Added: 4 years ago
From: aarnouddegroen
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  • Ah, my dad was surprised when i told him to wait to get out of the car so that I could hear the end of this song ^-^ Definitely the most enjoyable type of music I've ever listened to.

  • A very nice performance and an impressive footwork!

  • You're a good performer. But ... pedal very unclear, which is a problem you'll need to deal with in terms of tempo, organ, acoustics, and miking. I suggest you *don't* move to a subsidiary manual. There are very good reasons for not doing so. Your playing could do with just a little sway at points where the structure and the texture need pointing up. It would make a lot of difference.

  • @Gresilde

    "Pedal very unclear". Unfortunately I have to agree with that.

    (Also with the remark that maybe Bach and God are the same,but that's a totally different question. ;-) ).

  • a đe su trube, đe je harmonika?!

  • Wow! Fast and energetic.

    Hate thathe video does NOT MATCH the audio.

    Never thought of playing the trill at 2:11

    At 3:24, love how he brings in the fugue subject on the Hauptwerk.

    Played so effortlessly. Wonderful performance.

  • looks like Jesus Christ playing organ... Amazing by the way...

  • Two questions: 1) How can de Groen play this stuff? 2) How could Bach have written it?????  Amazing piece of work on both counts.

  • Nicely played.

  • This is a pure expression of God. This is beyond wonderful!!!

  • 3:20 - 3:30 is AMAZING!

  • one of my all time favorite moments in Bach starts at 3:59. It only lasts about 8 seconds, but it's soooo intense!!

  • @hutzman76 I agree with you, this moment is amazing

  • HOLY shit................ i could die right now listening to this, and for that matter any other of bach's compositions.

  • My God! This is complex!! But wonderful beyond words!!!

  • has aarnoud released an album or sthing...???

  • @yoru19 Yes, even more than one, his internet adress appears shortly at the end of the movie.

  • This piece always puzzled me. We know it's in 6/8 and Bach was not Stravinsky. But I hear a lot of polyrhythmic patterns, where the notes suddenly seem to change syncopation (well not really, but you get that impression).

    Great interpretation btw., but I would prefer it just a slight bit slower to get a bit more accentuation.

  • @flippert0 I know exactly what you mean! It only made sense to me recently when I looked at the score, its very strange! Also, BWV 564 (the fugue) is in compund time! Look at the score, it will AMAZE you!! hehe

  • after rubbing the lamp and getting three lousy wishes the bartender sez to the guy...what? did you actually think I asked for a twelve inch pianst???

  • :O M G, this is beyond well performed, this is done by a master!

  • Good tempo. Great pedal solo.

    What I'll change- first theme exposition should be played more close. All of Bach's fugues are evolving- if you start too openly, you can't make a proper pressure growing.

    One of the greatest Bach's movements...

    I've already started practising it.

    Maybe I'll make a video too.

    Good luck, Organist! :)

  • Excellent performance; sets a new standard after Peter Hurford's trance performance from thelate 70's.

    Looking out to hear Aarnoud de Groen live in concert.

  • The best five minutes of my day :) Incredible playing! - and it's so rare to see such complicated organ music performed without sheet music. The related videos are from memory too - careful or we'll all have to start memorizing! Just amazing.

  • You rock! I've heard it slower but you convince me of your tempo.

  • i wonder whether the artist`s sick tempo and metronomic playing manner comes from coffee overdose or an aim to catch the very last daily bus...

  • Mozart and Beethoven belong to the world. Bach belongs to God. It is the most level-headed music there is. People with manic depression can nurture themselves with his stuff.

  • @Lassannn This is a scientific true, Sir. Are you a psychoterapist perhaps? Bach is used in music therapy. Significant, isn't it?

  • @Lassannn Mozart and Beethoven belong to God, and God belongs to Bach. Or maybe Bach and God are the same... when I listen to this music, I cannot suppose something else :-)

  • @Lassannn

    Everyone with ears and good taste can nurture himself with this music. Bach forever.

  • A thoroughly excellent performance of one of Bach's greatest fugues -- the articulation, ornamentation, tempo -- all perfect. Well played!

  • Ich liebe diese Stück !!! Großartig

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  • Wonderful! I performed this at my Junior organ recital and it is as enjoyable to play as it is to listen to or watch. Favorited...

  • they should have him suspended on a bungie cord inside of a giant diaper so that he could dance around on the walls that were covered with pedals and gongs stuff.

  • pass the dubie

  • Superb performance !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! congratulations, this is what I call ART!!!!

  • @1985Ferris

    my response is art because i was dancing while i wrote it.

  • Yummy!

