Organ Landscape - Pomerania
Disc 1:
Dietrich BUXTEHUDE
(1637-1707)
Praeludium in A minor [6:39]
"Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder" [3:28]
Passacaglia in D minor [7:17]
Theophil Andreas
VOLCKMAR (1686-1768)
Sonata in D minor [7:23]
ANONYMOUS
(1617)
Praeambulum [0:28]
"Allein nach Dir Herr Jesu Christe"
[2:14]
Fantasia [1:46]
Ricercare [0:57]
Johann FISCHER
(1646-1716)
Air in B flat major [1:16]
Menuet I/II in B flat major [2:55]
Johann Friedrich
ALBERTI (1642-1710)
"Der du bist drei in Einigkeit" [1:37]
ANONYMOUS
(Lüneburger Tabulatur KN 208; um
1650)
Toccata in C [1:54]
Hinrich Gustav
SCHEFFEL (17th century)
Serraband mit 7 Variationen [1:57]
Christian RITTER
(c.1645-c.1725)
Sonatina in D minor [4:01]
Johann Christoph
SCHMÜGEL (1727-1798)
Affetuoso in F minor [4:09]
Praeludium in C major [1:40]
Christian Michael
WOLFF (1709-1789)
"Herr, ich habe missgehandelt" [1:34]
Theophil Andreas
VOLCKMAR (1686-1768)
Taniec Polsky Primo in C minor [1:11]
Taniec Polsky Secondo in C major [0:39]
Carl Philipp Emanuel
BACH (1714-1788)
"Aus der Tiefe rufe ich" [5:07]
Johann Wilhelm
HERTEL (1727-1789)
Sonata in A minor, Op. 1, No. 6 [9:05]
Disc 2:
Heinrich SCHEIDEMANN
(1595-1663)
Praeambulum in D minor [1:53]
Fuga in D minor [1:36]
Johann Martin
RUBERT (1615-1680)
"Hast du denn Liebster dein Angesicht
gäntzlich verborgen?" [1:09]
Dietrich BUXTEHUDE
(1637-1707)
"Herr Jesu Christ, ich weiss gar wohl"
[3:11]
Christian Michael
WOLFF (1709-1789)
"Christus, der uns selig macht" [1:06]
"Herzliebster Jesu" [1:32]
"Es ist das Heil uns kommen her" [1:09]
"Straf mich nicht in deinem Zorn [1"01]
Anton Ludwig Ernst
TRUTSCHEL (1787-1869)
Fantasie in G minor, Op. 20 [4:43]
Wilhelm RUDNICK
(1850-1927)
Trio in D major [2:28]
Georg RIEMENSCHNEIDER
(1848-1913)
Elegie, Op. 59a, No. 1 [3:49]
Max WAGENKNECHT
(1857-1922)
Vor-oder Nachspiel in D major [1:12]
Andante in B flat major [1:15]
Vorspiel zu "Lobe den Herren" [0:59]
Moderato in G minor [1:13]
Fughette in C major [1:18]
Georg SCHEEL
(1866-1945)
"O du Liebe meiner Liebe" [1:23]
"O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort" [1:26]
Karl KÜHN
(1851-1930)
"Gib dich zufrieden und sei stille"
[1:02]
Postludium in G major [1:57]
August Wilhelm
BACH (1796-1869)
Praeludium in E minor [1:54]
Praeludium in G major [0:50]
Carl Adolf LORENZ
(1837-1923)
"Nun freut euch, lieben Christen" [2:54]
August Wilhelm
BACH (1796-1869)
Praeludium in C minor [2:23]
Carl KAROW
(1790-1863)
"Ach wie flüchtig, ach wie nichtig"
[1:47]
"Valet will ich dir geben" [1:20]
Disc 3:
Gustav FLÜGEL
(1812-1900)
Praeludium & Fugue in C major, Op.
