I will always be deeply grateful to this amazing musician -- his performance of this piece is, in fact, what motivated me to learn it myself early in my studies, and spurred me on to become the finest organist possible. RIP, dear Virgil.
I was paging through some of the comments posted by others criticizing a few mistakes that crept into the performance. My first thought was, "Picky, picky." Then I became a bit angry. The date when this performance was recorded isn't noted, but I can tell from Fox's appearance that it was while he was losing ground to prostate cancer. Given that, his performance was all the more remarkable. Lesser organists would have called it a day. Fox chose to keep going despite his situation.
Oh yes...that final G-major chord is as close as one can come to experiencing a musical orgasm. It's wonderful that Fox's legacy lives on in the world of cyberspace. Timeless music performed by a legendary musician.
To all you nitwits who are critical of Fox's performance, put your money where your mouths are. Let's see you manage to get one note of music out of that instrument -- and do it while you are dying from cancer. If you can do that I'll accord you some room to comment.
i feel as if i am reading comments about a mario lanza video. how dare anyone criticize the SINGULAR talent of this man. i am an organist. i am FED UP with the sarcastic, catty remarks of those who think they know better. i coubt that any of them could play at this level while wearing diapers, which is what the poor man did toward the end. listen to his early recordings. there are no mistakes. i witnessed carpenter getting LOST in the d major fugue over ten years ago. oops!!!
and one should remember, JS Bach, Louis Vierne, Gigout, Durufle, Alain, etc. normally had "Drawers" -- people who would stand on either side of the console and pull & push the stops & couplers for the performer
Virgil Fox always managed to reach parts that other organists never managed,he played music from the soul and I think most of the sceptics are just jealous,as were Virgil's piers. Red blooded Bach with colour and emotion fantastic.
about the "mistakes", it would be very hard to avoid at the speed he is playing. Besides, he has to change the stops selscted to vary the pipes played, if not it would sound dry and boring. too bad the stops require stretching
I think this organ was built by Karl Schuke for the NHK Concert Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Unfortunately, I can't find any specifications. Hope this helps.
The NHK Concert organ was designed by Karl Schuke Company in the 1970s with five manuals and 90 stops. The organ has two consoles, the mobile five manual stage console seen in the YouTube videos with Virgil Fox and a second console located in the organ pipe case above the audience. The sound quality of the NHK pipe organ in the concert hall is better than the sound here on YouTube.
Fox could play circles around Biggs. All those recordings of Biggs are heavily edited. He got where he was because of connections, not talent. Check out Virgil's direct to disc recordings. No editing possible.
I have to dissagree with that, i've seen e power biggs play for real. and this motherfucker could play like you would not believe. I'm serious this guy was GOOD.
He does play it like a magnificent eloquent prayer/praise to God.
I love his expression at the end when he replays the last couple of measures and stands up! If you want to hear it "played" with zero mistakes; then turn on your MIDI sequencer and play with yourself, that's not called music its masturbation.
he is so showy and that is what i admire about him. the fact he got back on to play again...made me giggle mistakes or not he makes anything enjoyable to watch and listen to.
about the mistakes--I blame it on the console. What a horror! For a modern console it looks absolutely unuseable. The stop buttons are almost all at full arm's reach, and the 4th manual makes him stretch. The 5th appears unusable. Looks like they took measurements at St. Suplice and then added an inch to everything. At least at St. Suplice they recognized the problem and asked C-Coll to move the Recit to man 4 from man 5.
If you cannot play better than this man do not try to degrade taint or otherwise discredit him. He has done more and can do more than many of the organists out there today. What an inspiration. Like him or just plain shut up!
What a daft comment. I dont have cancer but I know its not a good thing.
Noone is beyond critique.
The tempo is just right IMO, however, it's baroque music. There shouldnt be fussy registration changes. Constantly fiddling does go some way to detract from the over all performance and the swell pedal aught never to be used. Articulation is just right IMHO despite a couple of small slips. 8/10.
