XAVER VARNUS PLAYS BACH'S TOCCATA & FUGUE IN THE BERLINER DOM

แชร์
ฝัง
  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 พ.ย. 2024
  • •●The Official Video Site of Concert Organist Xaver Varnus●•
    Xaver Varnus plays Toccata and Fugue in D minor (edited by Mendelssohn) on the great Sauer Organ of the Berliner Dom. Recorded live on the Opening Night of the "Berliner Internationaler Orgelsommer 2013".
    At the time of its dedication in 1905, the great Sauer Organ of the Berliner Dom was the largest in Germany, with its 7269 pipes and 113 registers, distributed across four manuals and pedals. The court organ builder Wilhelm Sauer, from Frankfurt on the Oder, created an instrument that embodied the newest technical and musical developments of German organ building at the time. In that way, the organ met the high expectations of both the organ builder and his client: in the Protestant Cathedral of the capital city, there was to be a monumental, modern, and in every way extraordinary instrument of the highest quality. The organ of the Cathedral of Berlin represents the highpoint of Sauer’s career. At the same time, it marks the end of the long development of Romantic orchestral organs, whose sound corresponds to the characteristic sound of a symphonic orchestra of that period. Today, the organ in the Cathedral of Berlin is the largest late-Romantic pneumatic action organ in the world that has survived in its original condition.
    •●The Official Video Site of Concert Organist Xaver Varnus●•
    Xaver Varnus' first piano teacher was Emma Németh, one of the last pupils of Debussy. He has played virtually every important organ in the world, including those in Bach's Thomaskirche in Leipzig (2014), Berliner Dom (2013), Notre-Dame (1981), Saint-Sulpice (2006) and Saint-Eustache (1996) in Paris, National Shrine in Washington, D.C. (1985), and Canterbury Cathedral (2004), as well as the largest existing instrument in the world, the Wanamaker Organ in Philadelphia (1985). His Quadruple Platinum Disc winning album "From Ravel to Vangelis" (SONY, 2007), is the best-selling organ CD ever. As a Canadian citizen, Xaver Varnus resides in Berlin, and in Brooklyn, Nova Scotia Peninsula, where he opened Varnus Hall in a 19th century church. "Put simply, Varnus is a monster talent, every bit as stimulating and individual as the late Glenn Gould" (The Globe & Mail, Canada's National Newspaper). "He is one of the most influential figure in organ music in the early twenty-first century." (Mark Wigmore, The New Classical FM, Canada).
    Booking & Enquiries:
    xavervarnus@hotmail.com

ความคิดเห็น • 15K

  • @TheScoobyMix1
    @TheScoobyMix1 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3875

    300 year old Heavy Metal. Bach was way ahead of the time.

    • @ciderman1950
      @ciderman1950 4 ปีที่แล้ว +87

      Prog rock at it's best.

    • @trevorjameson3213
      @trevorjameson3213 4 ปีที่แล้ว +182

      Oh yeah, Bach was centuries ahead of his time. In this piece alone, you can hear elements of just about every style of modern music composed and played today, including hard rock and metal. But that is because nearly all modern music takes elements from Bach’s compositions, especially this one.

    • @pigpotty
      @pigpotty 4 ปีที่แล้ว +93

      Trevor Jameson yea when I hear mumble rap I’m like “ooh he borrowed from Toccata & Fugue right there”

    • @matthewgloberman3682
      @matthewgloberman3682 4 ปีที่แล้ว +89

      WorstPianist , you would be incredibly surprised by how classically melodic some metal really is.

    • @matthewgloberman3682
      @matthewgloberman3682 4 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      @@worstpianist3985 , check out Fleshgod Apocalypse's album Agony.

  • @Ladco77
    @Ladco77 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6943

    It's nice to see an organist who understands they are not only playing the organ, but the entire building. His timing as the sound decays across the auditorium is impeccable.

    • @verumpraevaleat8177
      @verumpraevaleat8177 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      oh how true. thats what these buildings were built for...resonance and frequency control. The church stole these buildings and repurposed them.

    • @mobuildsstuff
      @mobuildsstuff 2 ปีที่แล้ว +323

      underrated observation. kudos for noticing

    • @gerardomoreno6704
      @gerardomoreno6704 2 ปีที่แล้ว +145

      His timing is perfect.

    • @moriscoley5328
      @moriscoley5328 2 ปีที่แล้ว +98

      Which adds amazing value to the piece of music and volumes to the audience listening 🎶 in TOTAL, ahh!!! Thank you,

    • @aldito7586
      @aldito7586 2 ปีที่แล้ว +40

      Very well stated !

  • @RandomDuude
    @RandomDuude 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6923

    "I play a guitar"
    "I PLAY A BUILDING"

    • @trkk7047
      @trkk7047 4 ปีที่แล้ว +100

      i play your mother

    • @edmardisla8492
      @edmardisla8492 4 ปีที่แล้ว +231

      @@trkk7047 you played yourself.

    • @richardclay
      @richardclay 4 ปีที่แล้ว +91

      That is easily the funniest comment I've ever seen on this thing! Thanks for the laugh.

    • @tampawoodworks280
      @tampawoodworks280 4 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      🤣🤣🤣🤣

    • @poblanomanu2b
      @poblanomanu2b 4 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      ... biggest LOL this month ... !

  • @muppit666
    @muppit666 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1039

    We were working in Rochester Cathedral during the renovation of their organ, and on completion of the renovation, I asked the head organist to play me a request. We don’t play roll over Beethoven in the cathedral he said. But when I said wanted Bachs Toccata and Fugue in D minor he looked a bit shocked. (I’m a 6’3” long haired biker). The following day we were up on the scaffold working away when that very distinct intro started and I quickly told the lads to stop what they were doing and listen. It was definitely a hair on the back of the neck and arms raising moment. Sounded brilliant and even the lads working with me had to agree that it was pretty good. A wonderful memory of what is one of my favourite tunes of all time.

    • @alicekuhnigk373
      @alicekuhnigk373 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +30

      Was eine tolle Geschichte

    • @rogerwalter7097
      @rogerwalter7097 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +11

      Great Job. Thx

    • @miguelcastaneda7257
      @miguelcastaneda7257 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +19

      Very lucky you and them are one of lucky few to hear...feel and even the air of this being played and likewise scooter tramp and enjoyed playing rock but as child I learned classical music I wish I could have mastered this

    • @judyjohnson9610
      @judyjohnson9610 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      There's an interesting version done by a group on electric guitar. th-cam.com/video/wqgQ7IYhvRg/w-d-xo.html

    • @oj3888
      @oj3888 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +20

      I was lucky enough to go to The King's School in Gloucester as a boy, and lucky enough to hear this played on the organ in Gloucester cathedral. I swear you can't hear the low notes, only feel them.

  • @ImpendingJoker
    @ImpendingJoker 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10531

    Let us take a moment to recognize that this beast of an organist not only played the whole thing flawlessly but he did so, without sheet music in front of him. Press 'X' to pay respects.

  • @pas5294
    @pas5294 5 ปีที่แล้ว +13878

    I wanna buy a castle in the middle of nowhere and play this tune while its thundering outside

    • @ambarghosh7433
      @ambarghosh7433 5 ปีที่แล้ว +474

      Full on Addams family vibes bro.

    • @desertfox2403
      @desertfox2403 5 ปีที่แล้ว +454

      I always imagined doing that but building a castle in some remote part of Alaska. Play it during a snow storm with the windows open. FILL THE STORM WITH THE MUSIC!

    • @eringray1176
      @eringray1176 5 ปีที่แล้ว +67

      Straight up

    • @roberthaney4106
      @roberthaney4106 5 ปีที่แล้ว +61

      Amen

    • @LXIXXX
      @LXIXXX 5 ปีที่แล้ว +573

      While laughing maniacally.

  • @mongo6043
    @mongo6043 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3690

    Can't imagine how wonderful it must have been to sit in that Cathedral and literally "FEEL" the music wash over you!

    • @lena-mariaglouis-charles7036
      @lena-mariaglouis-charles7036 4 ปีที่แล้ว +101

      It doesn't only "wash over You", it pulsates right THROUGH You, too... and THAT is a most amazing and incredible experience...
      💙💛🌹💜🍎🇺🇸

    • @ReaperChild79
      @ReaperChild79 4 ปีที่แล้ว +50

      That's the reason I sit by speakers at concerts. If my pulse isn't the song, it's too quiet.

    • @lena-mariaglouis-charles7036
      @lena-mariaglouis-charles7036 4 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      @@ReaperChild79
      💕
      Yet, I dare say that sitting/standing next to the speakers (while at a concert at an outdoor venue...) is the next, best thing...
      Being up close to the stage (at an indoor concert...) or sitting/standing at ANY PLACE in a cathedral, brings You the ULTIMATE ear and body experience... The people that built the European cathedrals (and organs...) all those centuries ago, certainly knew their craft...
      (...and I feel truly Blessed to have had the ultimate experience on so many occasions...)
      💙💛🌹💜🍎🇺🇸

    • @janiv3987
      @janiv3987 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      You should try wearable bass like Subpack M2

    • @unorthodox5171
      @unorthodox5171 4 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      You will be converted.

  • @McCaileanMcNaughty
    @McCaileanMcNaughty 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +380

    You know a piece is played so good when:
    - Goosebumps
    - Wet eyes
    - Big smile

    • @CitizenAyellowblue
      @CitizenAyellowblue 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +11

      Well said! My reactions exactly.

    • @timeno1763
      @timeno1763 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

      And the foundations of the Earth resonate to the core.
      🎼🎵🎶🎹🔊🔊🔊🌐

    • @michaeltrower741
      @michaeltrower741 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

      ​​@@timeno1763and maybe even the planet stops rotating for a few minutes to catch its breath and pay its respect.

    • @redhedkev1
      @redhedkev1 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      ...and silence...

    • @iangarbutt7451
      @iangarbutt7451 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Seconded with Interest!! 🎶✨️🎵

  • @knutholt3486
    @knutholt3486 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2310

    The organist plays in a way that fully utilizes the resonance in the room. This includes the long pauses which still are filled with sound.

    • @akritithegreat
      @akritithegreat 4 ปีที่แล้ว +79

      Exactly. I loved that too! This shows his understanding of the instrument and the sound it's capable of producing.

    • @VauxhallViva1975
      @VauxhallViva1975 4 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Now do Inna Gadda Da Vida....... ;)
      Joking aside, this performance is excellent. :)

    • @glared
      @glared 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Underrated comment. Absolutely overlooked.

    • @SimonCoates
      @SimonCoates 4 ปีที่แล้ว +32

      So true. The organ and chamber is the whole instrument.

    • @dede4004
      @dede4004 4 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      Absolutely! I love the pauses. The ressonance is so beautiful, and you can hear every note.

