Search - :: Bach: The Organ Works Vol 1 / Jean Guillou

Bach re-created. Probably he wouldn't have disapproved.

10/09/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Jean Guillou's style can't be imitated, nor even matched. His interpretation of Bach's music is not baroque and no more romantic. Guillou is simply himself and we might guess his style is the result of a long maturing period of 50 years' daily performing.I enjoyed perfect clearness, you really hear every note. His playing is all contrasts : slow preludes against very fast fugues. The technique is simply brilliant (listen to the fugue BWV 542 completely "détaché").Registrations are unusual, this is no "Bach organ". In a nutshell : In a period of baroque dogmatism, Jean Guillou helps us remember that music doesn't need dogmatisms. I guess Bach wouldn' have disapproved."