The sad thing is that you (Britt) could not hear & see him live. He was incredible and related to the audience like Very Few do today. Never played using music - EVER! I tuned for him when he came to Boston area. Wonderful persan, Stellar performer.
An organ master plays an organ master's piece...my favorite of all the Bach's fuges. I've heard about Virgil Fox a lot, but now thanks to youtube this is my first video to see of him playing. Thanks for posting.
Welcome aboard britt' I've been onboard 33 plus years. You will never find a better organist anywhere. Yes, especially from the list of boring stiff faced methotical maniqins out there today.
forget the few mistakes here and there who cares,the man has something which a lot of other concert artist dont have and that is CHARISMA well done virgil BRAVO!!!
oh lord, who the hell cares about petty mistakes!!! the man played as if he was speaking directly to God almighty!!!! there are far too few musicians who play with such genuine aplomb and spirit... virgil fox was a MASTER!!!!
Fantastic! You must realize that when Virgil was near the last five years of his life he was sufferinf from cancer and continued to play for his loving audiences, so NO THEY ARE NOT GOING TO BE PERFECT but hear we are talking about him 30 years later, that's quite an accomplishment for the world of organs.
Who gives a damn about friggin mistakes!!! His performances were like FIREWORKS full of passion and gusto and light!!! No one since Bach himself played so formidably, as if God was listening... These performances are PRICELESS!!!!
You're thereby damning the performances of thousands of magnificent organists! V.F. was indeed unique, but there have been (and are) a number of magnificent performers out there.
Infatti, secondo me ha sbagliato perchè ha esagerato con la sceneggiata. Quell'organo avrà infinite combinazioni aggiustabili, che poteva inserire con un pistone al pedale o un pulsante sotto una tastiera. Ha voluto "far scena" cercando acrobaticamente un comando a placchetta, e ha perso l'equilibrio...
He makes quite a number of mistakes in this recording, and his other ones too (the first example here is a split note at 00:30). At 4:13 he decided he needed to change a stop immediately, though I can't tell what changed! Strange place to do it. Maybe it was for the upcoming subject entrance in the pedal.
He licahfox, I want to see you play as well as Virgil Fox did. The BWV 542 in g minor is the so called "Hardest Fugue" that Bach ever wrote. Why don't you play it at Virgil's speed and WITH HIS TALENT!!!!!!!!! Oh wait, it probably doesn't exist!
You misunderstand--I was simply letting the original poster know that Fox makes many mistakes, which does not diminish his musicality. Of course it would be silly to nitpick any performance with the slightest mistake, so it's best to listen past all but the most egregious ones.
Yeah, I agree. He seemed distracted just before he made that mistake at 4:13. Looked like he was concentrating too much on the stop change which caused him to slip a bit. :-(
It's a terrifying experience when you play live without the score in front of you and you suddenly have a lapse of concentration. He looked a bit concerned at that point! I think we can forgive him this momentary slip!
I will always be deeply grateful to this amazing musician -- his performance of this piece is, in fact, what motivated me to learn it myself early in my studies, and spurred me on to become the finest organist possible. RIP, dear Virgil.
dianemeredithbelcher 4 months ago
I was paging through some of the comments posted by others criticizing a few mistakes that crept into the performance. My first thought was, "Picky, picky." Then I became a bit angry. The date when this performance was recorded isn't noted, but I can tell from Fox's appearance that it was while he was losing ground to prostate cancer. Given that, his performance was all the more remarkable. Lesser organists would have called it a day. Fox chose to keep going despite his situation.
SuperOldandSlow 8 months ago
Comment removed
SuperOldandSlow 8 months ago
Oh yes...that final G-major chord is as close as one can come to experiencing a musical orgasm. It's wonderful that Fox's legacy lives on in the world of cyberspace. Timeless music performed by a legendary musician.
BillyRosinet 11 months ago 8
To all you nitwits who are critical of Fox's performance, put your money where your mouths are. Let's see you manage to get one note of music out of that instrument -- and do it while you are dying from cancer. If you can do that I'll accord you some room to comment.
