When ever I'm down, watching and remembering Virgil always puts me up! Virgil used to say "when you've got blues Bach can put you right up!" For me it's the combination of Bach AND Virgil!
How wonderful to see and hear once again the greatest organist of all time. I was privileged to be in attendance at ten or twelve of his performances. He was a MASTER OF REGISTRATION,!!!!
I saw him at a benefit concert for Court Street Methodist Church in Rockford, IL after the church was rebuilt after a devastating fire. The entire pipe organ was replaced with state of the art including an antiphonal organ at the rear of the church. The entire Sanctuary was vibrating with visceral music that could be felt in every molecule of my body. What a surreal experience. I am forever grateful for that experience. It changed my soul.
I first met Virgil at the University of Delaware and he put me on the edge of my seething and still does. I was in a bad slump he knew my teacher the late great Clarence Snyder. I think was maybe 13 years old and met Bach two years prior. Virgil told me to give his regards to Dr. Snyder and told me to go play the organ tomorrow, you have been lifted. Lifted I was did two arrangements of hymns and a great head rush. Rest In Peace Virgil and thank Bach for the inspiration he gave me. Jerry Hawkins
Love the way he brings the fugal initiative voices to life with imaginative registration...especially in 'Prelude' part..sure as hell made a party of that fugue...!
I am a trained organist, too. I believe that Virgil has brought out for this particular moment many more fun things than are usually heard. My training is historical scholarship-based. The music isn't locked into that alone. The phrasing here is just marvelous, the music fresh and living in today's world. like Mendelssohn playing Bach in his world.
If there's one thing that set Virgil Fox apart from his contemporaries it was his gut instinct for the music. He was never a slave to "authentic" performances. He followed his heart and in doing so, exposed Old Man Bach and others to audiences that would have never listened if purists had had their way.
He was one of the only organists that was able to play the Wanamaker organ with its 5 keyboards and over 600 stops. He not only played most of the worlds most renown organs, he also played the worlds greatest experimental organs (Rogers Touring Organs). He was a wonderful human being! God speed, Dr Fox. God speed!
I saw Virgil 35 years ago and will never forget that concert. I fell in love with Bach that night. That fugue is just on fire. Bach was just amazing.All the fugues have their own character. I cannot play like him, but I love this music like he does. Critics like to tear him down with these comments about how easy the music is, forget that. If you enjoy it, enjoy it.
Say what you will about this man, but Virgil Fox was one of the greatest. He brings life and vitality to Bach's music. We are all the better for it. God Bless his memory! Amen!
Note perfection is a weird disease. To me more important is feeling the music. I love how Virgil plays this. Most people that are overly critical are just jealous. I like the tempo of the fugue, seems almost too fast but the music calls for it. Somehow it just makes this organ sing and I love it. I agree, he makes Bach greatness shine.
this man rocked....I got to experience him in the 70s.....I was watching Ray Manzarek and his name popped up.....this man inspired my lifelong love affair with all things keyboards....you live on Mr Fox.....
You must remember that although Fox was quite the showman and used registration I wouldn't use in this piece ever, he was also perhaps the world's top virtuoso organist. I'm sure that Fox had his heart and soul in this piece. He adored Bach.
I love Fox's playing. He's so energetic and athletic, and he clearly loves the music. Sure he misses a bunch of notes, but I still love it. Bach greatness emerges in many different interpretations.
Magnificent.... I have heard this played by many who are great organists... but no one.... NO ONE .... brings out the magnificence of this piece like Virgil does... He gives the piece time to breath and thats what his great genius is.... He knew what Bach wanted..... it is hardly mechanical.... and all the other musicians seem to want to just get to the dorian and forget this part.
I've read most of the comments on Virgil Fox playing this Bach Toccata, so there isn't much more to say other than I am completely OVERWHELMED with his playing and dramatics. Mr. Fox was more than a musician; he had SHOWMANSHIP! He sparkled , and had that something I find missing from most...he LOVED playing! Thank You! BRAVA!
