Great passacaglias...
Mon, Apr 30 2012, 11:48AM
#2
RE: Great passacaglias...
Let's not exaggerate, mussessein. Biber was a great violinist of his time and a pioneer of the great school of violin, while Bach was a great (for quite a few the greatest) musician. So, his Solo Violin Works are primarily "musical" works and then "violin" ones, providing, at the same time, superb writing for the violin as well.
Parla
No exaggeration. Bach is probably my single favorite composer, but I find the violin sonatas/partitas rather labored and contrived -- contrapuntal writing is not really idiomatic to the instrument. In all honesty, Biber (and Corelli, too, come to think of it) demonstrate more to me about the innate resources of the violin.
Mon, Apr 30 2012, 2:13PM
#3
RE: Great passacaglias...
More or less, we agree, mussessein.
Yes, as for the violin "innate" resources, Biber, Corelli and, why not Vivaldi, have more to offer. However, Bach's works for Solo Violin are divinely superb music, above all.
Parla
Mon, Apr 30 2012, 3:25PM
#4
RE: Great passacaglias...
I'm sure you will enjoy them Naupilus. I don't know the d'Albert piano transcription. I wonder how he keeps it all together with just two hands, no feet!
Wed, May 2 2012, 12:36PM
#5
RE: Great passacaglias...
Parla/Chris:
I have the music of Buxtehude's Passacaglia BUX WV 161 in D minor. Can you recommend a good recording of this and his other passacaglias for organ?
Just a small point - why is it announced as passacaglia in d - both on the cover and at the top of the music - when it is in d minor? Was that a convention at the time he composed?
Mark
Wed, May 2 2012, 1:52PM
#6
RE: Great passacaglias...
Mark,
I have an excellent recording (it seems to me) of that really fine passacaglia played by Helmut Walcha. Recorded in 1977 on the Arp Schnitger organ in Cappel Church, North Germany. It also includes more music by Buxtehude, Pachelbel, Luebeck, Scheidt and Boehm, including two chaconnes, one of them by Buxtehude, the other by Pachelbel.
The history of the organ is interesting. It was built in the late 17th or early 18th century for a large Hamburg church. The wealthy Hamburgers soon wanted a larger otrgan and it was bought by the citizens of Cappel, a small north German town. Luckily they couldn't afford the (very bad) restorations that were applied to many older organs during the 19th century so it survived more or less intact. Walcha recorded much of his first set of Bach organ music on it in the early 1950s. Then disaster. Central heating was installed in the church and the organ soon became unplayable, pipes cracked etc. Walcha spent the last years of his performing life overseeing a proper restoration of the instrument and his swansong as performer was a three lp set (DG Archive) of these early German composers' works. The full set has never been issued on CD as far as I know, but 72' worth is on the Universal Eloquence CD 469 764-2 (NB Not Eloquence Australia). I found it in Vienna but I think it has been around on Amazon.de.
The lower case is often used to denote minor, with upper case indicating major.
Hope this helps. I think I'll listen to the Buxtehude tonight.
Wed, May 2 2012, 3:40PM
#7
RE: Great passacaglias...
While there is a sort of abundance of good recordings of the Passacaglia in d minor of Buxtehude, I can recommend at least these three, Mark:
- C. Herrick from his ongoing Buxtehude cycle, the Vol. 4. Played at the Organ of Trinity College, Cambridge, on Hyperion. Excellent recording, good spacious Organ sound and a sure performance.
- Agnes Luchterhardt and Thiemo Jansen on a SACD from MDG. Played on the well-known Arp Schnitger Organ in Norden, Germany along with works of Bach, Bohm and Reincken. Superb recording, a magnificent Organ and committed performances.
- Ton Koopman from his Buxtehude: Opera Omnia, Vol. IV, played at the Wilde/Schnittger Organ of St. Jacobs Church in Ludingworth, Germany. Koopman is always interesting, committed, spirited and inspiring. On Challenge Records.
The small d implies d minor, while the capital D the major mode.
Best wishes, Mark.
Parla
Wed, May 2 2012, 6:56PM
#8
RE: Great passacaglias...
Thanks for that you two. Very informative. I have ordered the Herrick for the time being, but am also interested in tracking down the Walcha Chris.
On a lighter note, I'm sure some of you will know the story that when Buxtehude became organist of St. Mary's in Lubeck in 1668, one of the conditions was that the incoming organist had to marry a daughter of his predecessor. This Buxtehude dutifully did, although apparently some forty years later Handel said no thanks...this post isn't for me, when confronted with the prospect of marrying Buxtehude's by then ageing daughter!
