Helmut Walcha: Bach – The Organ Works (12 CD box set, APE)

Performer: Helmut Walcha
Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
Audio CD
Number of Discs: 12 CD box set
Format: APE (tracks)
Label: Archiv
Size: 3.59 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: no

CD01
01. Toccata and Fugue in d minor, BWV565
02. Toccata and Fugue in d minor, BWV565
03. Toccata and Fugue in F major, BWV540
04. Toccata and Fugue in F major, BWV540
05. Toccata and Fugue in d minor ‘Dorian’, BWV538
06. Toccata and Fugue in d minor ‘Dorian’, BWV538
07. Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major, BWV564
08. Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major, BWV564
09. Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major, BWV564
10. Fantasia and Fugue in g minor, BWV542
11. Fantasia and Fugue in g minor, BWV542

CD02
01. Fantasia in c minor, BWV562
02. Passacaglia and Fugue in c minor, BWV582
03. Passacaglia and Fugue in c minor, BWV582
04. Fantasia in G major, BWV572
05. Fantasia and Fugue in c minor, BWV537
06. Fantasia and Fugue in c minor, BWV537
07. Prelude and Fugue in e minor, BWV548
08. Prelude and Fugue in e minor, BWV548
09. Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV547
10. Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV547
11. Prelude and Fugue in G major, BWV541
12. Prelude and Fugue in G major, BWV541

CD03
01. Prelude and Fugue in b minor, BWV544
02. Prelude and Fugue in b minor, BWV544
03. Prelude and Fugue in f minor, BWV534
04. Prelude and Fugue in f minor, BWV534
05. Prelude and Fugue in c minor, BWV546
06. Prelude and Fugue in c minor, BWV546
07. Prelude and Fugue in a minor, BWV543
08. Prelude and Fugue in a minor, BWV543
09. Trio Sonata No.1 in E flat major, BWV525 – Allegro
10. Trio Sonata No.1 in E flat major, BWV525 – Adagio
11. Trio Sonata No.1 in E flat major, BWV525 – Allegro
12. Trio Sonata No.6 in G major, BWV530 – Vivace
13. Trio Sonata No.6 in G major, BWV530 – Lento
14. Trio Sonata No.6 in G major, BWV530 – Allegro

CD04
01. Trio Sonata No.2 in c minor, BWV526 – Vivace
02. Trio Sonata No.2 in c minor, BWV526 – Largo
03. Trio Sonata No.2 in c minor, BWV526 – Allegro
04. Trio Sonata No.3 in d minor, BWV527 – Andante
05. Trio Sonata No.3 in d minor, BWV527 – Adagio e dolce
06. Trio Sonata No.3 in d minor, BWV527 – Vivace
07. Trio Sonata No.4 in e minor, BWV528 – Adagio – Vivace
08. Trio Sonata No.4 in e minor, BWV528 – Andante
09. Trio Sonata No.4 in e minor, BWV528 – Un Poco allegro
10. Trio Sonata No.5 in C major, BWV529 – Allegro
11. Trio Sonata No.5 in C major, BWV529 – Largo
12. Trio Sonata No.5 in C major, BWV529 – Allegro
13. Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV545
14. Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV545
15. Prelude and Fugue in A major, BWV536
16. Prelude and Fugue in A major, BWV536

CD05
01. Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV531
02. Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV531
03. Prelude and Fugue in e minor, BWV533
04. Prelude and Fugue in e minor, BWV533
05. Prelude and Fugue in D major, BWV532
06. Prelude and Fugue in D major, BWV532
07. Prelude and Fugue in G major, BWV550
08. Prelude and Fugue in G major, BWV550
09. Prelude and Fugue in d minor, BWV539
10. Prelude and Fugue in d minor, BWV539
11. Prelude and Fugue in a minor, BWV551
12. Prelude and Fugue in a minor, BWV551
13. Fugue on a Theme by Giovanni Legrenzi in c minor, BWV574
14. Fugue on a Theme by Arcangelo Corelli in b minor, BWV579

CD06
01. Prelude and Fugue in g minor, BWV535
02. Prelude and Fugue in g minor, BWV535
03. Fugue in g minor, BWV578
04. Pastorale in F major, BWV590
05. Canzona in d minor, BWV588
06. Allabreve in D major, BWV589
07. Duetto 1 in e minor from ‘Part III of the Clavier-Übung’, BWV802
08. Duetto 2 in F major from ‘Part III of the Clavier-Übung’, BWV803
09. Duetto 3 in G major from ‘Part III of the Clavier-Übung’, BWV804
10. Duetto 4 in a minor from ‘Part III of the Clavier-Übung’, BWV805
11. Contrapunctus 18 in d minor from ‘The Art of Fugue’, BWV1080

