CDA67228 - Disc 1 Track 9 - Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor, BWV903

Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor, BWV903

composer

Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor, BWV903

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Max Reger’s all too brief creative life saw not only the composition of a vast number of original works in many genres, but also a long list of arrangements and editions of other composers’ music. Like the even more prodigious Liszt he was always interested in promoting the work of others. This was particularly so during his directorship of the Meiningen Court Orchestra, which he took over in 1911, where he conducted works by, among others, Debussy, Grieg and Wolf. He arranged a large number of Bach’s organ and orchestral works for piano, both solo and duet, as well as many of the solo keyboard works for the organ. These include preludes and fugues from The Well-Tempered Clavier and several of the toccatas. It was only natural that he should be drawn to the Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue, where even the look of the music on the page reminds one of his own music. The process of expansion to the larger medium includes the addition of an elaborate dynamic scheme, giving us a tantalising glimpse of a performing tradition from a bygone age, and the addition of a chordal elaboration of the implied harmonies of Bach’s virtuoso keyboard figuration. The Fantasia, whose many different ideas grow organically out of each other, includes a highly elaborate instrumental recitative, a style undoubtedly learnt from the string concertos of Vivaldi with which Bach became acquainted during his Weimar years. The Fugue remains faithful to the texture of the original while reflecting the dynamic growth inherent in the music.

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Details for CDA67228 track 9

Fugue

Artists

Christopher Herrick (organ)

ISRC

GB-AJY-01-22809

Duration

5'53

Recording date

4 November 2000

Recording venue

Berner Münster, Switzerland

Recording producer

Paul Spicer

Recording engineer

Paul Niederberger

Hyperion usage

Organ Fireworks, Vol. 9 (CDA67228)
Disc 1 Track 9
Release date: August 2001
Last few remaining

Hyperion Records