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Jan Pieterszoon
SWEELINCK (1562-1621) Psalms from Geneva
Toccata in a [5:03]
Psalm 140 [7:03]
Toccata in G [2:48]
Psalm 23 [7:49]
Toccata in C [3:55]
Psalm 116 [6:31]
Fantasia Chromatica in D [7:30]
Psalm 36 [10:40]
Echo Fantasia in C [8:34]
Chorale ‘Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr [4:10]
Chorale ‘Puer Nobis Nascitur’ [3:19]
Masaaki Suzuki
(organ)
rec. Shinko-Kyokai (Reformed Church of Japan), Kobe, December
1995. DDD BIS CD-1614 [69:28]
On
the face of it this is an interesting historically-informed
recording of organ music by the Orpheus of Amsterdam. But
the disc also has a contemporary significance: the Reformed
Church of Japan in whose Kobe church this recording was made
sings primarily from the Geneva Psalter. It has this in common
with the majority of Protestant congregations in the Netherlands.
The Geneva Psalter has recently been translated into Japanese
leading to increased awareness of the music and lending a
new significance to the present repertoire. This has also
provided the impetus for the creation of instruments in Japan
such as the organ featured here.
Despite
the obvious Dutch/North German influence, the organ was in
fact built by a French craftsman, the Strasbourg based Marc
Garnier. He, it must be said, is primarily known for organs
in Japan, and especially for his renowned ‘double-case’ instrument
in the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space. The present organ, dating
from 2002, is the finest I have heard from him until now.
It features just 18 stops across Hauptwerk, Rückwerk, and
independent pedal. It also features meantone tuning, with
sub-semitones, and short octaves. It is remarkably beautiful;
from the immense energy of the plenum, to the orphaic charm
of the flutes - listen especially to the 4’ Kleinflöte in
Psalm 140 - and the excellent reeds. My only question mark
centres on the proportions of the different cases. In the
school of Schnitger an 8’ Haupwerk with a 2’ Brustwerk is
quite normal, but I don’t know of any examples of an 8’ Hauptwerk
with a 2’ Rückpositive. Even if the latter doesn’t offer
a second plenum it strikes me as visually odd quite apart
from anything else. The incorporation of Japanese themes
into the case, as in Tokyo, is exceptionally clever. The
protruding pedal ‘case’ on the left side behind the Hauptwerk
looks less convincing. As far as I can tell the organ isn’t
centred on the balcony. It seems a pity that there wasn’t
another solution which would have avoided the loss of symmetry
in the case.
Masaaki
Suzuki has become world-renowned through the wonderful Bach
recordings on BIS with ‘his’ Collegium Bach Japan. In founding
his own group to perform primarily Bach, Suzuki surely took
his cue from his former harpsichord professor in Amsterdam,
Ton Koopman. Koopman’s influence extends into Suzuki’s organ
playing which can tend, as I know from personal experience,
to be rather wild. Here Sweelinck’s music is presented with
an excellent liveliness in the articulation. The organ never
struggles to sound optimal, even if Suzuki’s touch is sometimes
rather active. The improvised ornaments go too far though
I have heard much more extreme ornamentation from him live
in concert. What I miss in general a certain Calvinist seriousness
in the psalms as well as a weightiness, impossible for instance
in the Fantasia Chromatica at this tempo; the end
here really is wild, 16’ pedal reed and all. The registration
schemes in the free works are also unnecessarily complex.
This
is very enjoyable though, due to the quality of the instrument,
and because Suzuki’s very personal way of playing can’t distract
from the fact that there is a great musician at work. The
booklet also contains excellent essays by the Dutch musicologist
Jan Luth. Another nice touch is that the psalms are presented
in the original settings by Claude Goudimel before each of
Sweelinck’s related compositions.
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