Virgil Fox was a Great master of the instrument and I'm glad to see so many people posting the truth of that in appreciation for all that he did to further the cause of Bach and the pipe organ. R.I.P. Great One!
I remember my Organ Epiphany.47 yrs ago.Opened up an LP:Organ Music from France. Virgil played the Scherzo from Vierne's 2nd Sym.Said to myself,"I didn't know organ music could be like this!"Been hooked ever since.His Heavy Organ concerts at Wolf Trap: 6,000 folks showed up to sit in the rain(& get ripped).Any criticism you make of Virgil has already been made many times, but the man could put on a show,& he put organ music before 1,000s of people who wouldn't have heard it otherwise.
Whatever reasons some (including myself) might be critical of certain aspects of his approach to certain works, it CANNOT be denied that this D Major is the most astonishing performance of it I've ever heard. AND it's totally Bach. There is not a thing wrong with it. Bach would have been THRILLED if he saw this. Bravo, Fox! These videos captured your great achievements.
This guy is great! Of course there are organists on You Tube who don't "make mistakes", but who cares. Virgil has thought through his music meticulously, he loves his music, he loves performing it, and he has a lot to say when he plays. I keep coming back to listen to his performance over the guys who don't "make mistakes". And what a testimony to the greatest composer who ever lived. Sola gloria Dei! (forgive my Latin but you get the point)
@Kippsky45 As far as I know, Virgil Fox was the only classical artist to perform at Bill Grahm's Fillmore East in the 70's. He received a standing ovation from the crowd! He had quite a bit to say on how Bach's work was not being played the way it was written. It was meant to be played with emotion and a strong sense of life!
first, regarding the "mistakes", he was dying of cancer and wearing a diaper when he played this concert. at the age of nineteen, while a student at Peabody, he performed five concerts from memory. he NEVER made use of scores in concert. he was a singular master of the organ.
Since I was introduced to him by his concert at the Filmore in 1970, and lost touch of him some years later, Thanks to his concert in my ear lately some 36 years after his passing I wonder if this man was truly an apparition sent by God to fulfill us then return to heaven to play the organ in his other life.
VF knew the right notes as well as the others. I remember him playing his last concert at Ocean Grove when he could barely walk and he still was a consummate musician for ALL seasons who used the organ as his medium. Of course, the "historical gestapo" had it in for him his entire career - so what did they care about musicianship? Only the jealous 'vermin' in the ago nitpick 'split notes' in an ill musician. Virgil knew the rules in detail from the inside out. However, thousands of people don't go/pay/get tickets to hear 'the rules' typed out in a museum. This is the cognitive dissonance that plagues the field. Virgil knew it.
Only Doug Marshall, Virgil's protege, can play the bravado like Virgil since he was taught by him for 10 years. It appears Virgil groomed Doug to carry on the Fox genius God given talent and when Doug and his team come back to Kravis in West Palm Florida, I'll be in the audience, Virgil!
utterly magnificent!!! this is what bach would have sounded like playing alone in leipzig cathedral at 3am when no one was listening when he was playing for God and no one else...
Totally agree. I attended five of Fox's performances during the 70's and each time, I was in awe of his amazing talent - and for bringing the great music of BACH to the people. Incredible talent.
I know Virgil Fox have Passion for Bach some of his rendition and Arrangement from Bach's Composition for Organ are truly Superb like Gigue Fugue and Toccata and Fugue in D minor and also two Arrangements Now we thank all God and Come Sweet Death
A formidable technique. My fellow organ majors always disparaged Virgil, but I think he was a very inspirational organist. And, if one listens only to his performance, it's good. I think some 'serious' musicians were turned off by his showmanship, but I was not. He brought the organ to the people.
