H Walcha, Discography

Fredrik

The Bach Organ Works (Box Set) is available through Amazon with Helmut Watcha. DG 4637122.

It gets lots of 5-star reviews and it contains

1. Toccata and Fugue in D minor
2. Preludes and Fugues
3. Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C
4. Preludes and Fugues
5. Fantasia in C minor
6. Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor
7. Fantasia in G
8. Preludes and Fugues
9. Preludes and Fugues
10. Preludes and Fugues
11. (6) Trio Sonatas
12. Preludes and Fugues
13. Fugue on a theme by Legrenzi in C minor
14. Fugue on a theme by Corelli in B minor
15. Fugue in G minor
16. Pastorale in F
17. Canzona in D minor
18. Allabreve in D
19. (4) Duets
20. The Art of Fugue
21. Orgel-Büchlein

Hope this is of use, Rotf

Dear Rotf,

The organ music is the easy bit, and the set is very nicely priced to. I have the earlier (almost complete) survey from 1947 to '52, but I plan to get it becquse it has the Art Of Fugue in it. The real difficulty is the EMI recordings (Issued by EMI but actually recorded for them) from about 1958 to '61, of almost all the clavier (Harpsichord) music. I have been given nice transfers of LPs, but in fairness, either the originals or official CD re-releases, will get a better result.

EMI have a relationsgip with Toshiba and I have once or twice had issues from this source, and their quality matches anything the European branches (or US for that matter), in terms of production values. The master matterial is the original source.

Also, I discovered that Walcha partnered Szeryng in the accompanied Violin Sonatas, on Philips. Though I personally would prefer Rachel Podger to Szeryng in these, I think.

As a postlude DG Archiv recorded the 48 in the early '70s, and this is also available to stand alongside the earlier traversal.

I talked to Harold Moores last year, and in fairness, I can only observe that they are not so on the button as they were twenty years ago, so I still hope someone might suggest any fine shop in UK that actually would be in a position to import Toshiba from Japan. they had no idea that these things are currently available on Toshiba, even though they stoke some that labels output!

Very exciting find, for all that it may involve spending (non-existent!) money.

All the best from Fredrik

Fredrik,

Is is the older or the newer DG set that has the Art of Fugue?

regards, Tam

Tam, the newer - all stereo - set has the Art Of Fugue in it, and for me it will have to come along just for that reason, though having two almost everything from one great artist will be rather a treat!

All the best from Fredrik

I'm curious to hear the Art of Fugue on organ so I may well pick up that set at some point (when funds allow).

I have much the same thing with Kempff, owning both his mono and stereo cycles of Beethoven concertos and Bernstein with his Mahler - it's fascinatingly worthwhile owning multiple versions from great artists.

To go off topic slightly, I was in HMV the other day and spotted a disc of Boult doing various bits of Vaughan-Williams (I think it's all the fill-ups from his symphony cycle) on EMI for £2 and couldn't help myself. Must say, I'm very much impressed and wishing I'd bought his set instead of Haitink's!

regards, Tam

One example of this is the three recordings of the Choral I have from Klemperer! More fascinating than compare and contrast - a sort of comapre and consider! After all no two performances ever catch exactly the same balance of expression and architecture! Walcha is such an unusual artist in respect both of style and expression. I discussed this with Rodrigo de Sa who used to post here, and he agreed with me that Walcha's approach is like the very best of the great Klemperer at his height in the 1950s, with a similar view of the architecture, relatively quick speeds, and a tremendous clarity of musical balance, which is the context into which is poured a huge human response emotionally, but certainly there is no risk of either being seen as the romanticiser!

All the best from Fredrik

You can still acquire Walchas first WCL with the Goldbergs and Inventions as well as his second WCL here at www.amazon.fr in commercial pressings: http://www.amazon.fr/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/ref.../402-1178682-6913700

Dear pe-zulu.

I was getting quite worried about you. I don't think I have seen a post from you since before Christmas! Those splendid recordings have been my steady companions for months now, and without doubt are the finest msical performances of anything I have come across.