Naupilus et al...there is also a passacaglia in the last movement of Shostakovitch Symphony 15 where 'in the middle of the movement...a passacaglia is built up to a harrowing climax over a ground bass that is 14 bars long. The first 4 bars of the passacaglia theme appear to be an illusion to the beginning of the war theme in the Leningrad Symphony'.(from Hugh Ottaway 'Shostakovitch Symphonies' in the BBC Music Guides series.)
I don't know if that series is still around but damn good short and informative guides they were, written by experts in the field. The Beethoven Symphonies is listed in this book as written by Robert Simpson. My copy of the Shostakovitch Symphonies guide by Ottaway I have had since sixth-form days in 1978 when it was first published!
There are probably other passacaglia sections rather than fully blown pieces in other works I'm sure.
Cheers
Mark
Wed, May 2 2012, 8:18PM
#9
RE: Great passacaglias...
Naupilus et al...there is also a passacaglia in the last movement of Shostakovitch Symphony 15 where 'in the middle of the movement...a passacaglia is built up to a harrowing climax over a ground bass that is 14 bars long. The first 4 bars of the passacaglia theme appear to be an illusion to the beginning of the war theme in the Leningrad Symphony'.(from Hugh Ottaway 'Shostakovitch Symphonies' in the BBC Music Guides series.)
Mark, you've rescued me. I had a passacaglia going through my head for the past week and couldn't figure out whose it was. Of course, the Shostakovich 15, how could it be anybody else!?
Nobody has mentioned the passacaglia in the final movement of Britten's Violin Concerto, an underrated work I always feel.
Wed, May 2 2012, 9:30PM
#10
RE: Great passacaglias...
Cheers Tagalie!
I'm with you on the Britten violin concerto as underrated, though it's a while since I heard it and I'd forgotten the passacaglia.
The Britten piano Concerto is also a fine piece of writing!
Mark
Fri, May 4 2012, 9:17AM
#11
RE: Great passacaglias...
Hi Mark,
Re Buxtehude with Helmut Walcha:
Since our correspondence, I've had another look on Amazon. DG did issue another single Cd from the set of LPs I was talking about, this one, in their 'Galleria' series had all the Buxtehude works that had been on the LPs. The bad news is that only used copies are around and people are asking silly prices for them (>£50), The better news is that Amazon uk has it available as an MP3 download for £8. I've not been greatly impressed with those sound quality of the few of these I've tried, but anyway, I thought you might be interested. The Herrick Buxtehude series does sound interesting too. I have some of the Bach recordings he made. I think I can wait until Hyperion issue the set as a (much thinner) box.
Fri, May 4 2012, 9:42AM
#12
RE: Great passacaglias...
The Passacaglia has to be one of my favourite forms becuase it's hyper-intellectual and ultra-accessible at the same time; if the theme is clear enough and handled correctly you simply can't get structurally lost.
Personal favourite is the Bach C Minor for organ (inseparable from its fugue in my view), and best from Peter Hurford on Decca.
But don't miss this little corker by the Norwegian Ludwig Irgens-Jensen, newly recorded last year: http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572312
Fri, May 4 2012, 9:44AM
#13
RE: Great passacaglias...
I somehow missed that the Irgens-Jensen has been mentioned already at the top of the post, sorry!
But if two of us (or three, or four) are discussing it, then justification enough!
Fri, May 4 2012, 10:52AM
#14
RE: Great passacaglias...
I somehow missed that the Irgens-Jensen has been mentioned already at the top of the post, sorry!
But if two of us (or three, or four) are discussing it, then justification enough!
Don't apologise as the more this gets a mention the more chance that the curious will go out and get the disc and be suitably wowed!
Fri, May 4 2012, 10:56AM
#15
RE: Great passacaglias...
Thanks to Troyen for original recommendation, and Tagalie, JKH and others, and thanks Andrew for that reminder.
I have just ordered it from that Naxos link.
Chris - still waiting for my Herrick Buxtehude - should be here soon. I'll have another look on Amazon this afternoon for Wachla as that's where I ordered the Herrick from.
Regards all
Mark
A surprising (and pleasing) amount of agreement. i also find the passacaglia a compelling form when done well - the restrictive nature of the form has brought out the best in several composers. No-one's yet mentioned Purcell, the Chacony in G minor is a good piece, and "When I am laid in Earth" can be utterly heart-breaking.
The Brahms 4 is a particular work of genius. Most symphonies of the 18th and 19th centuries rely on tonal tension in the outer movements. Beethoven's two symphonic variation finales modulate around a bit. Haydn wrote some that I don't think modulate (31). However, from middle period Haydn through to Brahms's last symphony, modulation was important. Brahms creates a massive edifice based purely on rhythmic and variational tension - and made it work.
Best wishes,
P