(continued) Also, if Fox played this at a normal pace their would be nothing to distinguish him from the rest. I've heard him play Widor's Toccata faster than I ever thought humanly possible, and while it is far too fast, I will always remember that only Virgil Fox had the manual dexterity for that particular tempo
I first heard Fox at Trinity Cathedral, Miami in 1964 - it's like he and Aeolian-Skinner were made for each other. What music !! He had such a level of technique he was free to make amazing music as it flowed through him into the organ and into our ears. The sad truth is the audio technology of the times, as now, is too inferior to record and reproduce the sound and range of the organ. That's why the Beatles, who admitted they weren't that good, became popular. I always play his wonderful arrangement of "Fanfares" from Parsifal Easter morning in memorium. Thank God for Virgil Fox!
read my note below...VF was a passionate master -- who the hell cares about technical proficiency when there's no passion??? music is to enjoy -- both passively and actively, and he enjoyed music in spades, and those of us who 'got him', 'get it'...
Virgil Fox himself often spoke of the "purists" and would follow that by saying he would put his organ playing up against anyone; "bring 'em on." it was in the late 1940's and our church organist was a music major at the Univ. of Colorado. he spoke of meeting Virgil Fox. he, and fellow students referred to Virgil as "Crazy Virgil," with reference to how up tempo he would be on some of his interpretations. nonetheless, they used the term lovingly. as for me, Bravo, Mr. Virgil Fox. well done.
God bless the great Virgil, of sainted memory. Those who can't hear the blazing vitality of his Bach have wax in their ears. There's no doubt at all in my mind the great Johann Sebastian would have loved Fox's playing.
..oy, please!!! the man had passion and fire radiating out of his fingers and he played as if he was speaking directly to God -- how dare you discount this master for abjectly minor mistakes while performing on a knife's edge to the ethers... he was amazing!!!
@ChuckDeFuque . Super to hear from someone who was actually there.You were a part of history. Thanks for rememebring. David Snyder,,Lumierist Creator of Heavy Organ Touring Productions
Enjoy Virgil Fox's interpretation and the music, more power to you. I fell in love with Bach's music 40 years ago. Fox's major critics (not on youtube)said that his stop choices were anachronistic; these were the Back to Baroque or historical informed cadre. Bach on a Period Harpsichord instead of a Modern Piano. I wrote in response to another stating this wasn't the most demanding piece of Bach or for the Organ for that matter. On some pieces VF style works, on others it leaves me cold.
@dangerfan2005 He was AMAZING, and I was fortunate enough to see one of his 'heavy organ' concerts at the Frank LLoyd Wright designed Marin Civic Center... just before Mr. Fox passed away.... It was an AMAZING experience that I recall VIVIDLY to this day... Some say that Fox dropped acid before at least some of his concerts -- frankly i don't give a damn whether he did nor not -- his performances were once in a lifetime experiences and I'm GRATEFUL to GOD that I saw one...
Good point--yes, I refer to the former. I take it for granted that those of us in this medium understand the French Romantic genre refers to those around the Cavialle-Coll (sp?) era.
virgil demonstrated here how a modern, EVOLVED instrument, endowed with vast resources and controlled by a five-manual console could interpret the music of j. s. bach. so many nay-sayers enjoy pointing out the mistakes. personally, i only hope i can learn to play this piece as well before i die.
a singular composition filled with a deep understanding of the power of music. who is anyone to say that bach would not have wanted to have it performed on an "evolved" instrument?" ALL of his other works are performed today on "modern" instruments. why not the organ?
I'm not usually a fan of Fox's playing but I have to say I like this rendition. Though, maybe it's just me, but the stops he's chosen sound really rough...
When I first heard him perform this piece at riverside (cf. Command Vinyl Disk "Virgil Fox at the Organ Plays ....") I thought it was too hard to listen to. Growing up Catholic, I'd never heard the organ played that forcefully before. Then again, I also had a hard time getting into the French Romantic literature, too--for the same reasons.
