Why Walcha isn't that boring...

[bux]

THEBach legend must be Helmut Walcha, the blind organist from Leipzig. I've said that many times and over and over again people says: He is quite boring and oldfashioned.

But you can't get more clear and polyphonic Bach playing than with Walcha...

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[danwebre]

"He is quite boring and oldfashioned."



Name one person from that generation who isn't now considered
old-fashioned. When he started out everyone was playing Bach like
Straube or Schweitzer or Dupre. I think he can be boring
sometimes and I don't like all the works played by him but he is still
interesting today.

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[MusingMuso]

Let's not forget Chapuis also!

Karl Richter was pretty impressive too.

MM

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[danwebre]

But some people consider Richter old-fashioned even though he was much
younger. I would consider Chapuis and Alain in the next
generation, considering they are still alive and playing (at Least
Alain is) and Walcha died in the '70's.



Marchal is a good exception but unfortunately very few of his
recordings are available today- I have a recording of him playing
Bach's Toccata, Adagio & Fugue on a tiny organ way back in the
30's. I've also heard Joseph Bonnet playing De Grigny, Marchand
and Attaingnant in 1936 which still sounds pretty good by today's
standards. I think they both used the same organ at the Salon
Gouin.

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[danwebre]

I've only come across two CDs, one is a 5 CD set from EMI called
"Orgues et Organistes..." and one of private recordings. I think
the Bach pieces are actually on both CDs. Even if there have been
CDs released of Marchal, Walcha now has 20+ widely available (2 Bach
sets) and the WTC and Goldberg Variations on harpsichord.



Any of Marchal at St. Eustache? I heard he could work wonders with that acoustic.

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