  • You are BRILLIANT!.

    Thank you

  • you are brilliant......Thank you.

  • You know I am your fan (I've written many compliments to you so far) but why so fast? I hope you would be willing to reconsider the tempo a little bit- you are a really amazing musician and I am confident you can play this amazing fugue with less technicality & with more wisdom.

  • Muy buena interpretación, Muy buena técnica. Es una pieza preciosa y me hace feliz escucharla bien tocada. Me gusta su trabajo, felicidades!

  • Its a carroussel ride in heaven! Love Bach.

  • Splendid. I've heard around 30-40 versions of BWV 543 played on the organ (both live and recorded), and this ranks among my favorites. I'm in the process of transcribing the piece for two guitars and a bass guitar--it works quite well in such a format.

  • Beautifull music but why so fast???

  • @Jussi118 Exactly how it should be.

  • Fantastic!  Fast!

    Love the welcome contrast to the Unterwerk.

    Refreshing, surprising trills and ornaments.

    Love the building transition at 3:24.

    At the pedal octaves, I must look. He appears not to look.

    Wonderful.

  • Wonderful interpretation! I'm sure Bach would have sincerely approved.

  • I like your play - clear, good tempo, brillant :))) good luck

  • this is one of the best instruments ever made.

    i love all the different sounds you can get from it.

  • Must be an Genie for playing such an Instrument!

  • 5*****

    WOW!!!!!!!

  • Schönes Tempo - wunderbar fliessend gespielt. Bravo!

  • Simplemente genial

  • excelente

  • pretty darn awesome i might say. good organist

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  • this is my fav bwv.

  • This is amongst Bach's most beautiful and expressive pieces for the organ.

  • @Biff947 yep it is but it's almost beautiful for accordion

  • @Biff947 I agree with you - this piece is wonderful.

    I have never understood the popularity of the Tocata and Fugue in D-minor, I think this piece is far superior.

    They are all great of course.

  • @Biff947 According to some accounting, it was also the longest developed of his known works, taking 20 years from the beginning to the final edition we have today. And how fortunate and blessed we are to have this.

  • Makes me feel happy cause i am alive..

  • What else is there but BACH in this universe???

    He defines the word MUSIC. the rest is swill...pig slop and swill. fuck it all but for BACH...

  • Wrong

  • @fuckyouassholes1000 Bach is clearly my favorite but dont forget the other great baroque composers (scarlatti, frescobaldi, buxtehude, reinken, bruhns, bohm, schutz, carissimi, marais, couperin and SO MANY others)

  • I agree, but I wouldn't put it so brutally, hahaha :) BACH is the universe itself !!

  • Bien difícil está esta obra ala :o

  • Fabulous organist. Clear and I love the non-legato

  • Good job.Thanks

  • por fin videos de organo ¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡

  • With out a doubt a breathtaking perfomance. INSPIRING! What pedal technique!

    I feel Chorzempa's work although a little slower in tempo and more legatto allows the inner voices to come through. I am too lazy (and drunk) to point out in the score where I feel these subtle deficiencies occur, they are there in at least two places.

    God lives in the details so to speak

    F###ing awsome performance though

  • It's amazing how Bach's music soothes you and scares the shit out of at the same time.Bach's music will never cease to keep me amused. Thank you for your wonderful interpretations.

  • holy crap!

  • I would love to meet him, such an amazing organist.

    Well played.

  • Totally stunning. I join Vaisvavata in saying de Groen's interpretation of the 543 is Canonical. This just sounds perfect.

  • Amazing playing! Thanks

  • Now thats impressive

  • Bravo! Excellent

  • fuck, the last 20 seconds unbelievable.

  • it's actually the easiest bit of the whole work.

  • not bad but it doesn't sound enough «vocal» to me. it needs to breath more.

  • I deem de Groen's version of 543 as canonical. He strikes the perfect balance in terms of tempo, registration, clarity and respect for the score. Previously I considered Biggs' version-widely available on CD-as the standard; better than Richter's, Chorzempa's, Koopman's etc. I specially like how the circle of fifths sequences are played. The final sextolets in the fugue come alive without any need for an artificial rallentando (even Biggs perpetrated it!). I wish he would release it on CD.

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  • This is BEYOND playing-this music has come to life - it is breathing - alive. It is the sound of pure ecstasy. God this is wonderful!!!!

  • Very fine performance!

  • bach would roll over in his grave (the cause would be negative)

  • Hey raggoblin818-you obviously have shit for brains and wouldn't know good music if it hit you between the eyes. This man is pure genius. The most magnificent playing I have EVER heard.

