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Description:
Glorious. Splendid. Awe-inspiring. How else to describe the experience of hearing J.S. Bach's greatest organ music, played by a virtuoso on an instrument that's nearly 300 years old and then delivered via state-of-the-art digital audio? Playing the Trost Organ in Waltershausen, Germany, Hans-André Stamm makes his way through nine different pieces, from thunderous fugues (including the familiar Toccata and Fugue in D Minor) to stately hymns and delicate pastorales. The 80-minute program is impressive, as are the bonus DVD features that accompany it. Among the latter are a bio of the organist; a timeline tracing political, cultural, and biographical events in Bach's world during the early 18th century; "Thuringia Impression," an extra musical selection set to filmed scenes of the green, rolling, German countryside; and an extensive "liner notes" section with notes on the compositions, a description of the organ (it has 2,806 pipes and was reputedly played by Bach himself), and display options for viewing titles, harmonic analysis of the music, or details of the organ's many stops and registrations (i.e., levers and knobs used to achieve its wondrous sounds). If there's one flaw, it's the surfeit of close-ups on Stamm's hands and feet as he works the keys and pedals (not to mention the odd angles on his face as he studies the music), and the relative lack of longer, wider shots of the magnificent organ and the church in which it's located. On the other hand, one can simply turn off the picture and use the disc like an audio CD, and the power and majesty of Bach's genius will still come through loud and clear. --Sam Graham
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