Power Biggs
GREATEST Interpreter of J.S. Bach’s organ music: who is/are your choice(s)?
Mine is one which some of you may not be familiar with: E. Power Biggs.
Dictionary: an anglo-american organist; 1906-1977. Studied, trained in England, emigrated to America in 1930.
I’ve never heard him perform live, so can only make a judgement from his recordings.
But these possess an unbelieveable degree of integrity, and yet have a very profound emotional depth to them.
Perhaps not as technically brilliant nor flamboyant like say, Virgil Fox; but his renditions always leaves you with a feeling of deep satisfaction, for lack of a better word.
What’s your opinion, your choice(s)?
Alberich
Weird: E. P. Biggs and M-C Alain both came to mind immediately … and they seem to be the popular choice.
As an FYI Biggs was promoting a return to historic instruments trying to squelch America’s love-affair with rediciously large romantic and symphonic organs around the same time Fox was taking his Rodgers (and later Allen) electronic organs on tour to bring organ music to the great unwashed masses at the Fillmore East and West and other places like that. I could never stand the fact that Fox always referred to J.S. Bach as “Sebastian Bach.” Biggs often got criticized for placing smaller historically accurate (read non-equal temperament) instruments at universities.
Certainly, Felix Hell is noteworthy … I think he’s the man to take Biggs seat for this generation (whereas I see Cameron Carpenter as the up-and-coming V. Fox, flamboyant and all.)
I’ll add George Ritchie for having an eleven CD set of the complete organ works. Very nice, very nice indeed.
Todd Wilson is high on my list of accomplished organists, but I don’t know how much Bach he’s done. In A Quiet Cathedral is perhaps my favorite organ CD (Aeolian Skinner, St.Philip’s Cathedral, Atlanta, GA)
Hans Fagius (Leufsta Bruk Church, Sweden)
Piet Kee (Hinsz-orgel, St. Bavo, Haarlem, Holland)
Jean Cocteau (A. Cavaillé-Coll organ, Notre Dame de Paris)
… but I think I’m getting more to the point of individual organs and their sound rather than the performance itself.
There are some wonderful Austin, E & G.G. Hook, Flentrop, Casavant, Kimball, Skinner, and so many more organs around that each have a unique sound … couple that with the right organist and there’s magic!
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I’ll add Leopold Stokowski’s orchestral transcriptions as high on my list of listenable versions as well.
E. Power Biggs – Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor
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