Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, John Butt :: Bach: Organ Toccatas / Schübler Chorales

J.S. Bach is by far the most widely known and widely recorded of organ composers, and the works on this disc are among his most popular. We have here a collection of organ pieces that countless people have encountered: the organ prelude "Sleepers Awake," heard at thousands of weddings; the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, heard in dozens of bad horror movies; and so on. The six Schübler Chorale Preludes and these four Toccatas and Fugues have been recorded by legendary organ soloists from E. Power Biggs to Marie-Claire Alain to Christopher Herrick--and even by Karl Richter and Ton Koopman, two icons among Bach conductors. Yet in spite of the overfamiliarity of the music, this recording by Bach scholar and organist John Butt is delightful. Butt's articulation is clear, his phrasing is nicely varied (not necessarily an easy matter on the organ), his instrument (the organ of Trinity College Chapel, Cambridge) suits Bach nicely, and his registrations are well-chosen. Most refreshing, this performance brings out a quality of Bach we don't often hear: playfulness. Butt performs the Toccatas in particular with flair and wit--he makes you believe that Bach had fun writing these pieces and even more fun playing them. --Matthew Westphal