  • @killer408cid
    @killer408cid 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1548

    Even in our age of technology, we are awed by this instrument and the sounds that come from it. Now imagine that it is the early 1700's. You are a poor, illiterate subject of an Austrian monarch. You attend a mass at a cathedral that has an organ capable of doing this piece justice. You leave, believing you have literally just witnessed the sounds of God.

    • @juliafehervari4854
      @juliafehervari4854 3 ปีที่แล้ว +71

      What comes close is Gregorian Chants.

    • @johnwiechelman4630
      @johnwiechelman4630 3 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      Better times

    • @talentlesscommenter1329
      @talentlesscommenter1329 3 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      @@johnwiechelman4630 are you aware of how the organ was powered back then?

    • @margaretharypkema9290
      @margaretharypkema9290 3 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      just sit back somewhere, alone... close your eyes.. and the world is a better place..

    • @stepanium
      @stepanium 3 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      I cried a little when I imagined myself as that peasant)

  • @juliomunoz6468
    @juliomunoz6468 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3326

    "He had no notes to read, I have no words to say." (No, I don't mean I'm impressed that he had no sheets, I'm just expressing my awe of his performance!)

    • @TroisLuma
      @TroisLuma 5 ปีที่แล้ว +33

      I was in awe also...

    • @Hoosirdaddy
      @Hoosirdaddy 5 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Thats right

    • @Masterfighterx
      @Masterfighterx 5 ปีที่แล้ว +62

      Memory..

    • @Maxumized
      @Maxumized 5 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Zyx I’d like to spill an open box of matches on the ground next to him

    • @hollohullu9448
      @hollohullu9448 5 ปีที่แล้ว +47

      I mean i wouldn't say it's the amazing that he knows a piece of music by heart

  • @DerClouder
    @DerClouder 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +95

    Church organ is a fatanstic instrument i've had the pleasure to try out once in my life. Such an instrument the size of a house controlled by one human is a marvellous invention. When you sit there and control it, it feels like you can control the entire universe with the soundwaves the massive pipes emits. I am not a man of god, but i attend church occasionally just to hear the organist play.

    • @BeforeTheFIt_Vlogs
      @BeforeTheFIt_Vlogs หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      There is absolutely nothing like a church organ. I got to play one for a brief period of time. I miss it so much.

    • @PaulTippit-kn1fj
      @PaulTippit-kn1fj หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      God made those composers, the inventors and craftsmen who made the intruments the trees and minerals the instruments are made of the generations who paid for the building and intrments and supported the whole cosmic dance so we can sit with the ears He gave us in grateful awe and occasionally a tear in the eye at the shear beauty of it all. God loves us.

    • @nolenm3819
      @nolenm3819 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      the same for me. i'm not religious at all but i do go to church for the organ. i wish i could play. the sound of an organ is divine and soul touching wether it's in a church or a stadium. i do not think my love for the organ will ever die

    • @GuidoBatt
      @GuidoBatt 25 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

      @@nolenm3819 When you say you're not religious at all, and in the same sentence you say this music is divine and soul touching, you slip a truth that we all are religiuos, one way or another. It's just wired into our brains.

  • @johnnyfin8603
    @johnnyfin8603 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2106

    What instrument do you play?
    - A church

    • @reymichaelsungazornosa4040
      @reymichaelsungazornosa4040 4 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      the pope probably

    • @BillAnt
      @BillAnt 4 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      At 11:25 he's playing a Sig Sauer. ;) They also make high quality guns.

    • @Auberge79
      @Auberge79 4 ปีที่แล้ว +41

      Actually, yes. The way he plays is considering all the echoes and acoustics of the church itself.
      Great performance! Simply amazing.

    • @alexpearson8481
      @alexpearson8481 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Ok. That’s funny. Where do you guys dream up these funny comments?

    • @Auberge79
      @Auberge79 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@alexpearson8481 just out of mind :-)

  • @macDaddy1118
    @macDaddy1118 ปีที่แล้ว +1673

    You dont even clap after hearing something like this in person. You just sit and thank god that your alive to hear and feel something so grand and majestic

    • @pnotuner1
      @pnotuner1 ปีที่แล้ว +67

      Well J.S. Bach dedicated every song he wrote to the glory of God.

    • @johnbaggus9966
      @johnbaggus9966 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      Superb comment 👋

    • @CORYJOHNM
      @CORYJOHNM ปีที่แล้ว +28

      I'm a little more cultured now from that comment.
      I would have stood up and applauded and yelled YEAHH WHOOO!
      But now that I've read this little thread an feel humble.

    • @mariasbarcea4465
      @mariasbarcea4465 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Ce frumos!

    • @andreasadelheidwijgmans728
      @andreasadelheidwijgmans728 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Amazing the performence with hand and feet and a lot more

  • @TheMrFarkle
    @TheMrFarkle 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2399

    Unusually clean and intelligible performance, not the usual "see how rapidly I can play".

    • @nendo4344
      @nendo4344 4 ปีที่แล้ว +188

      TheMrFarkle the difference between showing off and caring about the beauty of the music

    • @herseem
      @herseem 4 ปีที่แล้ว +132

      I completely agree. Slow and majestically gothic, laden with foreboding, works best for this piece, especially with the long revert times.

    • @lorenzoboyd6889
      @lorenzoboyd6889 4 ปีที่แล้ว +50

      Yes! I really appreciate the calm, deliberate phrasing.
      As God intended.

    • @skay9443
      @skay9443 4 ปีที่แล้ว +53

      Very true, but worth considering the performance and the type of instrument. I learnt to play this on a one hundred and fifty-odd year old organ that originally had hand bellows. As my teacher put it, your bellows boys would have rioted had you tried to play that fast and with that many stops out at once. Slow down and enjoy the music and nuance. Seeing as you could hear the mechanical/electrical bellows working hard if you tried to go flat out, I can only imagine how impossible it would have been to keep up with. I still believe you should let the majesty of the music and the organ tell the story, not your technical skill ;)

    • @JanBinnendijk
      @JanBinnendijk 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      I Agree, most "versions" are just over 10 minutes..

  • @erwansilvain2761
    @erwansilvain2761 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +40

    he manages to not only remember toccata but the entire fugue which is very long for a memory only play

  • @ringding1000
    @ringding1000 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1467

    The silence of his pauses are made as important as each note. Truly a masterful rendition

    • @reggielongoria1848
      @reggielongoria1848 5 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Indeed sir.

    • @milztempelrowski9281
      @milztempelrowski9281 5 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      silence is in this case awesome dome-reverb, so yeah definitely

    • @jal5240
      @jal5240 5 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Indeed Sir, you are right. Perfect tempo and pauses !

    • @sethneumeyer1167
      @sethneumeyer1167 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      -Chopin

    • @RedOrm68
      @RedOrm68 5 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      @Aeryn Sun also, the notes before and after transitions would have gotten muddled, if he hadn't. This organist obviously knows the acoustics of the cathedral of Berlin well.

  • @zneufeld
    @zneufeld 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3356

    I am an organist, and this is the only performance of this piece that made me cry. He plays the music as it asks, without any personal ego or flashiness. Amazing.

    • @1988josip
      @1988josip 5 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      You have 1 more version of 19 year old prodigy...which was imho even better

    • @660reliant
      @660reliant 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Have you ever heard disc? th-cam.com/video/fmZMR97cIPY/w-d-xo.html

    • @ghostwreckeriii6074
      @ghostwreckeriii6074 5 ปีที่แล้ว +40

      He played it like a masterpiece should be... In Strenght

    • @демкен
      @демкен 5 ปีที่แล้ว +52

      agree 1000x1000 ... it's a gift to bach (and to us) and not to himself

    • @SheepdogSmokey
      @SheepdogSmokey 5 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      As the piece needs, just music for the beauty of it.

  • @samuelcrandall1180
    @samuelcrandall1180 3 ปีที่แล้ว +868

    Can we just take a minute to appreciate how cool the name "Xaver Varnus" sounds.

    • @Diana-gv1lb
      @Diana-gv1lb 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Gigout toccata
      th-cam.com/video/EFsNwRIt5cg/w-d-xo.html

    • @ZurSacheBitte
      @ZurSacheBitte 3 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      Prof. X. Xaver Varnus... alias Dr. Octavus.

    • @Benginator1
      @Benginator1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Lol yeah, and the music couldn’t be a better fit. It’s almost too perfect

    • @karengraeme6273
      @karengraeme6273 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      He looks like Boris John'son

    • @kevinw.8240
      @kevinw.8240 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Very star warsy name

  • @MuhanuziMpesha
    @MuhanuziMpesha 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +160

    He knows the music intimately. It is in his blood. Brilliant performance. Flawless.

    • @philhand5830
      @philhand5830 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      On the order of Virgil Fox!!!

  • @dutchcanuck7550
    @dutchcanuck7550 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2104

    Love the tempo here. Too many players race through the pieces, like they're renting the organ by the minute.

    • @liberatomirra1130
      @liberatomirra1130 3 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      Grande maestro 👍💪

    • @morpheus6749
      @morpheus6749 3 ปีที่แล้ว +123

      Incidentally, that organ does go for $50 per minute.

    • @Demiurg_D
      @Demiurg_D 3 ปีที่แล้ว +41

      Too slow! Very long pauses.
      He smoked hashish?

    • @BrookieCooki84
      @BrookieCooki84 3 ปีที่แล้ว +73

      @@Demiurg_D Nah. Just right.

    • @spikespa5208
      @spikespa5208 3 ปีที่แล้ว +116

      @@Demiurg_D Toccata done right for that venue. Magnificent echo. He takes full advantage of it.

  • @PVNICVTTVCK
    @PVNICVTTVCK ปีที่แล้ว +1069

    This is probably the most fascinating musical instrument of all time. The amount of keys, buttons, pipes… The sounds that come from it are beautiful, and the reverb from it in the buildings the organs are in… Absolutely brilliant invention. Lovely.

    • @Brasileiro222
      @Brasileiro222 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Just today I had this thought. You wrote what I thought 👍

    • @mustangdude86
      @mustangdude86 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Now try building them 😄

    • @dgphi
      @dgphi ปีที่แล้ว +21

      At one time they were the most complex machines in existence.

    • @j800r_aswell
      @j800r_aswell ปีที่แล้ว

      The buildings are part of the Organ. There are literally pipes everywhere.

    • @danko8983
      @danko8983 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@dgphi yep, until the Space Shuttle and LHC came into place

  • @jimlaguardia8185
    @jimlaguardia8185 5 ปีที่แล้ว +425

    Bach would have been so happy that we, 400 years later, appreciate his magnificent creations. Thank you, Herr Bach.

    • @FoxyBoxery
      @FoxyBoxery 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Dude deserves it tho

    • @JOECANDELA22
      @JOECANDELA22 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      The scary thing is most people don't even know its Bach. They probably think some Hollywood composer created it for the movies. Haunting and powerful.