BillyRosinet 11 months ago 5
Virgil Fox was Der Meister the greatest Organist of the 20th century period!!!!
ecopower78 1 year ago 2
i feel as if i am reading comments about a mario lanza video. how dare anyone criticize the SINGULAR talent of this man. i am an organist. i am FED UP with the sarcastic, catty remarks of those who think they know better. i coubt that any of them could play at this level while wearing diapers, which is what the poor man did toward the end. listen to his early recordings. there are no mistakes. i witnessed carpenter getting LOST in the d major fugue over ten years ago. oops!!!
jgraif 1 year ago
Quando Bach può essere anche spettacolo....
fossosejore 1 year ago
and one should remember, JS Bach, Louis Vierne, Gigout, Durufle, Alain, etc. normally had "Drawers" -- people who would stand on either side of the console and pull & push the stops & couplers for the performer
StarTrekLivz 1 year ago
Virgil Fox always managed to reach parts that other organists never managed,he played music from the soul and I think most of the sceptics are just jealous,as were Virgil's piers. Red blooded Bach with colour and emotion fantastic.
keithhearnshaw 1 year ago
Honestly, what mistakes? It doesn't matter, look at him. He's making real music with all of his heart. I heard no mistakes, I heard all Bach!
aroseeternal 1 year ago
about the "mistakes", it would be very hard to avoid at the speed he is playing. Besides, he has to change the stops selscted to vary the pipes played, if not it would sound dry and boring. too bad the stops require stretching
jtingyz 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Ughhh made a mistake at 4:13
dramamajor1985 2 years ago
THE BEST..as of today NO one compares
cptbill100 2 years ago 3
THE BEST....my master said that "on the organ you have to play Music, not the keys"....
giordciab 2 years ago 3
what ya mean by a clone?
billynoful 2 years ago
This is a virgil clone
framer4157 2 years ago
What's going on at 3:55? He seems to freeze up and miss and crunch notes...
ViolaDamore 2 years ago
it seems that he misplaced his right hand and tried to recover.
polgarfan 2 years ago
I don't know much about it but he was fighting cancer at the time as well.
advisorC101 2 years ago
Wait, I just realised that that was a glitch with the video. Its not a mistake.
advisorC101 2 years ago
Actually, what I want to know is where is this organ and who built it? I like the console design.
caliopterix 3 years ago
I think this organ was built by Karl Schuke for the NHK Concert Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Unfortunately, I can't find any specifications. Hope this helps.
TrompenCham167 2 years ago
The NHK Concert organ was designed by Karl Schuke Company in the 1970s with five manuals and 90 stops. The organ has two consoles, the mobile five manual stage console seen in the YouTube videos with Virgil Fox and a second console located in the organ pipe case above the audience. The sound quality of the NHK pipe organ in the concert hall is better than the sound here on YouTube.
2video 2 years ago
@2video Does this organ still exist, do you know?
paulbinko 1 year ago
@paulbinko
Yes, the organ is at NHK Hall Tokyo and can be seen (at least in Japanese language) with a Google search for NHK Concert Hall Tokyo.
2video 6 months ago
It looks easy for him playing like that... If he wished, he could play without any mistakes...
am4d3u 3 years ago
People are hung up on mistakes, so what we are human. Virgil played with feeling, which I love. I will miss you Virgil!
trevjr 3 years ago 3
Fox could play circles around Biggs. All those recordings of Biggs are heavily edited. He got where he was because of connections, not talent. Check out Virgil's direct to disc recordings. No editing possible.
caliopterix 3 years ago
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I have to dissagree with that, i've seen e power biggs play for real. and this motherfucker could play like you would not believe. I'm serious this guy was GOOD.
1straycat99 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
e power biggs was alot better than virgil fox because he was alot more precise and acuate
IForgottenHopeI 3 years ago
He does play it like a magnificent eloquent prayer/praise to God.