Some might think Walcha is not obviously expressive to any great degree at all in his manner, but I would only say that Walcha's way is so selfless that the listener will never tire of it. There is a huge humain response that levens the whole issue and draws you in - straight into the expressive heart of the music - often making plain that which seemed difficult before. I would agree that these performances may not be the ideal starting point - they were not for me - but they are truely special beyong words. I tried to find a manner of expressing what so grand about the playing in a form of words that would express it, and have found myself unable to do so. It is NOT so obvious, but everyone I have tried this playing on has come away with their view of Bach changed, and has even softened the attitude of some who find old Bach's klavier music a bit dull. After this, the case for using a piano is very much weakened! I made that case before I had these recordings, and in every way they show what I was feeling towards in that considered arguement, which actually stemmed from an increasing unease about the piano, but here and having read Donington's 'On the Interpretatation of Early Music' over Christmas, I find everything I had worked out over twenty odd years totally underlined on the issue. I think my doubts were originally spurred by ready Dolmetsch's 'On the Interpretation of 17th and 18th Centurt Music,' published before 1914, and read by me in 1987. I claim no originality in the matter, and only smile that these fairly dry tomes made me chuckle with agreement. I bet not many readers found themselves smiling or even occasionally audibly laughing, as a result of the reading!

Unlike most artisitic recreations in perofrmance, I can find no weak link over the whole oevre, and indeed no detail to really quibble over. That is unique in my experience.

Send me an email sometime if you like to. Fredrik

Dear Fredrik

As I wrote somewhere, Walchas Bach was my introduction to Bach, and he made me almost immediately understand Bachs greatness. I used much time to study his interpretations in detail, and only much later, having studied the scores, having played the music myself to the best of my ability and having listened to artists like Gustav Leonhardt and Anton Heiller, did I understand, that Walchas Bach is fundamentally self-effacing in nature. The personality which shines through his interpretations is principally Bach and not Walcha. This is what always makes Walcha relevant and fascinating, even if he mis-interpreted some stylistic details. Personally I use Walchas Bach for basic listening, but I find, it´s necessary to complement with other and varied interpretations - say more baroque in spirit. Gustav Leonhardt first and foremost, but even Gilberth, Jaccottet, Moroney, Pinnock et.c. But I have to say, that Walcha was my midwife when my lifelong passion for Bach was born.

I have for some time been busy and also out of form to write longer post, but I certainly will send you a mail in the nearest future.

Most kind regards from pe-zulu

Dear pe-zulu,

sorry to hear you have been out of form. I get like that on rare occasions, sometimes, but fortunately much less often lately, or over perhaps the last two years...

I think my intention is to keep studying the music and perhaps even take up the harpsichord, so big has been the impact of these performances on me. I played the bass professionally and taught (and one pupil wants more lessons again, which is nice), but I doubt if I would ever be any good at the harpsichord except for myself! I have a friend with a single manual clavier (harpsichord), whichneed regulating but is actually a nice little instrument.

I have some of Leonhardt, but gave awaythe Hantai recording of the goldbergs! Another bach convert there, which is good!

all the best from Fredrik

quote:

Originally posted by Fredrik_Fiske:
I think my intention is to keep studying the music and perhaps even take up the harpsichord, so big has been the impact of these performances on me. I played the bass professionally and taught (and one pupil wants more lessons again, which is nice), but I doubt if I would ever be any good at the harpsichord except for myself! I have a friend with a single manual clavier (harpsichord), which need regulating but is actually a nice little instrument.

Dear Fredrik

Good idea, and excactly what I did myself and for the same reason. As a former professional musician you know even better than I, who is entirely amateur, how much insight active music-making can give. I own a small harpsichord too, and these instruments always need regulating and not the least tuning. Much time is spent in this way. Well, for the moment I don´t play much harpsichord (I always play just for myself in order to get to know the music from within - even if my family is "forced" to listen - or rather hear), but instead I more often play recorders in a small group at the local music-school, the repertoire mostly being medieval- and renaissance music.

I think, you should have kept the Hantai Goldbergs, one of the best recordings ever.

Kind regards,