CD07
01. Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV599
02. Gott, durch deine Güte, BWV600
03. Herr Christ, der ein’ge Gottes-Sohn, BWV601
04. Lob sei dem allmächtigen Gott, BWV602
05. Puer natus in Bethlehem, BWV603
06. Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ, BWV604
07. Der Tag, der ist so freudenreich, BWV605
08. Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her, BWV606
09. Vom Himmel kam der Engel Schar, BWV607
10. In dulci jubilo, BWV608
11. Lobt Gott, ihr Christen, allzugleich, BWV609
12. Jesu, meine Freude, BWV610
13. Christum wir sollen loben schon, BWV611
14. Wir Christenleut, BWV612
15. Helft mir, Gottes Güte preisen, BWV613
16. Das alte Jahr vergangen ist, BWV614
17. In dir ist Freude, BWV615
18. Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin, BWV616
19. Herr Gott, nun schleuß den Himmel auf, BWV617
20. O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig, BWV618
21. Christe, du Lamm Gottes, BWV619
22. Christus, der uns selig macht, BWV620
23. Da Jesus an dem Kreuze stund, BWV621
24. O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß, BWV622
25. Wir danken dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV623
26. Hilf Gott, daß mir’s gelinge, BWV624
27. Christ lag in Todesbanden, BWV625
28. Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, BWV626
29. Christ ist erstanden, BWV627
30. Erstanden ist der heil’ge Christ, BWV628
31. Erschienen ist der herrliche Tag, BWV629
32. Heut triumphieret Gottes Sohn, BWV630
33. Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist, BWV631
34. Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend, BWV632
35. Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier, BWV633
36. Dies sind die heil’gen zehn Gebot, BWV635
37. Vater unser im Himmelreich, BWV636
38. Durch Adams Fall ist ganz verderbt, BWV637
39. Es ist das Heil uns kommen her, BWV638
40. Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV639

CD08
01. In dich hab ich gehoffet, Herr, BWV640
02. Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein, BWV641
03. Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten, BWV642
04. Alle Menschen müssen sterben, BWV643
05. Ach wie nichtig, ach wie flüchtig, BWV644
06. Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend, BWV709
07. Herzlich tut mich verlangen, BWV727
08. Prelude in E flat major, BWV552-1
09. Kyrie, Gott Vater in Ewigkeit, BWV669
10. Christe, aller Welt Trost, BWV670
11. Kyrie, Gott heiliger Geist, BWV671
12. Kyrie, Gott Vater in Ewigkeit, BWV672
13. Christe, aller Welt Trost, BWV673
14. Kyrie, Gott heiliger Geist, BWV674
15. Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, BWV675
16. Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, BWV676
17. Fughetta on Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, BWV677
18. Dies sind die heil’gen zehn Gebot, BWV678
19. Fughetta on Dies sind die heil’gen zehn Gebot, BWV679
20. Wir glauben all an einen Gott, BWV680
21. Fughetta on Wir glauben all an einen Gott, BWV681
22. Vater unser in Himmelreich, BWV682
23. Vater unser in Himmelreich, BWV683

CD09
01. Christ, unser Herr, zum Jordan kam, BWV684
02. Christ, unser Herr, zum Jordan kam, BWV685
03. Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir, BWV686
04. Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir, BWV687
05. Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, BWV688
06. Fugue on Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, BWV689
07. Fugue in E flat major, BWV552-2
08. Fuga sofra il Magnificat, BWV733
09. Nun freut euch, lieben Christen g’mein, BWV734
10. Fuga sofra Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her, BWV700
11. Variation 1, BWV769
12. Variation 2, BWV769
13. Variation 3, BWV769
14. Variation 4, BWV769
15. Variation 5, BWV769
16. Choral, BWV653b
17. Choralbearbeitung, BWV736

CD10
01. Fantasia super – Komm, Heiliger Geist, BWV651
02. Komm, Heiliger Geist, BWV652
03. An Wasserflüssen Babylon, BWV653
04. Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele, BWV654
05. Trio super – Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend, BWV655
06. O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig (3 Versus), BWV656
07. Nun danket alle Gott, BWV657
08. Von Gott will ich nicht lassen, BWV658
09. Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV659
10. Trio super – Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV660
11. Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV661
12. Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, BWV662
13. Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, BWV663
14. Trio super – Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, BWV664