I love his expression at the end when he replays the last couple of measures and stands up! If you want to hear it "played" with zero mistakes; then turn on your MIDI sequencer and play with yourself, that's not called music its masturbation.
tonytiger75 3 years ago
he is so showy and that is what i admire about him. the fact he got back on to play again...made me giggle mistakes or not he makes anything enjoyable to watch and listen to.
handelfan610 3 years ago
Eccezzionale!!!
Formidabile!!!
Organbest 3 years ago
YOU BEST!!! 5 STARS!!!
voldemar74 3 years ago
YOU BEST!!! 5 STARS!!!
voldemar74 3 years ago
If you dont like it git out hairball!
vinnycor1 3 years ago 2
Absolutely magnificent!!! ... the passion is the idea - leave perfect technique to amateurs... it's as if he's singing to God Almighty....
bbbbmer 3 years ago 2
This comment has received too many negative votes show
He has no sense of good taste I am afraid.
Modernmanx 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
This guy is totaly outdated today. He knows absolutely nothing about real baroque interpretation....
Modernmanx 3 years ago
about the mistakes--I blame it on the console. What a horror! For a modern console it looks absolutely unuseable. The stop buttons are almost all at full arm's reach, and the 4th manual makes him stretch. The 5th appears unusable. Looks like they took measurements at St. Suplice and then added an inch to everything. At least at St. Suplice they recognized the problem and asked C-Coll to move the Recit to man 4 from man 5.
And, remember he was a visiting performer.
tactilex 3 years ago 10
Did you say there was a draft between your ears?
vinnycor1 4 years ago
As Beethoven once reportedly said, 'Who cares about missed notes? I want the right feeling'...or something to that effect.
You will never find a person more in tune with Bach than this.
People who play Bach soft when it is clearly a shout to God should be roughed up.
jsbachman02 4 years ago 3
yes agreed. Thanks for posting that qoute and comment.
muzical15 4 years ago 2
too fast? Mistakes? Maybe you better stick to watching old golfers on sunday's.
vinnycor1 4 years ago
Even at rest his legacy lives on. Good job Virgil!!!
vinnycor1 4 years ago
If you cannot play better than this man do not try to degrade taint or otherwise discredit him. He has done more and can do more than many of the organists out there today. What an inspiration. Like him or just plain shut up!
vinnycor1 4 years ago
What a daft comment. I dont have cancer but I know its not a good thing.
Noone is beyond critique.
The tempo is just right IMO, however, it's baroque music. There shouldnt be fussy registration changes. Constantly fiddling does go some way to detract from the over all performance and the swell pedal aught never to be used. Articulation is just right IMHO despite a couple of small slips. 8/10.
OPHYCLIDE 4 years ago
gercekten super
robotech3 4 years ago
yemin edebilirim ki bu herif Bach'in ruhunu tasiyor. bu ne ya, org ile resmen dalga geciyor...
robotech3 4 years ago
The sad thing is that you (Britt) could not hear & see him live. He was incredible and related to the audience like Very Few do today. Never played using music - EVER! I tuned for him when he came to Boston area. Wonderful persan, Stellar performer.
octave4 4 years ago
An organ master plays an organ master's piece...my favorite of all the Bach's fuges. I've heard about Virgil Fox a lot, but now thanks to youtube this is my first video to see of him playing. Thanks for posting.
brittmusic 4 years ago
Welcome aboard britt' I've been onboard 33 plus years. You will never find a better organist anywhere. Yes, especially from the list of boring stiff faced methotical maniqins out there today.
vinnycor1 4 years ago
forget the few mistakes here and there who cares,the man has something which a lot of other concert artist dont have and that is CHARISMA well done virgil BRAVO!!!
gemi13b 4 years ago 3
oh lord, who the hell cares about petty mistakes!!! the man played as if he was speaking directly to God almighty!!!! there are far too few musicians who play with such genuine aplomb and spirit... virgil fox was a MASTER!!!!