    • @z3my4l
      @z3my4l 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Yes, exactly. And what about the future, after 400 years into the future, around year 2400, shall they listen to this or ”Oops, I did it again”?

    • @lolmanboss
      @lolmanboss 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Many great musicians came from Austria and germany. and bach is one that will be in history books for as long as humanity exists

    • @richardclay
      @richardclay 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      How much of 21st-century music will be around in 400-years? "0."

  • @Swecan76
    @Swecan76 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +170

    There is no greater instrument ever conceived and built than the pipe organ. Hundreds of pipes, some over 60 feet in length, it's an entire orchestra in one instrument. There is also no greater music than classical music. The complexities and sheer magnificence.

    • @Just_A_Dude
      @Just_A_Dude 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

      Also brought us the phrase "pull out all the stops."
      There truly is no more glorious experience than a proper organ going full tutti.

    • @patbullard9276
      @patbullard9276 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      But do you know Boogie Woogie?

    • @janjohnson9746
      @janjohnson9746 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      The mighty pneumatic synthesizer. First record I ever bought. E.Power Biggs.

    • @marciaspiegel5280
      @marciaspiegel5280 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Agreed.

    • @amzarnacht6710
      @amzarnacht6710 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      They should do the same thing... with clarion bells. The BIG ones. Combine a few dozen of those with japanese drums and a pipe organ to play an entire *city*.

  • @mfiorito5550
    @mfiorito5550 2 ปีที่แล้ว +935

    He lets the notes play out before beginning again. I love this, while many others play this way too fast.

    • @jamesglass5402
      @jamesglass5402 2 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      Yes, it is played far too quickly by so many.

    • @lanceortega1
      @lanceortega1 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      Yes. That way he presents the dignity of this music and therefore, in result, he deserves our respect and our appreciation.

    • @GentleMelodies
      @GentleMelodies ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Да,вы правы! Я посмотрела до этого несколько исполнителей и по первым тактам понимала,это не моё! Как печатная машинка! Звук обрывается сразу же без продолжения! А здесь ноты ЗВУЧАТ и уходят в бесконечность! BRAVO , MAESTRO!!!

    • @Nepafarius
      @Nepafarius ปีที่แล้ว +8

      The melody around 1:40 always sounded off to me in other renditions.
      To hear it slowed down has further made me appreciate the rest of the piece as it was intended

    • @noravanwyk5460
      @noravanwyk5460 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Perfectly agree.

  • @douglasernst9477
    @douglasernst9477 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1628

    For the second time in my life. Finally I have found a precise, beautiful and ( to my ear ) technically correct playing of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. Outstanding presentation. The hours of learning and practice he must have gone through are staggering. To play such an intricate piece by memory is awe inspiring as there was no sheet music in sight. A performance worthy of Bach himself.

    • @charlesroberts3650
      @charlesroberts3650 2 ปีที่แล้ว +52

      I also noticed the no sheet music and marveled.

    • @QuantumRift
      @QuantumRift 2 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      Then you must be talking about E. Power Biggs
      Plays Bach in the Thomaskirche, Columbia Masterworks M30648 (1971)

    • @merdasmerdas80
      @merdasmerdas80 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      @dejuren yes, this. never understood "basic" instrument pieces that people stare the entire time at the sheet... after practicing a song 50, 100 , 200 times, even if its something very hard or very fast with a lot of in between notes, the first 50 times you need the sheet or tab, after that you just know what comes next, what the hands should do next without thinking it...

    • @andrew_ray
      @andrew_ray ปีที่แล้ว +12

      If it's too hard to sightread (and most complex keyboard music is for most musicians), the music won't do you much good anyways. Imagine reading out loud while speaking faster than you can read.

    • @robertalan2427
      @robertalan2427 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      How did this marvelous building survive the War?

  • @brucewayne2184
    @brucewayne2184 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1924

    Some say after he finished playing his masterpiece in the grand hall, he burst into a swarm of bats and vanished, never to be seen again.

    • @anthonym612
      @anthonym612 5 ปีที่แล้ว +56

      Bruce Wayne username checks out.

    • @joenobody571
      @joenobody571 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      😂

    • @alexiachimciuc3199
      @alexiachimciuc3199 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      😛

    • @tangledshoelace4726
      @tangledshoelace4726 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      🦇🦇😁

    • @thomasarussellsr
      @thomasarussellsr 5 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      I'm not saying you're Batman, but I've never seen the two of you in the same room together.
      I guess you needed this organist more than his audience needed another song?

  • @BirkinIdk
    @BirkinIdk 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +87

    MAN I wish I could've been there. How amazing that must've sounded in person.

  • @sfpeter
    @sfpeter ปีที่แล้ว +684

    The natural echo in this cathedral is insane, and masterfully played.

    • @pepsisinalco
      @pepsisinalco ปีที่แล้ว +1

      natural?

    • @ВераЗахарова-ы1й
      @ВераЗахарова-ы1й 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

      Музыка мира и добра и счастья.Пусть закончится война Пусть люди приходят на чужую землю только с подарками.а не с оружием и на танках.Мир в вашей душе

    • @littletweeter1327
      @littletweeter1327 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      @@pepsisinalco yes, natural. this cathedral in berlin is massive.

    • @germanCrowbar
      @germanCrowbar 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      @littletweeter1327
      I don't think he understood what was really meant by that.

    • @SzakacsCsabaLevente18
      @SzakacsCsabaLevente18 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@pepsisinalcoEcho can be altered as per se, though this eco only basses off of the walls in the Cathedral which is the default.

  • @mwh7022
    @mwh7022 3 ปีที่แล้ว +586

    The first organist i have heard that listens to the acoustic delay of the hall in order to continue keys... well done Xaver

    • @jamsauce420
      @jamsauce420 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Fascinating! Didn't notice, so cool

    • @graham2631
      @graham2631 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      I agree there are too many key pounders that don't grasp the concept that the entire building is the instrument. When one does the true potential of the instrument is realised.

    • @MALANGAENHANCED
      @MALANGAENHANCED 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Reverb

    • @mwh7022
      @mwh7022 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@MALANGAENHANCED I refer to DELAY as merely the distinguishing perceptible return of the combination of a multitude of reflections from a single source to a point of listening (PRE-DELAY) resulting in what we overall call reverberation when it is a combination of many attributes. The acoustic sound perceived would possibly appear to differ within a few metres of a particular standing location. Either way, the phenomenon attributed to the sound source and the acoustics in question works pretty well, would you not agree? Also the performance is pretty good too.... :-). Good call to the sound engineer (s).

  • @ParaFoxxen
    @ParaFoxxen ปีที่แล้ว +530

    This man knows and has the smoothness and the understanding of how an organ works - that it’s not just the sound from the pipes but the whole reverberation, reflection of the church itself needs to be respected!

    • @MichaelKingsfordGray
      @MichaelKingsfordGray 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      James Bond knew how an organ worked.

    • @tjguzik
      @tjguzik 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      he is a craftsman, not an artist
      has instructions and follows these instructions, without going beyond what was written
      his expression does not show any feelings - he knows his profession and does it
      the only thing he is good at is acting - but there is no spark in him...
      I have seen and heard many toccata and fugue performances - this one is correct according to the notation, the sound is good - but it lacks one, most important thing - the feeling...
      organs are very sensitive to feelings, if you don't show them to them - they will only be a tool, not an instrument

    • @ncard00
      @ncard00 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      I really don't like this piece not staying in minor the whole way through, or at least a minor sound, and I really don't like this piece in general, it's all over the place, and doesn't have a reocurring melody that you can remember and sing afterwards.

    • @Ale55andr082
      @Ale55andr082 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      ​@@tjguzik it lacks one, most important thing - the feeling...
      speak on your behalf, thanks.

    • @tjguzik
      @tjguzik 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@Ale55andr082 Did I hurt someone's feelings?
      and since when do feelings become corporeal and bleed?
      If your feelings are bleeding, see a psychiatrist because you have serious mental problems
      I said what I thought - and I don't give a damn about your political correctness - I'm telling the truth as it is - not sweet words: ""how beautiful it is, what a great game""
      he doesn't play great, he's an asshole and not a musician, my 15-year-old son can do better
      and now take me to court - but your political correctness doesn't work in my country...

  • @diras2010
    @diras2010 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +189

    This masterpiece is meant to be played like that, taking in account the reverberation and acoustics of the place, every pause meant to make the notes be "felt" by the audience, rather than only listening to it, the tempo was superb, and indeed as someone else said, a masterpiece of this caliber, you just don't applaud like a fool at the end, you let the music fill you, shake you to the core, you experience it, and be be glad to the God Almighty who put Bach in this terrenal place to giving us a glimpse of the greatness that humanity can achieve

    • @Patracat
      @Patracat 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +13

      Beautiful post, you said it all. Thank you❤

    • @davescott93
      @davescott93 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

      Excellently put

    • @vampyros1
      @vampyros1 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      A horrid, boring piece of cacophony by Bach... played well, but so what.

  • @twasbrillig33
    @twasbrillig33 4 ปีที่แล้ว +844

    the engineers who designed fashioned wired and constructed this instrument deserve as much credit as this amazing musician.

    • @bigunone
      @bigunone 4 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      Since it is a pipe organ I'm not sure how much wiring would be involved

    • @woofpuppy
      @woofpuppy 4 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      @@bigunone its been "fully resored" according to wikipedia. It may well be completely digitized except for the actual wind.

    • @Dave5843-d9m
      @Dave5843-d9m 4 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      The thread notes say it’s a pneumatic action organ.

    • @kevbravo1
      @kevbravo1 4 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      You are right. Yeah the driver won the race, but he did it with the crew who built him a car to do so.

    • @prblakeslee
      @prblakeslee 4 ปีที่แล้ว +37

      @@bigunone Every single key is a SPST switch which is WIRED to a coil of WIRE which pulls a light steel reed valve, which opens allowing air to flow into a small bellows, which pulls a much larger valve mechanism that allows pressurized are to flow into a specific pipe. The wiring harnesses are huge just for a single pike rank. This organ had two-dozen+?

  • @sonopro1
    @sonopro1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +688

    Let it breathe, let it breathe. This organist respects the instrument in its acoustic environment, which has always been an integral part of the instrument, as it is supposed to be.
    And most importantly, let the Master J.S. Bach breathe. Wonderful ! Wonderful !

    • @mariaasunciongrandes1940
      @mariaasunciongrandes1940 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Excelente interpretacion...
      Imponente templo.

    • @mogwai2884
      @mogwai2884 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I have no understanding of pipe music, but some how understand that you have to let tubes breathe. i.e escaspe of air and new input of air. Amazing.

