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Review by Beethovenfan January 19, 2009 (11 of 12 found this review helpful)
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The box nowhere claims to offer the complete organworks but with a title like “The Organ Works”, one expects as much. And like most of these boxes, this one is not complete. Not included are :
1- all the BWV-numbers with an a- or b-appendix except for BWV 1027a. These are all early versions or variations, some of them not by Bach. These works are mostly never included.
2- BWV 692, 746, 759, 760, 761, 771 wich are not by Bach
3- BWV 708, 749, 750, 756, 758 wich are of doubtful authenticity
4- BWV 562 (the fugue), 573, 764 wich are fragments
5- BWV 634 wich Vad considers as a variant from BWV 633
6- BWV 725 wich Vad considers as nothing but “merely an harmonized chorale “
7- BWV 802, 803, 804, 805 wich Vad considers as cembaloworks
8- ...maybe I missed some...
On the other hand, many of the doubtful pieces are included just like a few that are clearly not by Bach (ao. BWV 693), I think that this box is Vad’s very personal vision. I just have problems with the omission of lines 4, 5, 6 and 7 stated above.
The box gives no information about the recording, just DDD, so we must trust our ears.
I think this is not an original surround recording but the sound is great. It is much better than the good old but flat stereo’s. One has not the feeling to expierence the space of the Sorø Church but the SACD offers enough space in the organ. But the most important to me is the purity in the sound. In contrast with all the organ-CD’s I heard, the SACD’s give nicely and clearly separated voices. The colours of all the stops are presented in a natural way, and especially in de very low voices one feels the wind going through the instrument. And even very deep, you still hear an organ.
The small choir organ also is recorded in the same honest way.
Knud Vad’s playing is great. I heard Fagius, Stockmeier, Koopman, Vernet, Marie-Claire Alain 3th set, Rübsam’s 1th set..., and I am glad I have these in my collection but from now on I will take Vad when I want to enjoy Bach on organ. Maybe it is not all very HIP (but than, what would Bach think about our HIP’s ?) but it is with much love for the music and the instrument.
For little money you get much quality, I do recommend this box. For a purist who wants every BWV-number I recommend other boxes to start with and go collecting the missing numbers here and there.
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