  • Trule phenomenal, i can't stop imagining myself entering this church with this ethereal music filling the air, and it brings such a smile to my face!

  • Epic.

  • fancy footwork lol

  • Mynheer de Groen boven! I love this fugue played at exactly this tempo, but unfortunately not many organists can do it. De Groen certainly can.

  • Long live bach!!! I love playing him! This is amazing!

  • absolutely love it. you make it look so easy. personally, i love listening to baroque music, but i don't enjoy playing it as much, because it's tough, especially preludes and fugues, so hats off to you :)

    keep up the good work!

  • i love it

  • This work really sounds like a vivaldian concerto.

  • the subject is a circle of 5ths progression, which Vivaldi uses in excess, esp. in minor keys.

  • Taught me a thing or two--much appreciated! Thanks

  • Bach's most underrated.

  • I will be first in line to buy your recordings, do you have any yet? Thank you for your wonderful performance, your exactness, your drive and marvelous rendition of the great pieces thus far placed on youtube. sincerely stephen ader,

    santa fe, new mexico, u.s.a.

  • Superbe interprétation de cette fugue ! Orgue merveilleux ! Et organiste plein de talents ! Félicitations !

  • awesome

  • Aarnoud plays this very "singingly". Fine workmanship. Mature, stable and appropriate.

    The "theme" for this fugue was reused quite a bit by Bach, I think in one Partita and two keyboard compositions in addition to here.

    Bach is inspiration, motivation and goad in one person.

    Gene

  • i think is the light

  • Very well done. Are my eyes playing tricks on me, or are the sharps and flats all multicolored while the rest of the keys are black? If so, any reason why?

  • it has always been so during Bach's era, and even before.

  • Systematically ?

  • Systematically, I don't know ...

  • It's the light

  • stupid question, but what does BWV stand for?

  • Bwv stands for Bach Werke Verzeichnis, (Bach Works Catalogue)is the numbering system identifying compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach.The prefix BWV, followed by the work's number now is the shorthand identification for Bach's compositions. The works are grouped thematically, not chronologically.

    (hooray for Wikipedia :P)Wolfgang Schmieder assigned the BWV numbers in 1950,to indicate the work's placement in the Bach works catalogue. By the way: stupid questions dont exist, only stupid answers

  • lol

  • I am speechless... My respect to Bach! Music from God!

  • Amazing. Best organist I've heard so far on youtube. I can hear the separate voices with his playing, unlike the mish-mash of fecal matter most organists squeeze out their pipes...there you go, a pun for the day.

  • Beauty and sadness at musical state.

  • my all-time favourite fugue.

    thanks... it touched my soul.

  • I really think this is one of the most amazing pieces ever written.

  • Nobody writes fugue like Bach.

  • Hi, this is nice music and well play, this nice enough to sit, just to listen to You, Thank's

    continue, this organ got a nice sound too. Félicitation.

  • I don't know what's worse,your language skills or criticism.Better a little too fast than too slow.

  • I totally agree with you...the people that say you don't know what you're talking about most likely don't even play the organ.

  • the tempo is perfect and the technique is amazing. Calm the fuck down and enjoy a master at work. You're gonna suck when you're old.

  • Indeed... I dont play organ myself, but i do enjoy bach, and i believe that bach wrote his pieces to enjoy the people.. His works arent supposed to be subjects of discussions on how something should be played... Im completely clueless on how it should be played or not, but i simply enjoy the way how Aarnoud plays it.. In my opinion the tempo is just right and sure keeps you awake..

  • super good pedal job

  • nice performance :>

  • Everyone has their opinions about these things, let go of orthodoxy and allow free expression otherwise everything stagnates. Who knows how Bach would have viewed this performance. Imagine if he and dudes like Mozart had the technology we have now and applied their genius to it, it defies imagination.

  • Imagining that... we'd have the most amazing trance music quite likely...

  • I've often wondered what Bach would have composed if he had been at Saint Sulpice instead of Saint Thomas. Bach might have even used the swell pedal. Organ music critics tend to be retentive.

  • Bach wasn't at St. Thomas, Leipzig until 1723, where he was NOT the organist. He was director of choral music of Leipzig and cantor of the St. Thomas school in Leipzig.

    Most of his organ works date from 1708-1717) when he was organist, and later concertmaster, at the ducal court in Weimar, which had a fine organ. This piece dates from that period.

  • wcbroccoli: Live and learn...but my comment stands unaltered...especially the last part. Are you suggesting that Bach did not play the organ at St. Thomas? The comment was general in nature. Cavaille Coll opened up a whole new realm to organists. Bach may have followed a different compositional path if he had presided over an organ/acoustic combination such as the one at Saint Sulpice.