    • @EwicoCylinder
      @EwicoCylinder 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@mogwai2884 An Organ Pipe does take to speak much longer than a piano string and also as it bigger it get's with the base pipes (up to 9 Meters), the longer they will take to speak. So for that an organ should be always played with much slower tempi than a piano and a great Organ Master (like Varnus) takes use of it and also respects it acustically.

    • @ИвановИван-р5у6г
      @ИвановИван-р5у6г 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Создать такой инструмент!!!!и создать такую музыку!!!!!!

    • @maj-lenaskagerlund3118
      @maj-lenaskagerlund3118 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Well said. As a professional organist I agree with every word.
      You have to work w i t h the acoustics -, not a g a i n s t it !

  • @stormybear4986
    @stormybear4986 4 ปีที่แล้ว +639

    As a classical pianist I have the greatest admiration for someone who can play 4-part counterpoint a la JS Bach with both hands and both feet simultaneously.

    • @randombeats8452
      @randombeats8452 4 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      And no music sheet apparently

    • @looseele
      @looseele 4 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      As a drummer, we call that “limb independence”. When you fall into an independent syncopation it makes it sound like you have eight arms.

    • @Shaden0040
      @Shaden0040 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Also note he is playing it without SHEET MUSIC!

    • @stormybear4986
      @stormybear4986 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @Andy MacKay Clearly Xaver has a great natural talent, but I'm sure he would agree that greater still was the phenomenal mind that composed this masterwork.

    • @nerysghemor5781
      @nerysghemor5781 4 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      What is even more amazing to me about Bach’s music is how it’s not just a melody on top of some chords: I can see two or more melodies running independently and weaving in and out of each other yet complementing each other so well! It’s like the chords just *happen* out of those concurrent melodies.
      I can almost always tell new Bach music I have never heard before, by seeing all those independent melodies working together. I never see it to THAT degree with Handel or other composers of his time.
      I have synesthesia, which makes it VERY difficult for me to master sheet music. Is what I am seeing the counterpoint I always hear so much about with Bach?

  • @samworlock1987
    @samworlock1987 25 วันที่ผ่านมา +17

    The silence between notes is so much more important than people think and this guy nailed that

  • @danad4930
    @danad4930 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1994

    Best performance of this Bach piece I’ve heard in my long life. What pushes it over the top is Xavier’s awareness of the acoustical environment of the church and allowing the reverberations to play out before continuing. Totally brilliant!

    • @MrStevemyname
      @MrStevemyname 3 ปีที่แล้ว +42

      I 100 percent agree.... I couldn't work out why it sounded so good! Totally brilliant!

    • @Jc-m1a1
      @Jc-m1a1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +39

      spot on he reads the room literally

    • @torqueperformancemot
      @torqueperformancemot 3 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      Sounds absolutely brilliant

    • @amigodaverdade4448
      @amigodaverdade4448 3 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      Right! But his name is XAVER, not 'Xavier'.

    • @mauriziosorelli9566
      @mauriziosorelli9566 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      And this work is not by Bach. See Wikipedia

  • @bobkonradi1027
    @bobkonradi1027 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1111

    All serious pipe organists should be required to watch this video several, many times. There are "mechanics" and there are "artists" sitting at the keyboards, and 99% of them play this piece as though they are "mechanics." They follow the notes, but they just play one note after the other. Xaver Varnus is a Grade A artist. He interjects pauses at strategic intervals. He allows the venue's acoustics to participate in the presentation. He individualizes Bach as I've never heard anyone do it before.

    • @luisdonayrespillpe777
      @luisdonayrespillpe777 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      De acuerdo,ese sonido entre celestial y tenebroso

    • @Crogon
      @Crogon 2 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      I believe that that's called adding character to the piece. Actually, I recall that there's another orchestral term for it, but I can't quite recall it.

    • @amarissimus29
      @amarissimus29 2 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      @@Crogon Voicing.

    • @lisbethbird8268
      @lisbethbird8268 2 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      Phrasing is everything

    • @delihusnu278
      @delihusnu278 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Valley of the Wolves th-cam.com/video/hQ6Xneni4nk/w-d-xo.html

  • @Shaden0040
    @Shaden0040 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1003

    NOTE: No sheet music this guy is playing this from memory. Impressive.

    • @stormybear4986
      @stormybear4986 4 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      Agreed! The mark of a true professional.

    • @user-dk5kj5dv9x
      @user-dk5kj5dv9x 4 ปีที่แล้ว +81

      its muscle memory lol, once you play it alot and you feel a lot of interest in playing it, you will instantly play it even without looking at the notes.

    • @jmh1189
      @jmh1189 4 ปีที่แล้ว +75

      most musicians play from memory.

    • @theokleynhans5969
      @theokleynhans5969 4 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      @@user-dk5kj5dv9x True, but there is much more than muscle memory...

    • @user-dk5kj5dv9x
      @user-dk5kj5dv9x 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@theokleynhans5969 i agree.

  • @bwmcelya
    @bwmcelya 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +63

    The “Fugue” is the greatest piece of organ music ever written. Varnus plays it exceptionally well. Thanks to whomever recorded this.

  • @DarthBane22
    @DarthBane22 ปีที่แล้ว +575

    Thank you for taking your time to let the organ breath. So many artists just rush through this piece.

    • @trainliker100
      @trainliker100 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      A little bit into the piece I was thinking he did some things too slow and had excessive pauses. And then I started to figure out what he was doing considering the acoustics he was dealing with.

    • @sibtainhaider2411
      @sibtainhaider2411 ปีที่แล้ว +34

      ​@@trainliker100The pause seem longer in recording. But when you are in that hall, the continuous flow is Mind Blowing.

    • @trainliker100
      @trainliker100 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      @@sibtainhaider2411 Yes. That's what I figured out at some point. I have been in a large venue with a pipe organ and have never heard a recording really capture the experience. Combine that with tiny tinny little speakers in a computer monitor and the sound is worse yet. Somehow, I think our brains make up for some of the shortcomings of the actual sound from crummy speakers because we know what things are supposed to sound like from experience. And our brain improves upon the limitations of a very limited "sound" system.

    • @carmenlegorretag.9997
      @carmenlegorretag.9997 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      I like it.

    • @robertosusa672
      @robertosusa672 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Super performance

  • @marktrader490
    @marktrader490 3 ปีที่แล้ว +888

    Before they built walls of amplifiers they just sat the audience INSIDE the instrument.

    • @antoniofuller2331
      @antoniofuller2331 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I likey

    • @tomg1066
      @tomg1066 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      One Word... Epic!

    • @izziebon
      @izziebon 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      The echo is part of the music; no hurry!

    • @technofeeling2462
      @technofeeling2462 3 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      Now I understand. The dom is the Instrument and the organ is just part of it

    • @andrewbarrett1537
      @andrewbarrett1537 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Exactly, because most pipe organs rely upon the room acoustics to help the tone 'bloom'. A great organ can be installed in a bad building (or a good building with bad ideas for installation, which sometimes can be redone and the result improved) and not sound so great; also, an organ considered not-that-great, but with careful attention paid in restoration to voicing, blend etc etc can be sensitively installed in a good building (or in an average building but with careful attention paid to acoustics and installation to make it *work* in that building), and the end result turn out much better than anyone might expect.

  • @Txepsiyu
    @Txepsiyu 5 ปีที่แล้ว +458

    A pop organist this man isn't. The notes came when they were ready, not in a flashy rush. Brilliantly played.

    • @edmardisla8492
      @edmardisla8492 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Ok, Yoda.

    • @ChevronQ
      @ChevronQ 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I haven't heard it said that beautifully before! "The notes came when they were ready" . You just made me smile 😌

    • @guscox9651
      @guscox9651 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@edmardisla8492 LOL Imma yoink that joke

    • @guscox9651
      @guscox9651 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I don't think his touch was great but his timing and patience was really good

    • @bigredmatt1011
      @bigredmatt1011 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      He’s not doing this for himself. He’s honoring the instrument, the room, and the composer.

  • @eyhussain
    @eyhussain 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +48

    This performance undoes the damage that pop culture has inflicted upon this piece. This work is pure poetry and this organist speaks Bach's poetry like a master poet. This is how the piece is supposed to sound. I've been listening to this over and over again. It's so well played.

  • @fcooett
    @fcooett 2 ปีที่แล้ว +320

    Varnus is a master. He's been playing for 300 years, hidding in the shadows, feeding on virgins blood.

    • @austonsmith536
      @austonsmith536 2 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      Thank you!!! I thought I was the only one that noticed this!!! Good eye!

    • @CarlosOrdonez-hz1lt
      @CarlosOrdonez-hz1lt 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Outstanding comment.

    • @gabaghoul23
      @gabaghoul23 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      in new orleans of coarse, because we all know the REALL vamps are in the bourbon street area, which is why you DONT go down those corridors between bars in the quarter

    • @lynettegill14
      @lynettegill14 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I get an Edward Scissorhands vibe! Joking apart his playing is stunning. Just beautiful. 💗

    • @timmym9149
      @timmym9149 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Probably tutored by The Master himself….🤓

  • @jamesmarch9570
    @jamesmarch9570 2 ปีที่แล้ว +885

    I love the way he makes the notes finish in the pipes before moving on to another part. A LOT of pipe organists don't do this. When so, it sounds so garbled up. Lower notes take longer to go through pipes than higher notes do. Notice when he went through the high notes, he breezed right through them. But the lower notes, he recognized he had to slow down, and Bach knew this, as this was meant for a pipe organ back in the 1600's, and still make the illusion that this was still an adagio fugue

    • @AndrewBlucher
      @AndrewBlucher 2 ปีที่แล้ว +46

      Hi James. I think you are referring to the Decay Rate of the room the organ is in. The decay rate of cathedrals is why music written for them is so slow. Not only does the organ sound great, the voices sound amplified by the reverberation.
      Enjoy.
      This is my favourite Bach piece.

    • @jamesmarch9570
      @jamesmarch9570 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      @@AndrewBlucher Hey, thank you! I couldn't remember the name of the process!

    • @moriscoley5328
      @moriscoley5328 2 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      Because he's a master of his instrument and has been doing it and doing it for years. I am sure that Bach is smiling from the Heavens in the way that this man plays His majestic tune ✨️ ❤️. 🙏

    • @rickkoehnlein4629
      @rickkoehnlein4629 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Great

    • @aldito7586
      @aldito7586 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      You speak something very true. The lower notes should always be spoken a little more slowly and just a little more softly to make the song sound a little better.

  • @steak7654321
    @steak7654321 5 ปีที่แล้ว +914

    I was in that church during midnight mass on Christmas eve. That organ hits you right in the chest. What an experience

    • @grenpier
      @grenpier 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Adam Smith awesome !!

    • @harryareola3656
      @harryareola3656 5 ปีที่แล้ว +57

      That's why it's called an organ, it's healing your organs.

