Soubasse
New member
Hi All,
The 'Favourite Bach work' thread prompted me to ask the following. Since my vote went to the mighty Passacaglia - and since I'm performing it later this year - I'm interested to find out where folk stand on the issues of registrations for this work.
The first time I performed this piece, way back for my Honours recital, I opted for a "Romantic" style of registration, ie, starting quietly and gradually building. I gather that many scholars have argued that for historical authenticity, it is played plenum throughout. However, this grates on me rather quickly. Yes, I will forever adore the King of Instruments, but 12 minutes is too long to be listening to full organ for me. Furthermore, I feel strongly that much of the inner beauty of Bach's writing is lost amidst a loud registration, regardless of the instrument's clarity or the acoustic. The last time I heard this piece played live, the organist had a very heavy pedal registration (including 16' reeds and a bass 32') which mostly swamped the manuals, all but ruining it for me. My other strong feeling is that the style of writing in many of the variations call for some dynamic shading.
I realise this topic can lead to opposing viewpoints. I am interested in opinions - scholarly, emotive or otherwise.
Who's next?
Matt
The 'Favourite Bach work' thread prompted me to ask the following. Since my vote went to the mighty Passacaglia - and since I'm performing it later this year - I'm interested to find out where folk stand on the issues of registrations for this work.
The first time I performed this piece, way back for my Honours recital, I opted for a "Romantic" style of registration, ie, starting quietly and gradually building. I gather that many scholars have argued that for historical authenticity, it is played plenum throughout. However, this grates on me rather quickly. Yes, I will forever adore the King of Instruments, but 12 minutes is too long to be listening to full organ for me. Furthermore, I feel strongly that much of the inner beauty of Bach's writing is lost amidst a loud registration, regardless of the instrument's clarity or the acoustic. The last time I heard this piece played live, the organist had a very heavy pedal registration (including 16' reeds and a bass 32') which mostly swamped the manuals, all but ruining it for me. My other strong feeling is that the style of writing in many of the variations call for some dynamic shading.
I realise this topic can lead to opposing viewpoints. I am interested in opinions - scholarly, emotive or otherwise.
Who's next?
Matt