CD11
01. Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, BWV665
02. Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, BWV666
03. Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist, BWV667
04. Vor deinen Thron tret ich hiermit, BWV668-668a
05. Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV645
06. Wo soll ich fliehen hin, oder – Auf meinen lieben Gott, BWV646
07. Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten, BWV647
08. Meine Seele erhebet den Herren, BWV648
09. Ach, bleib bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV649
10. Kommst du nun, Jesus, vom Himmel herunter, BWV650
11. Choralpartita ‘Sei gegrüßet, Jesu gütig’, BWV768
12. Contrapunctus 1
13. Contrapunctus 2
14. Contrapunctus 3
15. Contrapunctus 4
16. Contrapunctus 5

CD12
01. Contrapunctus 6, a 4, in Stylo Francese
02. Contrapunctus 7, a 4, per Augmentationem et Diminutionem
03. Contrapunctus 8, a 3
04. Contrapunctus 9, a 4, alla Duodecima
05. Contrapunctus 10, a 4, alla Decima
06. Contrapunctus 11, a 4
07. Canon alla Ottava
08. Canon alla Duodecima in Contrapunto alla Quinta
09. Canon alla Decima, in Contrapunto alla Terza
10. Canon per Augmentationem in contraio motu
11. Contrapunctus, a 3 – rectus
12. Contrapunctus, a 3 – inversus
13. Contrapunctus, a 4 – rectus
14. Contrapunctus, a 4 – inversus
15. Fuga a 3 Soggetti (unfinished)

Revelation, or, Why I Stopped Hating and Embraced Walcha

When I was a university organ major back in the early 80s, these recordings were very much out of favor. We were living in the era of squeaky little whistle-box organs with little foundation tone, and very strict rules of performance practice. The instruments and performances had managed to drain Bach of any Lebenslust and replace it with a stilted, correct and rigid style. God forbid you should start your trills on the written note! When I asked my teacher at the time what he thought of Walcha, he said “Not much.” That pretty much sums up the little regard in which he was held at that time. Naturally, I agreed, and found Walcha turgid, unimaginative, and shockingly out of date. I had the Arkiv LPs, and even on a good turntable they sounded poor, so there was no incentive on my part to pursue his legacy any further. And as for his earlier mono recordings, they might as well never have existed for all the attention they got from us “students.” When I came across this set, 35 years past my university days, I just chuckled at the idea of listening to them. But I was intrigued by his recording of the completion of “The Art of Fugue,” a working out of the last Contrapunctus which I had myself played and thought was very skillfully wrought. Maybe it was time for a bit of a reassessment. It didn’t seem like that much to pay for 12 CDs, and if I didn’t like it I could foist it off to someone else later on. When I finally got around to listening to some of it, the scales fell from my eyes. Yes, there are a few tempi that drag a bit. And it’s true that his ornamentation is not very stylistic by current standards and he adds no extra ornamentation at all, leaving many cadences sounding a bit bare to modern ears. He also has a tendency to force manual and registration changes into places where they don’t fit very well, though they do add an interesting variety to the performance. And, as others have said, this is not a complete set by any stretch. But those objections are vastly, powerfully outweighed by the towering intellect and profound musicality that Walcha possessed. Walcha, being blind, learned every contrapuntal line by itself, before he combined it with the others. He memorized every note as he learned it, and absorbed every phrase, every gesture fully and completely into his being. There may be no other recorded organist who so completely lived inside this music. This is the astonishing and convincing impression you get when experiencing his performances. His musical subtlety is especially noteworthy: the way he cadences ever so slightly at section breaks, or lingers very delicately at an important moment. Never enough to distort, but just enough to illuminate. His articulation is refined, and although not exactly to today’s taste, very satisfying. And the Schnitger organ at Alkmaar sounds way better than I ever remember from the LPs. These are Bach performances that, in the bigger pieces, tend to have an aloof quality, which suits them extremely well. The more current trend to exaggerate motives within rhythmic structures is completely absent here, the music speaks much more for itself. In the smaller pieces there is a lot of sparkle, occasionally and not objectionably some humor as well. Walcha’s registrations were often a little strange, relying quite a bit on reeds mixed with higher ranks, and although at first it sounds a bit odd, I find myself missing those coloristic touches in the recordings of others. Overall, this set gets 4 stars — 5 for the towering presence of Walcha, and 3 for the sound quality, which though better than expected, is still not superb. And as for my organ teacher back in the day — sorry, but you were wrong!!!