bbbbmer 4 years ago 3
If he didnt play it so fast, he wouldn't make so many mistakes, and the contrapuntal lines wouldnt get so mushy...
edders05 4 years ago
I agree, and am sure JS would. To play the thing wrong is devilish!
straypixel 4 years ago
mas alla de los errores tiene un empuje tremendo por dios que potencia
jorgebodrio 4 years ago 2
Fantastic! You must realize that when Virgil was near the last five years of his life he was sufferinf from cancer and continued to play for his loving audiences, so NO THEY ARE NOT GOING TO BE PERFECT but hear we are talking about him 30 years later, that's quite an accomplishment for the world of organs.
orgatrain 4 years ago 5
This is an extremely hard fugue. I'm sight reading the Franz Liszt transcpription of it for the piano. Trust me...this fugue is really difficult.
snakefl 4 years ago 3
Far too fast for my liking. Can't fault mistakes cos he's better than me :P Could be better though.
Div1356 4 years ago
I once said I wish I could play on purpose as well as this man plays mistakes. I still wish I could.
kybudman 4 years ago 3
don't like the fact there are so many mistakes and the way he gives the notes so much staccato
sirinferno 4 years ago
Who gives a damn about friggin mistakes!!! His performances were like FIREWORKS full of passion and gusto and light!!! No one since Bach himself played so formidably, as if God was listening... These performances are PRICELESS!!!!
bbbbmer 4 years ago 2
You're thereby damning the performances of thousands of magnificent organists! V.F. was indeed unique, but there have been (and are) a number of magnificent performers out there.
GazTheMusicMan 4 years ago 2
Does anyone have information on the organ? And Fox did at least recover well you know.
cromorne 4 years ago
Don't focus on mistakes, focus on the music.
MoneyManTC 4 years ago
O Ebenezer Prout, you are a silly man, coz you play Bach's fugues as quickly as you can!
GazTheMusicMan 4 years ago
S'era messo a guardare i registri, alla fine ha cercato di rimediare...
BWV82 4 years ago
Infatti, secondo me ha sbagliato perchè ha esagerato con la sceneggiata. Quell'organo avrà infinite combinazioni aggiustabili, che poteva inserire con un pistone al pedale o un pulsante sotto una tastiera. Ha voluto "far scena" cercando acrobaticamente un comando a placchetta, e ha perso l'equilibrio...
ViniciusLoncanis 4 years ago
Anche Fox sbagliava! 4.13 !!! Comunque, 5 stelle.
Fox made a mistake! 4.13 min. 5 stars anyway.
ViniciusLoncanis 4 years ago
He makes quite a number of mistakes in this recording, and his other ones too (the first example here is a split note at 00:30). At 4:13 he decided he needed to change a stop immediately, though I can't tell what changed! Strange place to do it. Maybe it was for the upcoming subject entrance in the pedal.
licahfox 4 years ago
He licahfox, I want to see you play as well as Virgil Fox did. The BWV 542 in g minor is the so called "Hardest Fugue" that Bach ever wrote. Why don't you play it at Virgil's speed and WITH HIS TALENT!!!!!!!!! Oh wait, it probably doesn't exist!
magnumdk 4 years ago
You misunderstand--I was simply letting the original poster know that Fox makes many mistakes, which does not diminish his musicality. Of course it would be silly to nitpick any performance with the slightest mistake, so it's best to listen past all but the most egregious ones.
licahfox 4 years ago
while the 542 is quite hard... it is widely recognized that the "Wedge" is the hardest p and f that bach wrote.
Airman410 4 years ago
Yeah, I agree. He seemed distracted just before he made that mistake at 4:13. Looked like he was concentrating too much on the stop change which caused him to slip a bit. :-(
paulbinko 4 years ago
It's a terrifying experience when you play live without the score in front of you and you suddenly have a lapse of concentration. He looked a bit concerned at that point! I think we can forgive him this momentary slip!
GazTheMusicMan 4 years ago