Virgil Fox had a specific agenda. He brought organ music to a different audience than those who are the know-it-alls/musical snobs who like historical performance practice. Someone not of those two groups likely couldn't even embrace that concept. it was increasing the popularity of the organ for which he truly does have merit. Having said that: as a trained organist, I think blazing through this piece, I think, glosses over so many fun things that Bach has already created. Why overblow it all?
For the dozen or so videos I have watched about Virgil Fox, people either say he's brilliant, genius and technically-skilled or they say he is awful, stale and full of mistakes. I don't know whether those in TH-cam are really experts who are reviewing his playing or people who have strong views and want to give a solid piece of their mind. All I know is that Virgil Fox doesn't emphasise on maestro-like perfection and rigid styles typical of many famous organ players.
J S Bach and Mr. Fox were great organists. I have heard equally spirited performances by others:Walter Kraft, E Power Biggs, et al. As to the sheer level of technique, other than in the Fugue's Subject and Answer in the Pedal, and the Pedal flourishes at end, this isn't that demanding a piece. The Fugue is a subject accompanied with chords, rather than a sophisticated counter subject. Anyone who can play the Trio Sonatas of Bach would have no difficulty performing this work.
Try Prelude and Fugue in D Major posted by bishfan 20th Century Organs or BWV 532 1/2 or Bach Prelude in D major, BWV 532 on you tube. Or if you want to hear a Bach vintage Organ that he played try either Praeludium BWV 532 Koopman - Arp Schnitger organ or Concertato Prelude from Prelude and Fugue in D BWV 532. The latter 2 are on tracker action, the organist isn't assisted by electro-pneumatic action, more difficult to play. Take a hike indeed! Anyone can post their opinions on you tube.
oh brother -- some of the pomposity and arrogance of those who criticize mere technique and fail to grasp the sheer joy and mastery of this profoundly great artist!!! what oatmeal/pablum such people spread, while listening and watching virgil fox just have a great time eliciting masterful music for the ears of God.... shame on you!
Honestly, as an organist, I don't have much to criticize about Virgil's playing. His techniques is impeccable and his interpretation standard Widor-Schweitzer. The only thing I will say is that his incessant manual and registration changes is kind of silly. They don't really add anything to the overall impression--but they are Widor-Schweitzer!
Fox was a jazz organist. That is not a corruption of Bach, but part of the tradition of classical music., in which musicians interpreted and modified the original composition. The purist camp is fairly recent, and a radical break with tradition. Oh, and by the way--nobody knows exactly how Bach originally intended the work to be performed. It's all a matter of opinion. And as Lou Reed said, opinions are like assholes; everyone has one. We don't need to see yours.
I would strongly argue that. Purists have been around as long as there have been music schools. I can't tell you the hours I've spent on the bench polishing a phrase so that my teacher would say it "sang" well enough.
with all due respect, your perspective is flawed. first, and foremost, virgil was not a jazz organist but recognized as one of the most accomplished classical organists of the 20th century. the "purist camp" actually began in 1956, when the "know-it-alls" decided to agree with an engineer and untrained, amateur organist, charles fisk, who declared the organ a "dead instrument" that could only be revived by returning to the organ-building standards of the 18th century. this has nearly prevented the instrument from EVOLVING, like every other. oh, and by the way, not knowing how baroque compositions are to be performed is nothing new!! today, we accept all kinds of interpretations from all kinds of musicians and groups, EXCEPT ORGANISTS. virgil had the right idea and he was a consummate musician. he will never be equaled.
Such a true mastery... Yet, I am still uncertain if Virgil's grand interpretation is better than the "musty, aged" conservative interpretations. I certainly know that I would much have rather seen Virgil perform this then some "dead" interpretation! Virgil Fox Forever!
So Virgil has been gone for 37 years now and people are still arguing about him? HE WOULD BE DELIGHTED!!!
he is the "mario lanza" of the organ. he has never been equaled and the "know-it-alls" refuse to let go of their ill-conceived opinions.
