A CD filled with similar works by one composer can lead to boredom. However, due to the brilliant inventiveness with which Johann Sebastian Bach dealt with genres such as fantasia, this is not the case at all in this edition. The fantasia is performed by Leo van Doeselaar in two guises: from manualiter praeambulum to large-scale praeludium with all the trimmings, but also from simple to very extensive chorale arrangement.
The tone is immediately set with the Pièce d'Orgue (BWV 572), a unique piece in form and content, without a doubt one of Bach's most impressive and intriguing organ works. It is striking that the so-called "Weimarer Fassung" is used for a number of chorale arrangements (recognizable by the a after the BWV number), whereby the number of decorations or sometimes even the length differs significantly from the common Leipzig version. Van Doeselaar plays the Reil organ (1999) in the Kamper Bovenkerk, which is indeed a "choir organ", but with its 29 registers it is quite oversized. With refined playing and many beautiful registrations he knows how to get the best out of this instrument. A very varied and fascinating CD, which is also very beautifully recorded. It's a shame that that recording (from January 2001) was left untouched for so long! A downside is the occasionally messy booklet with a somewhat strange design. For those who want to know more about Bach's fantasies, I can heartily recommend the accompanying explanation. Wilmer de Jong
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