    • @antoniorios8284
      @antoniorios8284 5 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      16hz of organ power!!!!!!!

    • @LargeMuscularTitties
      @LargeMuscularTitties 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      This really doesnt give off a very churchy Christmas vibe if I'm honest

    • @simonbertsch2571
      @simonbertsch2571 5 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      @@LargeMuscularTitties he really meant he was in his hilltop castle on halloween and he got a wooden stake in the chest

  • @TheMrFarkle
    @TheMrFarkle 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +26

    From what I've read, this performance may well be as Bach intended it be played, with clarity of every note. Bach was a master performer.

  • @Vugen18
    @Vugen18 2 ปีที่แล้ว +380

    Truly a master who understands that sound comes from the silence between notes.

    • @boldisorstefan9020
      @boldisorstefan9020 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Not the sound, but the music!

    • @smashdiz
      @smashdiz ปีที่แล้ว +6

      This exactly I’m down a rabbit hole wanting to listen to this song but all others play it to fast, it’s the stuff in between, it’s the drama,it’s the feeling.

    • @josephwood499
      @josephwood499 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I heard once a musician saying that silence is also part of music. So true

  • @TheHeartlessAlchemist
    @TheHeartlessAlchemist ปีที่แล้ว +375

    Bach has died 273 years ago, but he was such an amazing genius that the music he composed is still remembered and revered to this day. And Xaver is such an incredible organ player. His interpretation of Toccata & Fugue is absolutely beautiful and awe inspiring. I love classic music!

    • @TheTrueAdept
      @TheTrueAdept ปีที่แล้ว +16

      Funnily enough, the only reason that J.S. Bach is even known is because of one of his fans who went around Europe, finding every Bach piece he could find...
      ... and he still didn't find all of them.

    • @ClarenceCochran-ne7du
      @ClarenceCochran-ne7du 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +11

      If it hadn't of been for Felix Mendelssohn, Bach's masterpieces would likely have languished ina dusty conservatory cabinet. He single handedly started the Bach Revival in 1829 with a masterful performance of Bach's Passion According To St. Matthew. It received such critical claim, that it started a movement which has continued to this day.
      Thank you Lord for Maestro's Bach and Mendelssohn.

    • @spmoran4703
      @spmoran4703 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      ​@@ClarenceCochran-ne7duLet's face it , they are both genius

    • @DjMicr0dot
      @DjMicr0dot 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      i thought tocatta de fugue Dm was older than bach tho?

    • @brandonechols
      @brandonechols 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@DjMicr0dot Nope! It's actually one of Bach's most famous pieces.

  • @jankiwi
    @jankiwi 5 ปีที่แล้ว +462

    "12 minutes? Oh, I might just listen a bit in the beginning, and then move on."
    *listens to the entire thing and getting goosebumps*

    • @lebarotnak
      @lebarotnak 5 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Doesn't feel like 12 minutes. :)

    • @ghostwreckeriii6074
      @ghostwreckeriii6074 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Same

    • @ghostwreckeriii6074
      @ghostwreckeriii6074 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@lebarotnak it feels like a story a full movie of more than 3 hours...

    • @FoilHatMusic
      @FoilHatMusic 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Same. There was really no place where it would have felt right to just stop it.

    • @justiciapormanopropiaaa
      @justiciapormanopropiaaa 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      He is draculaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!
      Hahahhaha

  • @CribNotes
    @CribNotes 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +24

    Best rendition of this masterpiece I've heard. He's not just playing the pipe organ. He's playing the sound the of the entire building!

    • @janjohnson9746
      @janjohnson9746 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Cathedral acoustics play a big part. It wouldn't be the same outside.

  • @rockysmusicandart1250
    @rockysmusicandart1250 4 ปีที่แล้ว +651

    I like his phrasing - he allows for the reverb to die away - the piece seems to breathe.

    • @TranceEmotion
      @TranceEmotion 4 ปีที่แล้ว +42

      Aye playing this song in such a large space with such a large organ you need to pause to allow the sound to bleed out. Most people play the song far to fast and sounds overlap each other. This is probably the best rendition of this song ive heard.

    • @Ktulu789
      @Ktulu789 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Maybe you need to pause also to allow for the pressure to rebuild.
      Anyway, I agree that this rendition is awesome, nevertheless.

    • @drsteele4749
      @drsteele4749 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      I think he phrased it this way because the building has reverb. He is a very great talent. Check out this other vid, a crisper performance: th-cam.com/video/Nnuq9PXbywA/w-d-xo.html

    • @CockySoupNazi
      @CockySoupNazi 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I noticed that too, he let the reverberation ring out and fade, beautiful.

    • @MrShortygeorge
      @MrShortygeorge 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Yes. Brilliant young man with God's gift.

  • @lajoswinkler
    @lajoswinkler 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1223

    Finally a performance that's appropriately measured in its tempo. Almost all of them on TH-cam are so fast. This can't be played fast, it has to echo itself down. Breathe.

    • @stanleystudios5186
      @stanleystudios5186 4 ปีที่แล้ว +50

      I agree that most recordings are way too fast but I do think this one is ever so slightly slow. Impressive nevertheless.

    • @blatherskite9601
      @blatherskite9601 4 ปีที่แล้ว +110

      You can hear that Xaver waits until the echo has exactly stopped, before continuing. That would mean the piece will be played at different speeds depending on the building it's played in.

    • @omashaushalt
      @omashaushalt 4 ปีที่แล้ว +38

      @@blatherskite9601 I thought exactly the same thing!
      He is waiting for the echo to fade away.

    • @danielinnocenciodasilva1840
      @danielinnocenciodasilva1840 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      i was thinking that something was odd

    • @BlackSeranna
      @BlackSeranna 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      I have wondered at this - because doesn't Bach specify the tempo, and if so, why aren't the pros following it? I can understand why *I* don't follow the tempo - it's because I can't play super fast and flawlessly at the same time. Also, I am not a pro, just a fan who can play.

  • @CandiceJoergan
    @CandiceJoergan 3 ปีที่แล้ว +866

    Most organists play this piece way way too fast. This was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

    • @jeffdickey
      @jeffdickey 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      Um, not sure about that. I’ve heard this piece a couple of hundred times in scores of places (I’m a musician but not an organist). The words that came to mind repeatedly were “ponderous” and “pretentious”. I’d never had that reaction before and, being familiar with many Bach pieces, I doubt that it was what Bach intended.
      The music should be the centre of attention far more than the performer.

    • @margaretlavender9647
      @margaretlavender9647 3 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      @@jeffdickey Ponderous? Never! Pretentious? What in earth makes you say that. In itself an organ is ‘pretentious’ if you must use that word. It’s a very ‘look what sounds I can make’ instrument if you think about it. But the player, this player is NOT pretentious.

    • @lunahelena5329
      @lunahelena5329 3 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      Totally agree! They play it so fast as if they were competing who can play faster .. and in effect you can’t hear half of the notes. This one is perfect!

    • @CandiceJoergan
      @CandiceJoergan 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@lunahelena5329 Very well said !!

    • @lunahelena5329
      @lunahelena5329 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@CandiceJoergan thank you :)

  • @tomtalker2000
    @tomtalker2000 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +14

    The reverb is absolutely SUPERB...!!! My mom and my favorite instrument. Nothing like a large pipe organ opened up fully like this. We sung in many chamber choirs together in various cathedrals. And it just gives you goosebumps folks.

  • @fmg5301
    @fmg5301 3 ปีที่แล้ว +368

    In case nobody else mentions it, I'd like to commend the outstanding work of the recording crew.

    • @abelpickersgill3884
      @abelpickersgill3884 2 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      Yes! Im really curious what mics and what placements they used. It really captures the low end well. I love that you can hear the building too! You get a bit of an idea about how it sounds, from the echoes and reverb and whatnot! I find lots of youtube clips dont give you that

    • @xochitlxochipa4965
      @xochitlxochipa4965 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      The whole editing of the vídeo is remarkably well done !

    • @seekingfinding6204
      @seekingfinding6204 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Thanks, it really does sound great, and pipe organs are hard to do right.

  • @johndarwood209
    @johndarwood209 3 ปีที่แล้ว +397

    Perfection. I'm sick of everybody playing this as quick as possible, it sounds awful.
    Thanks to Mr Varnus i can enjoy this masterpiece as i am sure in the way that Mr Bach intended.

    • @collectorofcats294
      @collectorofcats294 3 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      I agree with you 100%!!! I like the slower tempo, too. Glenn Gould liked to play piano pieces at the highest tempo, too...

    • @edhoughton2609
      @edhoughton2609 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Yes - totally agree. Hold those notes, let the instrument breathe, feel the power of the music.

    • @johnmilburn5715
      @johnmilburn5715 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      I totally agree. The piece should be played at a measured pace that matches the organ.
      Brilliant!!

    • @georgejob7544
      @georgejob7544 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Stupendous!

    • @humbertomonteiro6742
      @humbertomonteiro6742 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      th-cam.com/video/PEHGxpRoZQM/w-d-xo.html

  • @markschleupner9548
    @markschleupner9548 3 ปีที่แล้ว +383

    Can we just take a minute here and recognize the fact that he is playing this from memory!! There is no sheet music in front if him!! What an amazing genius!!

    • @geertjalink
      @geertjalink 3 ปีที่แล้ว +33

      It's not possible to play this from sheet music unless it is learned in memory. It's to fast for reading notes, must really be practiced hundred times or so.

    • @farmerboy916
      @farmerboy916 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      @@geertjalink To be fair, that's most particularly technical music. Especially of something of this nature on this sort of instrument.

    • @geertjalink
      @geertjalink 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@farmerboy916 is Bach technical too? Sometimes I think it is.

    • @jeannebouwman1970
      @jeannebouwman1970 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@geertjalink well his fugues are filled with technical passages

    • @geertjalink
      @geertjalink 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@jeannebouwman1970 also I think it's some mathematics patterns in several Bach's songs.

  • @lauralake7430
    @lauralake7430 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +31

    We are all blessed that this magnificent instrument survived two wars. It is a beautiful thing. May it always play in peace.

    • @greg-warsaw4708
      @greg-warsaw4708 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I don't think Berlin suffered badly during WW1.

    • @redhedkev1
      @redhedkev1 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I thought about that too.

  • @trefod
    @trefod 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1285

    Let's face it, Bach was a show off. Couldn't just make some organ music, had to blow people's minds.

    • @aldito7586
      @aldito7586 4 ปีที่แล้ว +32

      HAHAHA !!! Yeah. He had a simple way of blowing us all away...Sometimes the best music has a way of doing that...

    • @cheif10thumbs
      @cheif10thumbs 4 ปีที่แล้ว +39

      18th century ROCK STAR!

    • @EternalFringeDweller
      @EternalFringeDweller 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @@aldito7586, Bach was 15 years old at he start of the 18th century. He died half way through it (1750).