@Fredrik Larsson Well spoken!
@@josephgraif2588 Oh my. Mario Lanza? Please. Fox was a million times better organist than Lanza was a singer.
When ever I'm down, watching and remembering Virgil always puts me up! Virgil used to say "when you've got blues Bach can put you right up!" For me it's the combination of Bach AND Virgil!
How wonderful to see and hear once again the greatest organist of all time. I was privileged to be in attendance at ten or twelve of his performances. He was a MASTER OF REGISTRATION,!!!!
I saw him at a benefit concert for Court Street Methodist Church in Rockford, IL after the church was rebuilt after a devastating fire. The entire pipe organ was replaced with state of the art including an antiphonal organ at the rear of the church. The entire Sanctuary was vibrating with visceral music that could be felt in every molecule of my body. What a surreal experience. I am forever grateful for that experience. It changed my soul.
I first met Virgil at the University of Delaware and he put me on the edge of my seething and still does. I was in a bad slump he knew my teacher the late great Clarence Snyder. I think was maybe 13 years old and met Bach two years prior. Virgil told me to give his regards to Dr. Snyder and told me to go play the organ tomorrow, you have been lifted. Lifted I was did two arrangements of hymns and a great head rush. Rest In Peace Virgil and thank Bach for the inspiration he gave me. Jerry Hawkins
Love the way he brings the fugal initiative voices to life with imaginative registration...especially in 'Prelude' part..sure as hell made a party of that fugue...!
Remember Virgil, always! He brought Bach to all of us 60's and 70's rock-n-rollers! RIP,Virgil.
I am a trained organist, too. I believe that Virgil has brought out for this particular moment many more fun things than are usually heard. My training is historical scholarship-based. The music isn't locked into that alone. The phrasing here is just marvelous, the music fresh and living in today's world. like Mendelssohn playing Bach in his world.
Every note need not be correct. The emotion projected superbly portrays Bach's intended impression on your mind. Fox is underappreciated. Just AWSOME!
If there's one thing that set Virgil Fox apart from his contemporaries it was his gut instinct for the music. He was never a slave to "authentic" performances. He followed his heart and in doing so, exposed Old Man Bach and others to audiences that would have never listened if purists had had their way.
He was one of the only organists that was able to play the Wanamaker organ with its 5 keyboards and over 600 stops. He not only played most of the worlds most renown organs, he also played the worlds greatest experimental organs (Rogers Touring Organs). He was a wonderful human being! God speed, Dr Fox. God speed!
I saw Virgil 35 years ago and will never forget that concert. I fell in love with Bach that night. That fugue is just on fire. Bach was just amazing.All the fugues have their own character. I cannot play like him, but I love this music like he does. Critics like to tear him down with these comments about how easy the music is, forget that. If you enjoy it, enjoy it.
Say what you will about this man, but Virgil Fox was one of the greatest. He brings life and vitality to Bach's music. We are all the better for it. God Bless his memory! Amen!
Virgil. Wow. What a legend. Stunning playing, free and uninhibited. Brilliant showman who adored his adoring audience.
I think only God can offer such inspiration to compose such a piece.
He was amazing. His feet moved so fast.
Note perfection is a weird disease. To me more important is feeling the music. I love how Virgil plays this. Most people that are overly critical are just jealous. I like the tempo of the fugue, seems almost too fast but the music calls for it. Somehow it just makes this organ sing and I love it. I agree, he makes Bach greatness shine.
this man rocked....I got to experience him in the 70s.....I was watching Ray Manzarek and his name popped up.....this man inspired my lifelong love affair with all things keyboards....you live on Mr Fox.....
You must remember that although Fox was quite the showman and used registration I wouldn't use in this piece ever, he was also perhaps the world's top virtuoso organist. I'm sure that Fox had his heart and soul in this piece. He adored Bach.
I love Fox's playing. He's so energetic and athletic, and he clearly loves the music. Sure he misses a bunch of notes, but I still love it. Bach greatness emerges in many different interpretations.
