Almost everybody who's ever been through a Halloween funhouse knows Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565, but good, budget-priced collections of Bach's greatest hits for the organ have not been overly common. This one, by French organist Michel Chapuis, will fill the bill; Chapuis is a pedagogue and investigator of a sterling reputation who has traversed all of Bach's organ music over 14 CDs (if you find that this one really rings your bell). These recordings were made in the 1970s and 1980s. The issues of "historical performance" are slightly different for the organ than for stringed instruments and ensembles, but Chapuis' interpretations have the strengths of the movement that was beginning to take shape during those years. In line with the fact that Bach himself, and surely the other organists who played his music, used an instrument smaller than the behemoths that have come down to us from the centuries between Bach's time and our own, Chapuis cultivates a lighter tone. (There is no information as to where the individual recordings were made, and very little explication of the music of any kind in the packaging, but that's just as well -- commuters will be part of the market for this disc, and they have enough distractions.) If you are looking for an organ CD that you can put on a powerful stereo and make your building shake, this one won't do the trick. But sample the mighty toccata and fugue at the beginning. Chapuis, without sacrificing any of the work's power, breaks the little answering flourishes out into little cells and treats them freely; he makes the listener understand how it might have felt to hear Bach improvise at the keyboard. The various chorale settings chisel out the small details of the harmonies accompanying the main chorale tune in a very pleasing way, and the program is nicely balanced between chorales and pairs consisting of a quasi-improvisatory piece and a fugue. The original recordings were apparently of high quality sonically and have survived the transfer to CD without degradation.
Are you shipping to an Australian address? Are you spending more than $50? Well the good news is that your shipping is on us! For domestic orders over $50, just complete the checkout and your regular shipping will be included at no extra cost!
So that we can offer you fantastic discounts and a huge range, we quote a delivery time frame for Australian sales of 4 - 8 BUSINESS DAYS after your payment has cleared. This includes our handling time and Australia Post shipping time. We do not estimate a delivery time for international sales, which are sent by regular AirMail.
The options for local postage methods are:
Regular Post (This does not include any kind of tracking)
Receipted Delivery (This includes limited tracking and requires a signature on delivery, but does not contain insurance)
Registered Post (This includes full tracking and insurance and also requires a signature on delivery)
You'll receive an email once your order has shipped from our Adelaide warehouse. To avoid unnecessary delays, make sure your shipping address details are correct when you check out!
In line with our ongoing commitment to maintaining the highest standards, we only deal with suppliers that supply reliable and trusted products. However if your item is faulty please note that we offer a 7 Day return policy and will kindly accept items that are returned to us within this time. Whilst we do not offer a refund unless the item is significantly not as described, we will happily exchange your item for the same product. To take advantage of our return policy, please contact us at online@themuses.com.au within 7 days of receiving your order.
Please note if buying a DVD or Blu-ray we strongly suggest all customers check the region code of their item to ensure that it will play in their country, as we are unfortunately unable to offer a refund where the listing is correct.
Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and for compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure.