Axel Ruoff's organ music is spiritual, often inspired by biblical narratives or sacred lyrical texts, but it avoids descriptive or doctrinal treatment, aiming instead to touch the listener's emotions.
Compositional Technique
Axel Ruoff's music incorporates elements not naturally associated with the Western tradition, such as the use of compound meters or alternations of binary and ternary patterns, known as aksak in Ottoman music theory.
Performer Biography
Jan Lehtola, the organist on this recording, is an international organ virtuoso from Finland who has given over 160 world and regional premieres and collaborated with many composers.
Composer Biography
Axel Ruoff, the composer, studied composition, music theory, and piano at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Stuttgart from 1975 to 1979.
Compositional Technique
The toccata is the musical form best represented in Axel Ruoff's keyboard music, allowing for improvisatory freedom and a primal joy in sound combinations.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Axel Ruoff believes music should speak for itself, stating, "Music is sound, is image, is language. Music must be capable of speaking, of saying something, of communicating something."
Composer Biography
Axel Ruoff furthered his musical education in Japan, studying with Japanese composer Hiroaki Minami at the National University of Fine Arts and Music in Tokyo from 1985 to 1987.
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