Franz Josef Stoiber, the organist on this album, is the Cathedral Organist at St. Peter's Cathedral in Regensburg and was instrumental in conceiving the new Regensburg Cathedral Organ.
Instruments
The Regensburg Cathedral Organ, consecrated in 2009, is the world's largest free-hanging organ, featuring 80 stops across four manuals and pedal, built by Rieger Orgelbau from Austria.
Compositional Technique
The Toccata by Henry Mulet, a French musician, from his 'Esquisses Byzantines' is titled 'Tu es petra et portae inferi non praevalebunt adversus te,' referencing Jesus' statement about the founding of the church.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Johann Mattheson, an 18th-century German composer and theorist, described the toccata style as "the freest and most unbound manner of writing, singing and playing that could possibly be imagined."
Compositional Technique
The term "toccata" comes from the Italian "toccare" meaning "to strike, touch, finger," and describes instrumental pieces, especially for keyboard instruments, often with a free, improvisatory structure.
Instruments
The Regensburg Cathedral Organ has two consoles: a main mechanical console integrated into the organ case and a freestanding electric console in the choir, both capable of controlling the main and choir organs.
Instruments
The Regensburg Cathedral Organ is suspended in front of an almost windowless wall, allowing for excellent sound distribution and transparency due to the cathedral's Gothic architecture.
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