Magnificent.... I have heard this played by many who are great organists... but no one.... NO ONE .... brings out the magnificence of this piece like Virgil does... He gives the piece time to breath and thats what his great genius is.... He knew what Bach wanted..... it is hardly mechanical.... and all the other musicians seem to want to just get to the dorian and forget this part.
I've read most of the comments on Virgil Fox playing this Bach Toccata, so there isn't much more to say other than I am completely OVERWHELMED with his playing and dramatics. Mr. Fox was more than a musician; he had SHOWMANSHIP! He sparkled , and had that something I find missing from most...he LOVED playing! Thank You! BRAVA!
We were lucky enough to see the Virgil Fox light show in St. Paul, MN. Of course, we don't have any cell phone videos of the performance!
Had to re visit this...Just love the way how he uses the organ here...second to none...masterclass in showmanship!
Virgil Fox was a Great master of the instrument and I'm glad to see so many people posting the truth of that in appreciation for all that he did to further the cause of Bach and the pipe organ. R.I.P. Great One!
I remember my Organ Epiphany.47 yrs ago.Opened up an LP:Organ Music from France. Virgil played the Scherzo from Vierne's 2nd Sym.Said to myself,"I didn't know organ music could be like this!"Been hooked ever since.His Heavy Organ concerts at Wolf Trap: 6,000 folks showed up to sit in the rain(& get ripped).Any criticism you make of Virgil has already been made many times, but the man could put on a show,& he put organ music before 1,000s of people who wouldn't have heard it otherwise.
Whatever reasons some (including myself) might be critical of certain aspects of his approach to certain works, it CANNOT be denied that this D Major is the most astonishing performance of it I've ever heard. AND it's totally Bach. There is not a thing wrong with it. Bach would have been THRILLED if he saw this. Bravo, Fox! These videos captured your great achievements.
This guy is great! Of course there are organists on You Tube who don't "make mistakes", but who cares. Virgil has thought through his music meticulously, he loves his music, he loves performing it, and he has a lot to say when he plays. I keep coming back to listen to his performance over the guys who don't "make mistakes". And what a testimony to the greatest composer who ever lived. Sola gloria Dei! (forgive my Latin but you get the point)
What a great man to have shared his time with us! I do miss him so!
@Kippsky45 As far as I know, Virgil Fox was the only classical artist to perform at Bill Grahm's Fillmore East in the 70's. He received a standing ovation from the crowd! He had quite a bit to say on how Bach's work was not being played the way it was written. It was meant to be played with emotion and a strong sense of life!
What I find most astonishing, in spite of the obvious mistakes, is that he had MEMORIZED this monumental work.
first, regarding the "mistakes", he was dying of cancer and wearing a diaper when he played this concert. at the age of nineteen, while a student at Peabody, he performed five concerts from memory. he NEVER made use of scores in concert. he was a singular master of the organ.
Since I was introduced to him by his concert at the Filmore in 1970, and lost touch of him some years later, Thanks to his concert in my ear lately some 36 years after his passing I wonder if this man was truly an apparition sent by God to fulfill us then return to heaven to play the organ in his other life.
VF knew the right notes as well as the others. I remember him playing his last concert at Ocean Grove when he could barely walk and he still was a consummate musician for ALL seasons who used the organ as his medium. Of course, the "historical gestapo" had it in for him his entire career - so what did they care about musicianship? Only the jealous 'vermin' in the ago nitpick 'split notes' in an ill musician. Virgil knew the rules in detail from the inside out. However, thousands of people don't go/pay/get tickets to hear 'the rules' typed out in a museum. This is the cognitive dissonance that plagues the field. Virgil knew it.
Only Doug Marshall, Virgil's protege, can play the bravado like Virgil since he was taught by him for 10 years. It appears Virgil groomed Doug to carry on the Fox genius God given talent and when Doug and his team come back to Kravis in West Palm Florida, I'll be in the audience, Virgil!
