Daniel Beilschmidt – Bach’s Orgelbüchlein
Daniel Beilschmidt, co-founder of the Mitteldeutsche Orgelgesellschaft, explores the full tonal richness of the magnificent Trost organ in Altenburg Castle Church in his new recording of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Orgelbüchlein.
From delicate string stops and gentle flutes to the grandeur of the full principal chorus, Beilschmidt guides listeners through Bach’s collection of chorales with colorful and often surprising registrations.
In this masterpiece, Bach displays his complete compositional mastery within the smallest of forms. Inspired by hymnbooks, he leads us through the liturgical year, presenting an astonishing range of musical ideas — works of miniature scale, yet with the complexity and depth of his greatest compositions.
Martin Sturm - The Well-Tempered Clavier
With the introduction of well-tempered tuning, it became possible to play in all 24 keys on a single instrument. Inspired by this innovation, Johann Sebastian Bach composed a prelude and fugue in each key, collected in his Well-Tempered Clavier. Originally written for clavichord or harpsichord, Martin Sturm interprets this monumental work on the organ. The wide range of tonal colors and the expressive playing style give each piece an emotional depth rarely heard in keyboard performances.
Bach found his perfect counterpart in organ builder Tobias Heinrich Gottfried Trost, whose instruments seem almost “composed” in themselves. That Bach played and admired Trost’s legendary organ in Altenburg Castle Church is one of music history’s happiest coincidences.
Martin Sturm makes full use of this instrument’s potential to reveal the many layers of Bach’s first Well-Tempered Clavier. The double album also includes several improvised preludes and fugues, performed on a clavichord in the same church — a touching link between two sound worlds.