httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd_oIFy1mxM
This morning I’ve been watching Karl Richter videos on YouTube. I especially enjoyed clips of the Bach B minor Mass. In this video of JS Bach’s Toccata and Fuge in D minor listen to Richter’s organ stop choice at 4:30 – I think it’s wonderful.
Not sure, but from the looks I think this is the original organ of Bach in Leipzig, Germany.
This Toccata can be considered an improvisation of JS Bach that he put to paper afterwards. I like to imagine Bach warming up in the sanctuary before a service and improvising this to warm up.
In my life one of my favorite moments was practicing pipe organ pieces at church late on a Saturday night in preparation for the Sunday morning service. This was one of my favorite pieces to play, which I liked to play around Halloween – which usually got a few giggles.
W-O-W Amazing on so many levels!
The Current “Bach” organ in Leipzig is all white, and was built more than 20 years after Richter died. The other organ in the Thomaskirche is the Sauer, which was built in the late 1800s. There are no organs extant in Leipzig that were played by Bach.
The organ in the video is the Holy Trinity Organ at the Basilica at Otterbein, which one of the nicer organs still extant from the time period when Bach was alive. It’s very appropriate for this work.
Great video, and Richter’s playing style was both elegant and intense.