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Track(s) taken from CDA67964

Praeludium in C major, BuxWV137

composer
Prelude, Fugue and Chaconne

Christopher Herrick (organ)
Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
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Recording details: February 2012
Mariager Klosterkirke, Denmark
Produced by Paul Spicer
Engineered by Simon Eadon
Release date: December 2012
Total duration: 5 minutes 42 seconds

Cover artwork: Church Interior. Hendrik Cornelisz van Vliet (c1611-1675)
Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Ghent, Belgium / © Lukas - Art in Flanders VZW / Bridgeman Images
 

Other recordings available for download

Christopher Herrick (organ)

Reviews

‘A simply splendid album. The organ … is a delight to the ears, its manifest charms precisely mapped out in detailed registrations provided in the excellent booklet … above all, of course, is Herrick's immensely enjoyable playing … all in all a delight to the ears which brings a smile to the face and a lift to the soul’ (Gramophone)

‘Hugely successful … Herrick's performance of the Praeludium … is packed with personality and character … the freedom with which Herrick approaches this piece and the extent to which is it possible to hear the performer's voice, as well as that of the composer, projected in this performance, cannot be described as anything other than exhilarating … Herrick's playing is characteristically excellent throughout. His performances of the free works are, without exception, rhetorically engaging and lively, while the chorale melodies sing beautifully, such is his sensitive approach to musical line … very highly recommended’ (International Record Review)

‘Herrick's generously-timed programme consists of an entertaining mix of items, mainly Praeludia or Chorale Preludes. Slower, ruminative pieces alternate with boisterous, dramatic works in a recital that manages to be both elegant and fulgurous, profound and sensuous. Works generally run to less than four minutes each, but short does not equate with inconsequential in Buxtehude's music: even the merest pieces speak volumes about the composer's imagination, virtuosity and originality … this set ought to be the primary destination for collectors’ (MusicWeb International)
The magnificent Praeludium in C major, BuxWV137 (known to English-speaking organists as the ‘Prelude, Fugue and Chaconne in C’), is among the best known of the praeludia. The first section, improvisatory in character, begins with a pedal solo, embraces a variety of textures, and includes a number of dramatic gestures. The brief subject of the fugal section seems to grow out of the second bar of the pedal solo, and its final entry (at bar 64) leads without a break into a short improvisatory passage. Marked Presto, the Ciacona, with which the work concludes, is founded on eight statements of a jovial three-bar ground derived from the fugue subject.

from notes by Relf Clark © 2012

Le magnifique Praeludium en ut majeur, BuxWV137 (le «Prelude, Fugue and Chaconne in C» des organistes anglophones), est un des praeludia les plus connus. La première section, improvisée de caractère, s’ouvre sur un solo au pédalier, embrasse diverses textures et compte plusieurs gestes saisissants. Le bref sujet de la section fuguée semble naître de la deuxième mesure du solo au pédalier; sa dernière entrée (mesure 64) mène directement à un court passage à l’improvisade. Marquée Presto, la Ciacona terminale repose sur huit énonciations d’une joviale basse contrainte de trois mesures, dérivée du sujet de la fugue.

extrait des notes rédigées par Relf Clark © 2012
Français: Hypérion

Das großartige Präludium in C-Dur, BuxWV137, ist eines seiner berühmtesten Werke dieser Art. Der erste Abschnitt ist improvisatorisch gehalten, beginnt mit einem Pedalsolo, umschließt unterschiedliche Texturen und enthält zahlreiche dramatische Gesten. Das kurze Thema des fugalen Abschnitts scheint aus dem zweiten Takt des Pedalsolos zu entstehen und der letzte Einsatz (in Takt 64) führt ohne Pause in eine kurze improvisatorische Passage hinüber. Die Ciacona, mit der das Werk endet, ist mit Presto überschrieben und fußt auf acht Darstellungen eines heiteren dreitaktigen Ostinatos, das von dem Fugenthema abgeleitet ist.

aus dem Begleittext von Relf Clark © 2012
Deutsch: Viola Scheffel

Other albums featuring this work

Organ Fireworks, Vol. 12
CDA67612
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