    • @reeblesnarfle5443
      @reeblesnarfle5443 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@EternalFringeDweller 😎👍 Love your handle. Never been inside the box myself ....🌹🙏

    • @NinaadDas
      @NinaadDas 4 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      At 17 years of age.

  • @lohphat
    @lohphat 5 ปีที่แล้ว +830

    He’s playing the perfect tempo for the resonance of the space and occupancy. The venue’s natural resonance and the public sound absorption affect the performance. He’s letting the phrases ring out instead of just rushing through it. If he played faster it would just be mush.

    • @magnusbijec
      @magnusbijec 5 ปีที่แล้ว +44

      that's the perfect point...most versions available here are played too fast, this one really has it...my grandfather used to have a vinyl with this magnificent opus, released in former Czechoslovakia (I think in 70ties) and this composition was played by Jiri Reinberger in one of Prague's churches, the best version I ever heard but have no access to it anymore, which sucks...this version here is very similar to Reinberger's one...truly impressive experience!

    • @Tomatohater64
      @Tomatohater64 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Much agreed. One of the best renderings I've had the pleasure to hear.

    • @horseshoe_nc
      @horseshoe_nc 5 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      I've really only sat and listened that that piece of music a few times. I was thinking the tempo here was a bit slower. Now that I've read your comment, it makes sense to me.

    • @ronstancil1
      @ronstancil1 5 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @Jason R Stanton listen to the pauses and watch his hands - he lets the note ring and fade and goes on, letting each note ring before next - this is brilliant

    • @jappperon7012
      @jappperon7012 5 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      That just shows he is used to gauging the venue and adjusting on the fly, true mark of a professional.

  • @iamcarbonandotherbits.8039
    @iamcarbonandotherbits.8039 5 ปีที่แล้ว +731

    Bach must be saying"At last someone playing the piece as I intended it to be performed. Update treated myself to expensive headphones oriented to classical music, went to musical nirvana having heard notes not picked up by my old phones. So glad I saved for these new cans. This piece sounds so sharp and fresh I felt like one of the audience.

    • @Pushingbuuttons
      @Pushingbuuttons 5 ปีที่แล้ว +41

      I don't think Bach ever had any intention of his piece being performed this well.

    • @paullewis2413
      @paullewis2413 5 ปีที่แล้ว +42

      Of course Bach had no idea how the organ would be developed in the future but if he could hear this I'm certain he would be overwhelmed by his own work!

    • @iamcarbonandotherbits.8039
      @iamcarbonandotherbits.8039 5 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      @@paullewis2413 . I'm just glad he wrote it it fills me with awe that for all our human failings we can produce music like this.

    • @NathanaelDuke
      @NathanaelDuke 5 ปีที่แล้ว +39

      Without exception the best rendition of this piece I have ever had the pleasure of hearing. Finally, a player unafraid to linger and let the beauty of the flourishes wash over the hall like an autumn breeze.

    • @iamcarbonandotherbits.8039
      @iamcarbonandotherbits.8039 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@NathanaelDuke Totally agree with your sentiments.

  • @vicrecords
    @vicrecords 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +11

    This is the north Western European culture we should treasure, Bach, Berliner dom, all in all perfection in beautiness❤

  • @jasonjmarchi
    @jasonjmarchi 4 ปีที่แล้ว +509

    This is the most perfect tempo for this piece. Superior pauses and sustained chords to drive the emotion to its fullest. Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! Mr. Varnus!

    • @petersilie3431
      @petersilie3431 4 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      I thought the same. Many others don't have the feeling for the right pauses. Never listened to a better interpretation that this of Varnus.

    • @kangarookicker6995
      @kangarookicker6995 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @Emily Evans it’s insane how big the Berliner dom is.

    • @mqbitsko25
      @mqbitsko25 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      The long pauses are to let the echoes die down, but I agree it works for this piece.

    • @timtarzier
      @timtarzier 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Its all about the sound decay and his pauses take into account the decay. Best interpretation I've heard

    • @fmphotooffice5513
      @fmphotooffice5513 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Yes yes yes!!! So many contemporary performances and recordings are rushed for no good reason.

  • @tubamaxima187
    @tubamaxima187 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2048

    At last, an organist that knows how to play into the acoustics of the room. It is a magnificent performance, probably the best I've heard. Most organists play this piece too fast to show off. Bravo Xaver

    • @natethaskate351
      @natethaskate351 6 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      Tuba Maxima 100% agree with you.

    • @jsunit5354
      @jsunit5354 6 ปีที่แล้ว +67

      In my opinion, he played this perfectly. He understands that it's a ombination of organist, organ and SPACE. This organ was designed for this space. RT60 measurements may be 8sec+ and he knows how to get the best out of it. It's a real pleasure to hear this. Anything faster will be gooey mud. Excellent performance!!

    • @einzelganger1561
      @einzelganger1561 6 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      It should be a bit faster

    • @ketereissmore3967
      @ketereissmore3967 6 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      I agree with u.The mojo is the song and note itself,not the speed

    • @jaygooden4801
      @jaygooden4801 6 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      Flawless, best version on TH-cam by far

  • @connorkrystowski7266
    @connorkrystowski7266 3 ปีที่แล้ว +543

    If this guy doesn't come to my funeral, i'm not coming either...

    • @nigelharris1419
      @nigelharris1419 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Yeah! I’m with you on that. Same goes...

    • @stairwayunicorn4861
      @stairwayunicorn4861 3 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      coming at a funeral is generally frowned upon

    • @kerrymarieeisen5012
      @kerrymarieeisen5012 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      😂😂😂

    • @alexandermccarthy
      @alexandermccarthy 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Yeah, buddy. Book him in early because if he doesn't show at mine, I'm not showing either.

    • @psychopompous3207
      @psychopompous3207 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      You wouldn't be there anyways.

  • @paulcannell7188
    @paulcannell7188 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +42

    i marvel at the brain that composed this and the brain that memorised it to play with such beautiful texture. humanity is capable of divinity.

  • @wam44
    @wam44 2 ปีที่แล้ว +363

    The way he pauses and lets the decay of the sound resonate through the space is sublime. I could listen to this all night...

    • @cjmartinez8318
      @cjmartinez8318 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      It gives a powerful flow, thats why I liked this guy.

    • @wam44
      @wam44 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@cjmartinez8318 Yes, an amazing performance and unequaled in my limited experience...

    • @theRealDavidn
      @theRealDavidn 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      He is exceptional. The pauses are almost playful. They fully let the listener savour each stanza. An absolutely masterful rendition of a great piece. The composer and the organ builder would be deeply pleased with the way he has brought both to life

  • @DarkMoonDroid
    @DarkMoonDroid 5 ปีที่แล้ว +425

    Thank the gods someone understands the importance of slowing down this piece. It should extend beyond the length of the human voice to sing it. That gives it an otherworldly feeling. Huge. Terrifying. Awesome!

    • @tmarks
      @tmarks 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Good observation

    • @JamesFrank32185
      @JamesFrank32185 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      It's also so much different on an organ on a piano (or keyboard where j often see it does up) the note doesn't last and fill the room. With the organ every not fills the room completely and stays in the air for a moment, giving a reason to mind the pauses in the playing to let the sound really resonate.

    • @JamesFrank32185
      @JamesFrank32185 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @regalia I will thank all the gods I pray to and respect Bachs choice in higher power

    • @annexton3795
      @annexton3795 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @regalia Absolutely! 'Soli Deo gloria' was Bach's motto at the end of all his music.

    • @AntithesisDCLXVI
      @AntithesisDCLXVI 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@annexton3795 it's not his fault everyone was brainwashed and under the thumb of the church back then, as a species we were still very childlike. Now we're in an era of adolescence, because we have learned much, but we act like we think we know everything, and our greatest existential threat right now is that we'll destroy ourselves either accidentally or on purpose. So it'd be pretty silly for us to still believe in fairy tales, especially ones thay encourage us to shirk off all responsibility for this mess we've made because some magic sky grandpa santa claus for adults is gonna come clean it up for us.
      It's so deranged and twisted how so many people actually want WWIII to happen because they think everyone that disagrees with them will be MURDERED by their jerk of a deity.

  • @Rockgi59
    @Rockgi59 4 ปีที่แล้ว +511

    The pipe organ is the best music instrument ever made.
    Listen to it live is an amazing experience, music surrounds you from everywhere.
    The bass frequencies make your stomach vibrating.
    Awesome.

    • @hugebartlett1884
      @hugebartlett1884 4 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      The pipe organ produces a sound like the very centre of the earth in motion. The galaxies form to this sound,and the human psyche responds beyond understanding to the resonating vibration of creation.

    • @jeanmariezeyen111
      @jeanmariezeyen111 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      stomach vibrating is the word ! but i have that feeling also, when i hear a hammond B3 with leslie :-) (i mean, the real beast, not its digital opponents)

    • @chrisshotwell4442
      @chrisshotwell4442 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Agreed! I had the pleasure of hearing this played in a church in Florence years ago and I still think about that experience!

    • @richardclay
      @richardclay 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      If you want to be an entire symphony orchestra, the pipe organ lets you be that orchestra.

    • @cc-ic7rj
      @cc-ic7rj 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      That's actually what got me into this in the first place visiting as a tourest Winchester cathedral one day .....it just happens to have a guy playing I dont think it was really a recital but he played Widors docata in Dm and it just blew me away there sheer majesty and resonance of those notes going through my body was out of this world experience! !!

  • @gospelofrye6881
    @gospelofrye6881 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +83

    I have a friend who is a firefighter. He attended a (false) alarm at a church here in Australia, and managed to convince them, after the alarm was cleared, to let him have a go on their organ. He sat up there, in full firefighter gear... and played Take Me Out to the Ballgame...

    • @rosieclarkson4064
      @rosieclarkson4064 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      All credit to him. Music, bring it on!!😊

    • @sntslilhlpr6601
      @sntslilhlpr6601 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      lmao that actually reminds me, I should look up best baseball organists or something like that. I have a feeling it may be a good rabbit hole to go down. Thanks! And all hail Shohei.

    • @I_am_a_cat_
      @I_am_a_cat_ 25 วันที่ผ่านมา

      ​@@sntslilhlpr6601 i can't remember his name, but there is one who is very popular here on youtube. He plays exceptionally well

  • @littletweeter1327
    @littletweeter1327 ปีที่แล้ว +457

    hearing this organ echoing in berlin was life changing. you can hear it from outside and you feel the sound throughout your body when youre inside.

    • @randompeople4559
      @randompeople4559 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Blue Lobster

    • @jimnichols1066
      @jimnichols1066 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Just remember what the Russians did to this place in 1945.