  • Fortunately, Bach followed the path of the early 18th c., not the path of the 19th c. Romantics.

    If you prefer early 18th organ music on a 19th Cavaille-Coll "symphonic" organ, you might prefer all early 18th c. music on instruments of the so-called "modern" orchestra, which are actually 19th c. instruments. You might also want the continuo played on pianoforte instead of a token harpsichord, as Mendelssohn's did in his performance the St. Matthew Passion in 1829.

  • Don't put words in my mouth wcbroccoli. I simply appreciate the organ at Saint Sulpice. Too many organists are historical slaves...lacking passion and imagination. Bach is often performed on harsh sounding instruments...with mechanical and sterile interpretations. Fortunately...this performance of BWV 543 is a splendid unity of organ, acoustic, organist, and music.

  • Section from 3:59 to 4:13 it's wonderful

    only at this tempo.

    Great.

  • this comment is unintentionally hilarious.

  • I can do that... i just dont want to, either way this is amazing, i am in awe of the skill and coordination it takes so do that, jeez... good job

  • Bach is amazing and you are a great interpreter. Bach would have been proud

  • I love your articulation. But it's too fast in my opnion. I want to hear the entries...let them grow in lines...I just think the tempo needs a notch down. Otherwise fantastic.

  • Niamaztor - if you want to hear the entries you should listen for them :)

  • bach is a genius

  • perfect tempo! love this performance

  • You can do it, and you'll be glad you started on piano. It seems impossible at first and the finger substitution seems mind-bending but keep at it. Believe it or not, the finger substitution becomes mostly intuitive and automatic as do the pedals once you train the motor centers in your brain. Right now you are "thinking" about everything and it's mental overload. After a time it will become pure pleasure, bordering on ecstasy. Hang in there!

  • un-be-leeve-able o.0

  • and this is not spam... I do think it's un-believe-able

  • i'm learning this fugue & prelude at the moment! i aspire to learn it as well as you did! congraz its wonderful!!!!!

  • Fantastic, Mr. de Groen!

    I always loved the "polyrhythmic" feeling of the A minor Fuge. Do you see it the same way?

    Anyway you transferred perfectly with impeccable technique!

  • Unbelievable!! it was magnificent.

  • i heard this tracked played by pianist fazil say, so wonderfull.

  • Fazil Say is a very talented pianist, but sadly lacks of creativity :(

    he has a CD labelled "BACH" where he plays French&Italian suites, and a few fugues. You should listen to it if you liked his style:)

  • Lacks creativity? I must kindly disagree, I saw a video of him playing Mozart's Turkish March in a jazz style. I think that counts as pretty darn creative.

  • What do you mean lacks creativity? Bach is the creator, do you mean his interpretations are lacking substance?

  • le passage solo du pedalier a partir de 5:00 est hallucinant oO

    sugoi

    great

  • very good !

  • Awesome.

    I wonder, why there are a lot of so talented artists in Netherland?

    Peet Kee, Ton Toopman, Gustav Leonhard, they all come from Netherland.

    I like the style of organists from Netherland.

    Each organist has a clear profile, which dintinguish him from others.

  • Glorious! I first heard this on an old pipe organ at chapel while in college 30 years ago.  It still take my breath away.

  • fantastico!

  • Wonderful! Perfect tempo, articulation, interpretation! Organ sounds wonderful in this acoustical environment!

  • It is so perfectly executed. By god am I amazed and outstanded. It makes my skills on this particular piece look poor

  • PERFECT!

  • Well for what i've heard: You're an excellent organist too! I liked your gigue fugue a lot!

  • You just made my day! Thanks so much!

  • dear sir, what kind of deal did you conclude with God to play so well ?

  • One of my favorite fugue by J.S.Bach and I've performed it myself. Not easy! ;)

    This performance is very good, I would however choice a bit slower tempo so the theme can sing more. I would also allow a tiny bit of rit. in the cadences between sections.

    Anyway, job well done!

  • Actually, You are without any doubt the best young organist: a guarantee for the next 20 years.

    I hope you will come, a day, at Reggio Emilia's organ's season where had played also Gustav Leonhardt, Ton Koopman, Bob van Asperen, Michel Chapuis and much other.

  • It sounds like ten hands are playing. Fugues are really difficult.

  • I've only just realized you're playing from memory - wow!

  • Excellent technique. Sounds as if you're in a bit of a hurry to get to the end though!

  • I dont love the registraiotn! A heard a couple of bum notes!

  • hay que tocarla a esa velocidad eh....