101, No. 1 [3:28]
Rudolf Ewald ZINGEL
(1876-1944)
"Ave verum corpus" aus dem Chorwerk
"Der wilde Jager" [3:25] *
Albert STEINICKE
(1st half of 19th century)
"Es ist das Heil" [1:31]
"Herzliebster Jesu" [1:53]
"Freu dich sehr, o meine Seele" [1:47]
Gustav FLUGEL
(1812-1900)
"Von Gott will ich nicht lassen" [2:08]
"Ach Gott und Herr" [1:29]
Hermann BENDIX
(1859-1935)
Postludium in G major [3:09]
Ulrich HILDEBRANDT
(1870-1940)
"Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele"
[3:05]
Carl LOEWE
(1796-1869)
"Erschienen ist der herrlich Tag" [0:56]
"Machs mit mir, Gott" [2:25]
"Lobe den Herren" [1:09]
Ernst August GROSSMANN
(1831-1889)
Praeludium in D major [1:15]
Praeludium in G major [1:08]
Praeludium in E minor [1:52]
Friedrich Wilhelm
SERING (1822-1901)
"Nun danket alle Gott" [1:44]
Otto VOIGT
(2nd half of 19th century)
"Befiehl du deine Wege" [2:37]
Eberhard WENZEL
(1896-1982)
"Allein Gott in der Hoh sei Ehr" [3:41]
August WAGNER
(1816-1894)
Vorspiel in E minor [1:19]
Vorspiel in A minor [1:34]
Nachspiel in F major [1:35]
Erich SÜMNICH
(1882-post-1934)
"Herr, nun selbst den Wagen halt" [1:53]
Ernst FLÜGEL
(1844-1912)
"Jerusalem, du hochgebaute Stadt" [1:20]
Ulrich HILDEBRANDT
(1870-1940)
"O du Liebe meiner Liebe" [3:24]
Otto WANGEMANN
(1848-1914)
Fantasie über "Ein feste Burg ist
unser Gott" [6:33]
Gustav HECHT
(1851-1932)
"Ein feste Burg ist unserGott" [59:12]
Martin Rost, historical organs
Daniel Arnold, cello *
Recorded Various Locations, 1999-2003
MDG 319 1214-2 [68:19 + 47:37
+ 59:12]
This is a feast for
organ enthusiasts: 36 composers, 73
pieces of music and 21 historical organs.
The purpose of the set is to document
350 years of Pomeranian organ history.
Where is Pomerania? It is split by the
Oder River into two regions. Eastern
Pomerania is in Poland, Western Pomerania
in Germany, and both regions are at
the southern coast of the Baltic Sea.
Pomerania's organ history is a rich
one as detailed in the exceptional liner
notes, and the fabulous sounds emanating
from the 21 organs are proof of a legacy
second to none.
The composers featured
in the set either lived in Pomerania
or had influence on its organ culture
through teacher-student relationships
or the circulation of their music. Most
of the composers are virtual unknowns,
but don't let that fact deter you from
acquiring the set. With very little
exception, all the music is either highly
rewarding or outstanding. For the most
part, all the works are 'free' compositions
of the preludium type or musical settings
of religious text.
These are a few highlights
from each of the three discs:
Disc 1 - Rost begins
the festivities with a nice mix of Buxtehude
pieces that immediately establishes
his exceptional use of registrations
and affinity for historically informed
performance practices. In each of the
three works, Rost is fully competitive
with the best organists in this repertoire.
He displays an unerring sense of rhythmic
flow, and his interpretation of the
Passacaglia in D minor reveals the work's
determined inevitability.
Theophil Andreas Volckmar
wrote his Church Sonatas of 1717 for
the King of Saxony, and the Sonata in
D minor is a powerful and severe seven-minute
work that shows extensive use of the
pedal for which Volckmar was greatly
regarded. The next four pieces are of
unknown authorship but are quite fetching
and well represent organ music composed
in the early 1600s; the Fantasia has
a wonderful rhythm that Rost clearly
delights in playing. Christian Ritter
was active in both Hamburg and Stockholm,
and his Sonatina in D minor is an excellent
example of the alternation of free and
contrapuntal sections prevalent in the
Northern German praeludium.
Disc 2 - The disc starts
with two pieces from the pen of Heinrich
Scheidemann, one of the greatest composers
of the 17th century. Scheidemann had
a huge reputation in the culturally
advanced Hamburg area and wrote extensively
for the organ. His blend of severity
and sweetness is quite compelling, and
Rost conveys both features excellently
in the two works. The Praeambulum in
D minor is especially rewarding with
its stern and declarations tinged with
regret.
