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The best Bach-Toccata & Fugue in D-minor?

wljmrbill

Member
THanks for the link to his autobio. It really added to my enjoyment of his playing and him as a person as I have followed him since his first posting.It is no wonder he got so far so fast with 5-12 hours aday practice.
 

pcnd5584

New member
The subject of this thread (Bach's Toccata and fugue in D Minor, as played by Gert van Hoef) was one of Gert's audition pieces at the Royal Conservatory of Music, The Hague, Netherlands. After two audition pieces, Gert was unanimously accepted into the conservatory. His other piece was Viërne's Symphony 2 No.1 'Allegro' which he plays here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgcjRP_Qv0I

Earlier in this thread, someone called the Bach "the wretched, greatly over-exposed 565", then said "I should be happy to let it rot in obscurity - along with another tired and well-worn piece: Widor's famous Toccata. Well, Gert recently posted the Widor:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa7lMy8wE38 ...

I listened to the Vierne, but not the Widor - since it was I who wrote the phrase which you quoted above. In fact, I remain puzzled as to why anyone should wish to listen to yet another recording of these two works - there is so much other wonderful music to discover; live a little - be adventurous.

Gert's technique is indeed good. However, there is still something missing - which I suspect will only come with experience and maturity. The Vierne is a little too fast - and needs space to breathe. Contrast this performance with that by Pierre Cochereau, on the 'old' organ of Nôtre-Dame de Paris, recorded shortly after his appointment as titulaire in 1955. This may be available on YouTube. If not, it is well worth trying to buy the box-set of two CDs - under the titile Les "Incunables":

http://www.amazon.com/Pierre-Cochereau-Les-Incunables-1955-56/dp/B000050HK6

The playing has all the breadth and maturity which is lacking in the version which you linked above.

And, before anyone gets upset and posts a heated reply, I should like to point out that I am aware of the following points:

1) Gert is a lot younger than Cochereau was at the time of the 1956
Nôtre-Dame recording.

2) He (Gert) is not the titulaire of a national cathedral.

3) He did not commence learning the organ until his early 'teens.

4) He has barely started his formal conservatoire training.

However, in a few years, it may be that we can expect great things from this clearly talented young man.


Interestingly, the Cochereau recording of the first movement of Vierne's Deuxième Symphonie to which I provided the link above, is rather superior to his second recording, which was made several years later, after the organ at Nôtre-Dame had been rebuilt and enlarged (with a new Anglo-American-style console and electropneumatic action). This later recording was somewhat rushed and lacks the power and sheer musicality of the former version.
 
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