Search - Joseph Rheinberger, Wolfgang Rubsam :: Rheinberger: Works for Organ, Vol.2

Continuing the Rheinberger Sonatas in Grand Style

Avid Reader | Franklin, Tn | 07/29/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These recordings by Wolfgang Rubsam are a great buy for a lot of reasons. First, the price. At $... per CD this is a fantastic bargain, particularly if you purchase all four volumes at once and receive free shipping as I did. Secondly, there is the sequential order of the Sonatas. Many records are about as orderly as a UN Session on Human Rights with collections like nos 3, 4 and 19 or 1, 2 and 16 or 5, 6 and 12 - groupings that make little sense. The iterative recordings give the collection both a chronological sense and serves as a perfect example of artistic growth. Rheinberger is still evolving musically though the first few Sonatas are every bit as technically challenging as the latter ones. As the sonatas progress, the problem ceases to be the music itself but the enlarged structures and the manner in which they are presented. As for this, Rubsam excelled. Each work has a unified sense that is often lacking in large, multi-part works. This is a great recording that deserves a prominent role in your library. All of these sonatas contain the essence of Rheinberger's organ works - the punctuated bass, the recurring themes, the utterly flowing rhythm and the soaring, beautiful melodies. The fugues are quite expansive - not strict like Bach's - and they usually dovetail with the theme."