    • @777hathor
      @777hathor ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Love to experience this ❤ 🇦🇺

    • @johnrhodes3350
      @johnrhodes3350 ปีที่แล้ว

      ​@@jimnichols1066 Soviets!
      Even a whole nation of people can transcend a satanically inspired mass psychosis. The russian soul is fundamentally and in diametric opposition to your limited impression.

    • @johnrhodes3350
      @johnrhodes3350 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      ​@@jimnichols1066 take a look at how the Post Postmodern Russia has rebuilt, amongst many others - The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Moscow.

  • @SternDrive
    @SternDrive 5 ปีที่แล้ว +163

    This was by far the slowest Toccata and Fugue in D that I have ever heard. Just the way it is supposed to be in a huge hall like this. Bravo.

    • @EdnaVoyles
      @EdnaVoyles หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Have to listen everyday to bach will never be another genius as great as him

  • @gregmartin1615
    @gregmartin1615 5 ปีที่แล้ว +510

    so wonderful to hear someone playing this extraordinary music without hurrying through it

    • @marcodaz1173
      @marcodaz1173 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Yeah, but maybe a bit too slow ...

    • @devox3291
      @devox3291 5 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      THANK YOU,! For finally stating the obvious. I'm amazed that thru the years, everyone rushes this incredible piece of music and there's no outcry but only from a few. I feel like this performance IS the way it's meant to be played

    • @paulkocyla1343
      @paulkocyla1343 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      I hope that´s just subtle irony. Fuga means "escape" :-D

    • @LikaLaruku
      @LikaLaruku 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      I know! I really hate it when people play it fast like a speed run. 9 minutes is short, 11 is perfect, 7 is not even worth listening to.

    • @bckm54
      @bckm54 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@marcodaz1173 I like how you said "maybe"... :)

  • @leventefazekas1197
    @leventefazekas1197 6 วันที่ผ่านมา +2

    Imádom, hogy nem kapkodja el... szinte minden hang külön élvezettel tölti el az embert, szinte minden hangot külön lehet élvezni, köszönöm művész Úr, ezt a csodálatos felvételt!!! Egyszerűen csodálatos ahogy előadj ezt a remekművet!

  • @Ladypavs
    @Ladypavs 4 ปีที่แล้ว +152

    The reason why ears and goosebumps were invented

    • @Jchathe
      @Jchathe 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Beautifully put! 👏💖

    • @technofeeling2462
      @technofeeling2462 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      try breath in slowly to icnrease goosebumps and euphoria

  • @TheAstroStick
    @TheAstroStick 4 ปีที่แล้ว +310

    He's playing much more than the organ itself. He's also playing the cathedral.

    • @erikthenorviking8251
      @erikthenorviking8251 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      organbuilders often say that the best stop on the organ is the accoustic.
      Which means Beliner Dom is doubly blessed.

    • @bigdaddydons6241
      @bigdaddydons6241 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      I mean, i know you're praising the man, and i agree but with most organs that size they're literally built into the cathedral itself so he is literally playing the building

    • @MrJoel9679
      @MrJoel9679 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      You appreciate the interpretation instantly. Even while listening on a phone.

    • @elcamino2133
      @elcamino2133 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Some people play guitars or pianos, this guy plays cathedrals

    • @DaveMiller2
      @DaveMiller2 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      That is actually literally true. The building is part of this and the old cathedrals were constructed with acoustics in mind for the music played and sung in them.

  • @dissilymordentroge5818
    @dissilymordentroge5818 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1575

    60 years I’ve waited to hear the D Minor rendered like this. Utterly brilliant allowing the work to speak for itself without any of the usual show-off ‘lets see how fast we can belt this out’ approach too common these days.

    • @ericlarson4291
      @ericlarson4291 6 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Dissily Mordentroge dig. that,!

    • @wolfburgman
      @wolfburgman 6 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Well said that man!

    • @MisterDoctorBaconman
      @MisterDoctorBaconman 6 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      Well considering that a large part of baroque music was based on virtuosity and “showing off”, I’d say those kinds of performances technically capture more of the compositional intent of the piece. That being said, there’s definitely a limit, and I do enjoy this particular rendition a lot myself.

    • @ronaldmalcolm5609
      @ronaldmalcolm5609 6 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      I agree. Sometimes, I find myself wondering, "does he have somewhere to be?" when they just knuckle these things out as quickly as possible. If you're interested in that, maybe play some Van Halen on your own time.

    • @johnvorn3552
      @johnvorn3552 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Absolutely agreed! This rendition comes second only to the orchestral rock version for me...

  • @emziilouuu
    @emziilouuu 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +19

    Not only did he have perfect, entire control of this amazing instrument, he controlled the entire room. From perfect timing to allow it to echo at full effect around the room, to taking his time instead of rushing it. Extremely jealous of every person who got to witness this performance live!!

  • @helencheadle5285
    @helencheadle5285 2 ปีที่แล้ว +388

    When I was a 16 yrs old choir girl I fell in love with the 18yr old organist who played for each service, then practiced when the people had gone.
    I love this piece of music and was studying piano, so he used to teach me some of this to play on the organ….he did the foot pedal notes where necessary. We had a wonderful love affair which got more serious in following years. I learnt to play as much as possible of this on my piano, but of course the organ was the master. Eventually he went away to music college and today is quite a famed musician, and at college he met and married a superb violinist…..we had our time, and I learnt a lot about organ playing and the power of playing one still haunts me. Me? I went to music college too, but a different one, training as a soprano for opera singing. So we both achieved as much as we could in music and it has been a wonderful journey. I married a man completely disconnected from playing any instrument, but enjoyed hearing good music,so i was lucky to meet him after singing in La Traviata one evening, and the rest as they say is history, but memories can be locked away and mine are very happy ones! 💕🙋‍♀️😘🦋🙏

    • @duncangrant4580
      @duncangrant4580 2 ปีที่แล้ว +32

      What a beautiful account, thank you for sharing such a lovely memory!

    • @ejquinher3828
      @ejquinher3828 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      💔

    • @jacquelinegarau250
      @jacquelinegarau250 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      💖

    • @AlvaSudden
      @AlvaSudden 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Good story. Music is a must for any good love story.

    • @daleburrell6273
      @daleburrell6273 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      HOO-RAY-!!!

  • @lisandroantoniorodriguez9242
    @lisandroantoniorodriguez9242 4 ปีที่แล้ว +98

    "What I composed in life will resonate in eternity". (Bach)

  • @charlesrussell1764
    @charlesrussell1764 4 ปีที่แล้ว +228

    Probably the greatest piece of music ever written ......and for the greatest musical instrument ever created.

    • @gregersnielsen2797
      @gregersnielsen2797 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      And the greatest organist in the world.

    • @charlesrussell1764
      @charlesrussell1764 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @@gregersnielsen2797 Can you imagine what it must feel like to play this incredible instrument? The amount of dedication is staggering.

    • @philgray1023
      @philgray1023 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Well I can assure you that it sounds shit on a Kazoo.

    • @charlesrussell1764
      @charlesrussell1764 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@philgray1023 I don't think I would like to try, the comb and paper presented an insurmountable problem, I couldn't get a comb tuned to G.

    • @povertyspec9651
      @povertyspec9651 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Beethoven's 9th is #1

  • @sanchezsanchez7636
    @sanchezsanchez7636 6 วันที่ผ่านมา +3

    Beautiful Just beautiful, May God bless you. This is one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard.🥹🥹🥹

  • @balltoball1
    @balltoball1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +536

    How is no one talking about how this guy knows the entire song and tempo WITHOUT SHEET MUSIC!! For the whole organ...

    • @samthiel9824
      @samthiel9824 3 ปีที่แล้ว +73

      The same way opera singers memorize three-hour-long roles. It's part of classical musical training - memorization.

    • @Shyguy5104
      @Shyguy5104 3 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      @@samthiel9824 you say that like it isn't impressive

    • @tjteknik1
      @tjteknik1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Notes are just too hard to learn you know...

    • @cyberoverkill5844
      @cyberoverkill5844 3 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      It's all practice and feel. Having to read music could even slow him down.

    • @walmartdog1142
      @walmartdog1142 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Many of the great artists can do it without sheet music. You might like this: th-cam.com/video/rEGOihjqO9w/w-d-xo.html

  • @Musique3579
    @Musique3579 4 ปีที่แล้ว +496

    How absolutely wonderful. This Organist knew enough "not" to throw away the ending of the piece and not go too fast. Bravo Maestro!

    • @williammitchell1864
      @williammitchell1864 4 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Musique3579, This is how Bach intended for his song to be played.

    • @theaffiliate4208
      @theaffiliate4208 4 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      In a great Cathedral and a powerful organ as this, the sound comes alive and fills and resonates the air and a great artist like him respectfully and beautifully gave the sound it's space.

    • @stammelblindarcher4477
      @stammelblindarcher4477 4 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      I appreciate his phrasing.

    • @williammitchell1864
      @williammitchell1864 4 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      @@stammelblindarcher4477 that is Bach's original phrasing

    • @spikespa5208
      @spikespa5208 4 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      To folks who say "too slow!", I say if it was an acoustically dead venue, fine. But I wanna hear that echo!

  • @thesenate4743
    @thesenate4743 4 ปีที่แล้ว +273

    No music sheet, no show off, not even a smile on that mans face.....i think he actually reached the point of perfection where he just "works" and plays the hell out of that Organ
    Impressive, most Impressive

    • @stormybear4986
      @stormybear4986 4 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Countless hours of practice.

    • @PopTartGuy-_-
      @PopTartGuy-_- 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      He probably isn't even thinking about what he is doing hes probably just doing it

    • @thalpophileo
      @thalpophileo 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Not necessarily. I've played this piece (as much as can be on a piano), and it takes a certain level of concentration and control to play it as intended. As StormyBear said, "Countless hours of practice". There can also be a certain amount of disassociation when playing for an audience and any major mistake can easily be heard, so you fully concentrate. Also, the delay on a large organ like this is disorienting if you're not used to it. Would drive me nuts. He has to trust that the organ will produce the sounds he intends without immediate feedback. As a pianist, that... would drive me nuts. I've played in a few situations where the speakers were off by up to a second, and it is a challenge.
      Muscle memory is a thing too, and trusting the muscle memory is... intense.
      TL;DR: Xaver is very good at what he does, is probably still thinking about things while plaing because this is an intense instrument and piece to play well.

    • @stormybear4986
      @stormybear4986 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @for paws Traditionally soloists are expected to perform from memory without the score.

    • @beefytaquitos
      @beefytaquitos 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I think the amount of concentration required to use all four limbs just leaves him with no ability to emote or pay attention to visual stimuli.

  • @АлександрВалиев-м2щ
    @АлександрВалиев-м2щ 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +50

    This is not just a performance of the greatest work by the greatest composer. These sounds convey a true understanding of Bach's music with all its meanings. Indeed, it is true that this performance is one of the most authentic and correct in meaning. BRAVO, Maestro!

