🎻 Last Friday morning, I went back to Powell Hall for the first time in a couple years. This historic home of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra has undergone a two-year renovation, and it is looking and sounding better than ever! There was even a spot for me to rest my coffee! (Free coffee is just one of the perks of going to hear the orchestra on Friday mornings.) I was so happy about it, I snapped a picture:
🎹 About a month ago, I accidentally fell madly in love with the Great 18 Chorales of J. S. Bach, also known as the "Leipzig Chorales." Here's what happened:
I had scheduled myself to play one of the chorales, "Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr," BWV 662, as the organ prelude to the service on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. I wanted to revisit some of the approaches I had to ornamentation in this piece, and I thought it would be good to consult some recordings.
Since I found myself in the car for a good bit of Labor Day travel, I was able to hear not only this chorale, but the entire set of 18 in some new recordings made by Masaaki Suzuki. I haven't been able to stop talking about these recordings since! Most people I've mentioned them to know Suzuki in connection with the Bach Collegium Japan, but don't realize he is also a fine organist. He is currently recording a complete Bach cycle for BIS Records.
The latest recording is Bach Organ Works Volume 7, the second album in a two-part recording of the complete Leipzig Chorales. The album opens with a remarkable recording of "Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr," BWV 662(YouTube). I recommend using headphones or real speakers so that you can appreciate the surprising 32' stop in the pedal, and a 16' stop in the right hand melody (both sounds involve an octave lower than most organists choose for this piece).
Can I also just say that I am now obsessed with the organ heard here, the Arp Schnitger organ at the Martinikerk in Groningen, the Netherlands, beautifully captured on these recordings.
Until next week, -David
And, since it's officially fall now, here's a picture of a tractor in an orchard:
About David Sinden
I’m David Sinden, and my whole professional life has involved playing mechanical action organs in Episcopal Churches in states that border Kentucky.