Edward Coluzzi: Are you referring to the Doug Marshall of Marshall & Ogletree organ fame?
utterly magnificent!!! this is what bach would have sounded like playing alone in leipzig cathedral at 3am when no one was listening when he was playing for God and no one else...
I saw him play at the Fillmore East in New York, and it was a fantastic show.
Totally agree. I attended five of Fox's performances during the 70's and each time, I was in awe of his amazing talent - and for bringing the great music of BACH to the people. Incredible talent.
This work must be felt...not just heard. Great music right here!
I know Virgil Fox have Passion for Bach some of his rendition and Arrangement from Bach's Composition for Organ are truly Superb like Gigue Fugue and Toccata and Fugue in D minor and also two Arrangements Now we thank all God and Come Sweet Death
Virgil’s organ music is just incredible. I love to crank it up so you can feel it in your chest on those pedal passages!
Awesome as always. Saw his performances many times, and I never, ever tire of listening to him. Very grateful for his talent.
A Master at the console. And a heck of a character. Thanks for posting this gem.
A formidable technique. My fellow organ majors always disparaged Virgil, but I think he was a very inspirational organist. And, if one listens only to his performance, it's good. I think some 'serious' musicians were turned off by his showmanship, but I was not. He brought the organ to the people.
the organ is the king of instruments , and virgil fox is one of the greates of today . gs
wow
He is a brilliant organist. and so in touch with the music
That's how I will play the beginning of this prelude from now on. Takes the scariness out of it!
(continued) Also, if Fox played this at a normal pace their would be nothing to distinguish him from the rest. I've heard him play Widor's Toccata faster than I ever thought humanly possible, and while it is far too fast, I will always remember that only Virgil Fox had the manual dexterity for that particular tempo
fox loved magnificent music,and he loved playing it-obviously
live performance,played from memory one word somes it all up FANTASTICO!!
I first heard Fox at Trinity Cathedral, Miami in 1964 - it's like he and Aeolian-Skinner were made for each other. What music !! He had such a level of technique he was free to make amazing music as it flowed through him into the organ and into our ears. The sad truth is the audio technology of the times, as now, is too inferior to record and reproduce the sound and range of the organ. That's why the Beatles, who admitted they weren't that good, became popular. I always play his wonderful arrangement of "Fanfares" from Parsifal Easter morning in memorium. Thank God for Virgil Fox!
Super pedal technique. Bach would be proud of your performance. That was outstanding.
Virgil was GREAT!
Glorioso Virgil !!!!
Maestro!!!!!!
When I found out that he passed, I was depressed for quite a long time. He was my youth with his concerts..
read my note below...VF was a passionate master -- who the hell cares about technical proficiency when there's no passion??? music is to enjoy -- both passively and actively, and he enjoyed music in spades, and those of us who 'got him', 'get it'...
The great Virgil Fox. Such an amazing musician
Virgil Fox himself often spoke of the "purists" and would follow that by saying he would put his organ playing up against anyone; "bring 'em on." it was in the late 1940's and our church organist was a music major at the Univ. of Colorado. he
spoke of meeting Virgil Fox. he, and fellow students referred to Virgil as "Crazy
Virgil," with reference to how up tempo he would be on some of his interpretations. nonetheless, they used the term lovingly. as for me, Bravo, Mr. Virgil Fox. well done.
Greatest organist for sure!
God bless the great Virgil, of sainted memory. Those who can't hear the blazing vitality of his Bach have wax in their ears. There's no doubt at all in my mind the great Johann Sebastian would have loved Fox's playing.
Thanks for this terrific video. It's a thrilling performance of an amazing work.
..oy, please!!! the man had passion and fire radiating out of his fingers and he played as if he was speaking directly to God -- how dare you discount this master for abjectly minor mistakes while performing on a knife's edge to the ethers... he was amazing!!!
