Bach: Toccatas and Fugues (1990)

This recording of Bach's Toccatas and Fugues was originally released in 1990 as part of Christopher Herrick's series of the complete organ works of Bach for Hyperion, recorded on modern-built Metzler organs in Switzerland. The organ in this particular instance, in the Stadtkirche of Zofingen, is based on the church's original Romantic-era organ. The primary difference between a Romantic-era organ and one of Bach's time is the greater tone colors available through more stops and more control over crescendos. The difference ... Read More

This recording of Bach's Toccatas and Fugues was originally released in 1990 as part of Christopher Herrick's series of the complete organ works of Bach for Hyperion, recorded on modern-built Metzler organs in Switzerland. The organ in this particular instance, in the Stadtkirche of Zofingen, is based on the church's original Romantic-era organ. The primary difference between a Romantic-era organ and one of Bach's time is the greater tone colors available through more stops and more control over crescendos. The difference would be analogous to the difference between performing Bach's music on a piano versus on a harpsichord. It forces every performer to decide how s/he is going to approach the music: should it be performed more as if the instrument didn't have those extra capabilities or should those be used to enhance the music somehow? In Herrick's case, he leans toward a more conservative approach, using stricter tempos -- not excessive rubato -- and creating differences in volume mostly by changing... Read Less