Mstation Classical Reviews
pre Dec 04 reviews are here
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Mon, 20 Dec 2004
Herbert Tachezi at the organs of the Stiftskirche, Ossiach and the Hofkirche, Innsbruck Michelangelo Rossi (1601/2-1656) Toccata Sesta in G Giovanni Gabrieli (c.1555-1612) Canzon francese in E Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643) Partite undecima sopra liAria Tarquinio Merula (1594/5-1665) Capriccio cromatico in D Girolamo Frescobaldi Toccata per liElevatione Canzon terza in G Tom.s de Santa Maria (? n 1570) 8 fantasies in the 8 church modes EnrIquez de Valderr.bano (mid C16th) Fantasia primero grado Antonio de CabezUn (1510-1566) Diferencias sobre el canto Llano Luis de Mil.n (c.1500-c.1561) Pavana and Galliarda Claudio Merulo (1533-1604) Toccata Vincenzo Pellegrini (? n 1631) Canzona per organo iLa Serpentinai Michael Praetorius (c.1570-1621) Hymn: iO Lux beata Trinitasi Paul Hofhaimer (1459-1537) Recordare Johannes Kotter (c.1485-1541) Salve Regina Christian Erbach (c.1571-1635) Ricercar secundi toni Recorded in the Stiftskirches, Ossiach (tracks 1-6) and the Hofkirche, Innsbruck (tracks 7-15) in 1968, 1980 and 1981 Apex 2564-60446-2 Apex have cobbled this recital disc together from various sessions recorded by the notable Austrian organist Herbert Tachezi. The title of Renaissance Organ Music is accurate insofar as the music dates from a period covering the 15th, 16th and early 17th centuries, but is somewhat wilful in that this view of the renaissance centres almost exclusively on developments in keyboard music in southern Europe n with the exception of the last two tracks all the composers represented are Italian or Iberian. Anybody unfamiliar with organ developments buying such a disc cold is going to find the diet lacking in variety as the greatest developments in organ building occurred in the northern lands. Not to be found here the great pedal reeds of the 16th century Germanic or Netherlandish instruments n this is all music on a much smaller scale performed on instruments that have no lack of character, but perhaps do lack something in the variety of sounds available. There is an abundance of very bright principles, even brighter mixtures and some attractively chiffy flutes, but a prevalence towards 8i and 4i combinations of principals, and whole works played on a 4i flute does become monotonous. Only a couple of very pungent reeds in the Pavana and Galliarda by Luis de Mil.n and a characterful krummhorn that appears briefly at the beginning of the Kotter Salve Regina relieve the soundscape. That having been said, Herbert Tachezi is a stylistically engaging champion of this repertoire. His playing sparkles with virtuosity and the dexterity with which he brings out the lines of counterpoint on instruments without pedals is impressive. Witness the tortuous lines of the Capriccio cromatico by Tarquinio Merula, or the delightfully rhythmic chuffing of the Vincenzo Pellegrini Canzona iLa Serpentinai. These pieces of technical panache contrast with moments of serenity and contemplation as found for example in the Frescobaldi Toccata per liElevatione, a central point of the Roman Mass that was often accompanied by ethereal music. It can be argued that the programme is not as varied as it could be, and indeed the very bright, almost strident sound of the organs becomes wearing after a while. On the other hand there is detail in the execution, which provides new facets on repeat visits, even if the repertoire is fairly limited in its variety of styles. It must be borne in mind, of course, that southern European organ building and playing in the 17th century developed along completely independent lines to, and for different functions from, that of the better known North European schools represented by Sweelinck or Buxtehude, and which lead ultimately to Bach. However, certain crossing points do emerge; variations on popular tunes being one. Frescobaldiis Partite undecima sopra liAria di Monicha bears immediate comparison with the Ballo del Gran Duca of Sweelinck and shows no less a level of invention. The instruments on which Tachezi plays are presumably examples of 16th century organ building, but the accompanying notes to the disc are scant in information about the instruments, to say the least. In fact they are only named in the tiniest of letters on the back of the CD case. This is a distinct oversight, particularly given that the information about the composers that is given in the body of the booklet is hardly detailed or useful in understanding the music. As a recital disc of early, southern European organ music, there is much to admire in Tacheziis performance, and at Apexis super-budget price this disc can be considered good value. For the general purpose listener, however, there is a lack of variety of sound and given that many listeners expect something of the sense of grandeur in their organ music, this somewhat variety-lacking collection of small-scale pieces is probably more recommendable for fans of Tachezi, or for serious organ music collectors only. (c) 2004 Peter Wells |