The chorale prelude
by Johann Martin Rubert, a pupil of
Scheidemann's, may be short but has
an irresistible Elizabethan dance rhythm
with the demure first theme being repeated
in a more demonstrative registration
which is regal in Rost's performance.
Dietrich Buxtehude returns from Disc
1 in a chorale prelude that is one of
his most inspired and poignant. Christian
Michael Wolff also makes a return engagement
with four additional chorale preludes.
"Christus, der uns selig macht" is the
pick of the litter with its strong pleading
of faith set within a gorgeous melody
line, and Rost's registrations are perfect
for the occasion.
Wilhelm Rudnick was
a native of Pomerania and the music
director in Liegnitz starting in 1891.
His Trio in D major is a very comforting
piece with its smooth lines and leisurely
tempo. Georg Riemenschneider's Elegie
is a fine example of the symphonic potential
of the organ as it was used in the late
1800s with its crescendo pedal, Venetian
swell, and increased foundation stops.
The five short pieces
of the pedagogue Max Wagenknecht who
taught at the Franzburg Teachers' College
reveal a composer of unusual melodic
gifts and a natural talent for keyboard
writing. Whether composing in a solemn
or heroic fashion, each of the works
is totally absorbing. His Nachspiel
is a lovely piece, while the heroic
"Lobe den Herren" and Fughette soar
with their confident spirituality. Without
doubt, his is the one name to remember
among the many obscure composers represented
on the set. The works of two other instructors
from Pomerania are also impressive.
Georg Scheel's "O du Liebe meiner Liebe"
is a stunning example of the use of
counterpoint to convey resolution and
enlightenment, and Karl Kuhn's "Gib
dich zufrieden und sei stille" is the
most anguished piece in the set.
Disc 3 - Gustav Flugel
was a fine composer for the organ who
attained the position of church music
director and organist at the Stettin
Castle Church in 1859. His Praeludium
and Fuge in C major is a most optimistic
and congenial piece with an appealing
sweep. The chorale prelude "Von Gott
will ich nicht lassen" begins with sad
refrains from the lower voices but soon
becomes uplifting through the upper
voices taking over the melody line.
"Ach Gott und Herr" confidently reaches
for the sky, although there is no departure
from this route as the piece doesn't
progress. Gustav's son Ernst is represented
by "Jerusalem, du hochgebaute Stadt",
and I must say that Ernst displays similar
skills in offering fetching melodies
encased within a relaxed emotional cocoon.
There has been a cello
lurking in the corner that comes to
center stage through the chorale prelude
of Rudolf Ewald Zingel who was very
successful in the early decades of the
20th century and made his home in Greifswald.
The cello takes the melody line, and
Zingel's music is thoroughly haunting
in its late-romantic presentation. Cellist
Daniel Arnold has a captivating tone
and works splendidly with Rost.
Carl Loewe, famous
for his vocal ballades, was also a fine
composer for the organ. He is represented
on the set by a poignant chorale prelude
sandwiched between two powerful ones.
Those who only know Loewe through his
vocal works might be surprised by the
severity of "Erschienen ist der herrlich
Tag", a piece built on twisting rhythmic
patterns. Also, each of the three chorale
preludes is a model of contrapuntal
architecture. Friedrich Wilhelm Sering
was another composer who taught at teachers'
colleges in Pomerania, and his chorale
prelude "Nun dankett alle Gott" is a
fine example of using ascending lines
to convey the attainment of salvation.
In conclusion, the
Pomerania organ set represents a specialty
item that no organ enthusiast can afford
to be without. The instruments are a
joy to listen to, and Martin Rost is
a superb guide through Pomerania's organ
history. Each of the recording venues
offers rich and clear sound, although
a few of them do project a rather heavy
bass. The booklet notes give us 13 pages
of highly detailed information and insight
concerning the Pomerania organ landscape
and the featured composers. Further,
the registrations and history of each
of the 21 organs is fully documented.
The cost of this set may be substantial,
but it is well worth the outlay.
Don Satz