Bach's arrangements of Italian concertos, including one by Antonio Vivaldi, were likely made at the suggestion of Prince Johann Ernst, who had encountered the music during his studies.
Instruments
The organ used for this recording at Trinity College, Cambridge, was built by Metzler Söhne in 1976 and incorporates surviving pipework from two earlier organs by 'Father' Bernard Smith from 1694 and 1708.
Performer Biography
Robert Quinney, the organist on this recording, is the Organist of New College, Oxford, and has conducted its world-famous choir in prestigious venues like the Sistine Chapel.
Compositional Technique
Bach's Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BWV 548, runs counter to the musical fashion of its time by featuring movements of the largest scale imaginable, rather than easily-digestible short pieces.
Recording & Production
This album is the fourth volume in a series of J.S. Bach's organ works recorded by Robert Quinney.
Composer's Artistic Vision
J.S. Bach's mature style was profoundly influenced by the ritornello structure of contemporary Italian concertos, which he assimilated into his own compositions.
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J.S. Bach: Organ Masterworks
Bach, J.S.: Toccata & Fugue in D minor, etc.
Bach: Organ Works
Le Grand Jeu. French Baroque Organ Favourites (Collection "L'âge d'or de l'orgue français", No. 4)
