J. S. Bach - Toccata et Fuga BWV 540 (Toccata)

[lastnameinthebook]

Fast & furious

[aalbert2603]

very nice performance, clear division of registers, remarkable breathing, with additional help of the rather dry accoustics, love the pedal voice.

would appreciate the advice to a young dutch organist gertrw playing the same piece bwv 540

[maestrokyle75]

Very nice performance. This is a very hard piece to play with control which he certainly does. Thanks!

[chrish12345]

brilliant

[kathyk243]

Great clarity, no muddling or rushing--every note has its own chance to shine!

[margaretka777]

1:00 break dance :)

[SIRC0L0RS]

Great vid great music

[GJmusique]

you just GOT to love this :-)

fantastic job once again!

[Contratrombone64]

I find it amusing that everyone wants Bach played at break-neck speed. Walcha's tempi, for me at least, are sublime. But then I guess it's all a matter of personal taste.

This is an amazing performance, beautiful technique.

[pedalpusher00]

What an amazing performance. So enjoyable to listen to and to watch the organist. Flawless technique; very controlled.

[mjeff321]

I like how he doesn't move very much on the bench..

[missionaryorganist]

Great performance!

[praisethelord333]

sehr gut very good special pedal work

[Heyde1979]

this is a really nice piece Bach create great music for the pipe organ

[chomskyFTW]

This is my favorite performance of the Toccata 540 on YouTube. I prefer it to Ton Koopman's version, which seemed a little unclear at times. Michiels gives a very accurate, clear, and moderately fast performance of the piece but is not afraid to insert small breaths that accentuate dramatic moments in the piece.

He makes me wish I could play organ, but I could never get close to an organist at pedaling.

Truly terrific.

[robertgift]

Helmut Walcha's is the best performance of all, though I wish he played a little faster.

Walcha contrasts the arpeggio parts with the trio sections.

Also plays the pedal notes longer so the reeds have time to speak and show their power.

Still a wonderful performance here, but I always play the fugue.

I memorized this because I'm afraid to read for a performance.

Now must go find the fugue somewhere.

[pipeorganloverNJP]

I agree--Walcha's is the best. The organ he plays on is of superior quality, and he plays slowly in order to make every note articulate. But this guy's played it really, really well, too!

[chomskyFTW]

I actually had a chance to listen to Walcha's performance, and I didn't like it as much. It is technically precise and well-interpreted, but my enjoyment was somewhat dampened by the slowness. Overall, it's very strong, and importantly--it's enjoyable. I think Walcha certainly performs it better than Bohme, who played the pedal solos too fast for my taste.

Maybe it's just my preference for speed, but hey; no use in arguing relative tastes, eh?

[robertgift]

Walcha plays a little too slowly and carefully in his recordings.

Years ago I believe someone said he played more lively in recital.

I like this, except for reeds sounding through the trio sections.

Also he breaks the pedal notes rather than tying them together. Connected brings such drama.

Do we hear a 32' reed in the pedal? Just does not sound right.

In Bach I will use 32', 16, 8 flues and 16 reed, but never found a place for a 32' reed.

He rarely looks at his pedals. Amazing!

[ufni3p]

Well,this organ doesn't have a 32' reed so we don't hear one:-). As for the articulation in the pedals, please bear in mind that this is recorded from the organloft very close to the organ and the cathedral has rather big acoustics, so in the church this would sound much more connected.

[GJmusique]

since it's a french-romantic style organ, the reeds sound rather powerful. What you hear is most likely a 16' Bombarde. :-)

[joeyboi87]

beautifully played, I have always loved this piece, I did it a few months back at a recital in Edinburgh

[edolch]

One of my favorites!