    • @jorgeedesiothaiss9650
      @jorgeedesiothaiss9650 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Por mais que possam aparecer instrumentos com tecnologia moderna, esta harmonia de acordes é algo *insuperável* . MÚSICA, é DEUS falando através de *dedos* obedientes ao seu comando. MÚSICA, é uma verdadeira *VIAGEM* a um *MUNDO ANGELICAL*. Quem duvidar, feche os olhos e se deixe conduzir pelos *ANJOS DE DEUS* a esse *PLANO SUPERIOR*.

    • @konst1887
      @konst1887 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      What does this even mean? It’s not truly authentic to play a baroque piece on an organ that is build in the in the early 20th century. Neither the intonation of the pipes nor the temperament is anything that Bach had in his time. Even the video description says that it’s edited by Mendelssohn.

  • @k4xtt
    @k4xtt 3 ปีที่แล้ว +265

    This may be the best played version EVER, post BACH. He allows the space to play with the sound before moving on. Perfection.....

    • @humbertomonteiro6742
      @humbertomonteiro6742 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      th-cam.com/video/PEHGxpRoZQM/w-d-xo.html

    • @LauraS1
      @LauraS1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      I agree. This piece is often played way too fast without allowing the notes to fade naturally. This gives the piece some real gravitas without being too slow (because it's possible to play it too slowly, too). This is one of the few performances I've heard where there is space between the notes just enough to actually hear each note from each pipe.

  • @ThePhantomSafetyPin
    @ThePhantomSafetyPin 4 ปีที่แล้ว +450

    The pipe organ is sometimes called "The Voice of God" of the instruments. This perfectly demonstrates exactly why. No way can an orchestra, a whole *orchestra*, capture the sheer dark magnificence of this piece of a full pipe organ of this incredible size and age. It's simply meant to be played on this instrument, no offense to any of the myriad other instruments or great orchestras of the world.

    • @fastnbulbouss
      @fastnbulbouss 4 ปีที่แล้ว +35

      And don't forget the room in which it is played. Listening to this live is very physical. That sound goes right through your body. You become a tuning fork.

    • @DrMARDOC
      @DrMARDOC 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      You will never hear this in a mosque

    • @fastnbulbouss
      @fastnbulbouss 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@DrMARDOC
      Sufis have wonderful music,, not played on a pipe organ perhaps, but just as beautiful as this piece.

    • @beto1515
      @beto1515 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      He still no beat The Master interpreter of this piece.The Legendary JS Bach interpreter : FERNANDO GERMANI.

    • @lena-mariaglouis-charles7036
      @lena-mariaglouis-charles7036 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@fastnbulbouss
      I couldn't agree more!💕
      For me, it's akin to an out of body experience - you become one with the instrument and the sounds it brings forth...
      💙💛🌹💜🍎🇺🇸

  • @waelabi-haydar9386
    @waelabi-haydar9386 ปีที่แล้ว +203

    Half of the pipe organ technique is reverb, which many artists simply miss, but not Mr. Xaver! Perfect tempo and reverb!
    Imagine what was in JS Bach's genius mind to compose this grandiose masterpiece some 400 years ago when human kind was living at the candles light!!!

    • @PoshPaws2703
      @PoshPaws2703 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I think its rather like the 2 hands having a conversation or a row with each other one speaks and the the other ansas or shouts back. Brilliant work by js so ahead of his time.

    • @alecciagiovanni2356
      @alecciagiovanni2356 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      he died 273 years ago, but the candle was actually still used.

    • @DjMicr0dot
      @DjMicr0dot 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      wait isn't this tocatta de fugue dm origins unknown tho.
      ..its bach who history has first credited for performing but im sure he was covering it by the origins unknown implication....if im missing something please educate

  • @ownSystem
    @ownSystem 17 วันที่ผ่านมา +4

    He plays it better than anyone on TH-cam I found the tempo the intensity etc I now use his style standard to others no one comes close it’s awesome

  • @Sky-pg6xy
    @Sky-pg6xy 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1186

    Xaver Varnus is a vampire. He probably learned this song from Bach himself.

    • @JonnySiver
      @JonnySiver 3 ปีที่แล้ว +33

      No. He teached him.

    • @sergioalcantar3290
      @sergioalcantar3290 3 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      Does have a taint of the vampire to him...

    • @amber40494
      @amber40494 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      @@glossyseventy-five1769 Many wonderful Hungarian musicians!!

    • @Lv-nq9qz
      @Lv-nq9qz 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      That is kind of what you'd name the bad guy in a Ghostbusters movie.

    • @tomfetherston5833
      @tomfetherston5833 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      He does look like a vampire.

  • @charleslayton9463
    @charleslayton9463 2 ปีที่แล้ว +267

    I'm fascinated by the organ. As the notes above say: Today, the organ in the Cathedral of Berlin is the largest late-Romantic pneumatic action organ in the world that has survived in its original condition.
    For those who aren't familiar with the mechanics of pipe organs, let me just say that statement is astonishing. Pneumatic action is probably the most complex kind of organ action. So much can get out of adjustment, or be damaged, and at its best, it is a fairly slow way to get the organist's intentions from the keys to the pipes. For that reason, I was fascinated with Varnus' playing. Not only does he masterfully use the room's reverberation time, he also plays with even more than his normal clarity to minimize the sluggish action. I'm sure that this organ is very well cared for and regulated, and so its action is probably absolutely as good as a pneumatic action can be, but even so, it won't have the crispness of a good tracker action or the speed of an electro-pneumatic action. To those few people who complain that he played too slowly, I'd suggest that if he had played the fast passages much faster, they would have turned to mush between the room acoustics and the pneumatic delay.

    • @nx_s
      @nx_s 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Thank you for those insights.

    • @jakeburright
      @jakeburright 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Brilliant!

    • @jordaneastwood6678
      @jordaneastwood6678 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      no suprise it's German everything German lasts forever apart from new cars lol

    • @machinistmikethetinkerer4827
      @machinistmikethetinkerer4827 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      To a layman's ears, thank you.

    • @poopyboythepro7478
      @poopyboythepro7478 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      i too am fascinated by the organ. it fills me with joy!

  • @billhuber2964
    @billhuber2964 4 ปีที่แล้ว +804

    Beautiful. My ex called this music "crap". That is why she's my ex. My current wife loves classic

    • @drjojo5551
      @drjojo5551 4 ปีที่แล้ว +43

      Way to dump the bitch billy!!

    • @drinkupmeheartysyoho
      @drinkupmeheartysyoho 4 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      So I take it she doesnt like mus9c in general then?

    • @corrieanderson5630
      @corrieanderson5630 4 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      Let me guess. She likes hip hop. Or mainstream country. Or some such crap.

    • @Alex-ws3hs
      @Alex-ws3hs 4 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Fuck tha biatch !

    • @billhuber2964
      @billhuber2964 4 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      @@corrieanderson5630 no worse hillbilly crap.

  • @JSBuehler
    @JSBuehler 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +21

    I just bought a 40 year old Pioneer receiver to replace the one that was stolen in 1979. This was the first piece played through it. You can’t beat those ‘70 receivers for warm accurate sound of something magnificent like this.

  • @bozosplayhouse
    @bozosplayhouse 2 ปีที่แล้ว +326

    I remember this score being played in the Koln cathedral in the early 70's.. as a young man, I was truly taken by the sound and the physical experience of these large pipe organs. I imagine how the early worshipers could have easily been overwhelmed as well, the sound emitting from this huge gothic structure, almost a religious experience in itself!

    • @hamiltonian42
      @hamiltonian42 2 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      I remember the first time visiting Koln... and marvelling at the how the cathedral dominated the surrounding space.... one of the most evocative physical spaces I've visited. Would love to hear the organ there, or in Berlin. Those religious architects knew how to build!

    • @fiscalcpiano
      @fiscalcpiano ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Especially with none of the electronic equipment we now have

  • @majestic-ui7qe
    @majestic-ui7qe 4 ปีที่แล้ว +82

    And this is why my dear dad loved the organ. I hope there's a Bach pipe organ wherever you are Dad. I miss you...

    • @Bananaguy7
      @Bananaguy7 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Who knows, he may even be listening to Bach himself play...

    • @majestic-ui7qe
      @majestic-ui7qe 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@Bananaguy7 I really hope he is.

    • @uGuguTshabalala
      @uGuguTshabalala 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      ❤️💐

    • @AgeofReason
      @AgeofReason 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@majestic-ui7qe The hardest part of missing dad is being Dad.

    • @catherinesinclair7727
      @catherinesinclair7727 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@AgeofReason ❤

  • @MissMisnomer_
    @MissMisnomer_ 3 ปีที่แล้ว +212

    I just want to lay on the cold marble floor and stare up at the gorgeous dome while this music washes over me, or is that too much to ask?

    • @DiShOnline
      @DiShOnline 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Same feeling. It is like waterfall, why do we sit in the water? Why do we not to lay on the surface?

    • @painhammerrocketfist
      @painhammerrocketfist 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      too real, its not just u

    • @MortenErCrazy
      @MortenErCrazy 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      people might look at you a bit funny, but i think you have about a 50/50 shot at getting away with it

    • @MissMisnomer_
      @MissMisnomer_ 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@MortenErCrazy I like those odds 👍

    • @eskandarmokhtari8791
      @eskandarmokhtari8791 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      درود میگم به دانشگاه ندای چگونه دستگاه های موسیقی را اختراع کرد🥀👍🥀 این همه احساس ایا بگم جرقه خدایی ارز واقعی نصیب هر شخصی نمیشه خرید دانشمند بزرگ شدیدم فیلم سینگام فکر می کنم زمان شاه بود از همین جا از خانواده عزیزش عرض ادب می کنم داخلی یک قاری بلوار کوهستان دستگاه موسیقی نمیدونم پیانو بود یا اول بود داشت فکر می کنم وصل میشه جوابم گرفت خیلی خوب بود این فیلم آن من خیلی علاقه داشتم نگاه میکردم اگر زنده است که از همینجا در سلام و تقدیم می کنم نسبت به خودش به دوستانش اگرم رحمت خدا رفته روحش شاد یادش گرامی باد از صددرصد رو دستگاه هاش اختراع کرده اسمش هست باعث هر افتخاری برای هر فردی که بیان خوب باشه اختراعات خوب باشه تو همه شغلی باعث افتخار بشریت است دیگه امروز هم رز و کشور بدل شده باعث افتخار جامعه جهانی است دوستدار شما اسکندر مختاری فرزند ابراهیم🥀👍🤣🌷

  • @Heyzeusization
    @Heyzeusization 16 วันที่ผ่านมา +3

    I love this kind of performance and there is no way anyone can understand what it is like without actually being there for the live performance! The entire building is the body of the instrument! You become part of the art as you are part of the structure.