too
superficial, and too light.  His registrations are entirely ordinary,
and the peformances don't have much to offer.

I end up quite disappointed with White's disc.  It's not unusual in a mixed
Bach organ program for the performer to excel in the chorales but not in
the more powerful works such as the Preludes & Fugues.  White can't even
get to this point due to the lack of distinction in his Schubler Chorales.

Don Satz
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