God, I love this man and his God given talent that he went the2nd mile with. Totally unconventional, but unbelievable talent and charisma!God
Master organist playing a great work.
The Best! Forever......Great Virgil, thank you!!!!
Wow! Fascinating! Even if I didn't like Bach (which mostly I do), I would be inspired. Fox really brings it to life!
@ChuckDeFuque .
Super to hear from someone who was actually there.You were a part of history. Thanks for rememebring.
David Snyder,,Lumierist
Creator of Heavy Organ Touring Productions
whoa... this is the Baptism sequence from the godfather!
Enjoy Virgil Fox's interpretation and the music, more power to you. I fell in love with Bach's music 40 years ago. Fox's major critics (not on youtube)said that his stop choices were anachronistic; these were the Back to Baroque or historical informed cadre. Bach on a Period Harpsichord instead of a Modern Piano. I wrote in response to another stating this wasn't the most demanding piece of Bach or for the Organ for that matter. On some pieces VF style works, on others it leaves me cold.
amazingly virtuosic.
@dangerfan2005 He was AMAZING, and I was fortunate enough to see one of his 'heavy organ' concerts at the Frank LLoyd Wright designed Marin Civic Center... just before Mr. Fox passed away.... It was an AMAZING experience that I recall VIVIDLY to this day... Some say that Fox dropped acid before at least some of his concerts -- frankly i don't give a damn whether he did nor not -- his performances were once in a lifetime experiences and I'm GRATEFUL to GOD that I saw one...
Good point--yes, I refer to the former. I take it for granted that those of us in this medium understand the French Romantic genre refers to those around the Cavialle-Coll (sp?) era.
Fantastico
WOW ! what power.
I love Virgil but I'm not sure if I liked the beginning of the Prelude. But it really comes down to interpretation so I respect that.
pure genius!
Oh come on. Who knows how Bach played these things? This is fantastic Bach. I wouldn't want it any other way.
Awsome!
I don't remember the day,i saw Virgil at the Northrup Auditorium with the light show and the dry ice.Does anybody remember when that was?
Most of Bach's music does not have the registrations specified so the organist is usually free to interpret it however they feel best.
I played this piece from memory on my Junior Recital. Virgil's tempi scare me!
virgil demonstrated here how a modern, EVOLVED instrument, endowed with vast resources and controlled by a five-manual console could interpret the music of j. s. bach. so many nay-sayers enjoy pointing out the mistakes. personally, i only hope i can learn to play this piece as well before i die.
That pedal stuff at the end looks hard.
a singular composition filled with a deep understanding of the power of music. who is anyone to say that bach would not have wanted to have it performed on an "evolved" instrument?" ALL of his other works are performed today on "modern" instruments. why not the organ?
I'm not usually a fan of Fox's playing but I have to say I like this rendition. Though, maybe it's just me, but the stops he's chosen sound really rough...
Applying the entire body
When I first heard him perform this piece at riverside (cf. Command Vinyl Disk "Virgil Fox at the Organ Plays ....") I thought it was too hard to listen to. Growing up Catholic, I'd never heard the organ played that forcefully before. Then again, I also had a hard time getting into the French Romantic literature, too--for the same reasons.
spoken like a true know-it-all. im quite sure you could perform just as well as Mr. Fox.
Virgil Fox had a specific agenda. He brought organ music to a different audience than those who are the know-it-alls/musical snobs who like historical performance practice. Someone not of those two groups likely couldn't even embrace that concept. it was increasing the popularity of the organ for which he truly does have merit.
Having said that: as a trained organist, I think blazing through this piece, I think, glosses over so many fun things that Bach has already created. Why overblow it all?
why are all baroque works played at "blazing" tempi today? nobody complains about it unless the organ is involved.
For the dozen or so videos I have watched about Virgil Fox, people either say he's brilliant, genius and technically-skilled or they say he is awful, stale and full of mistakes. I don't know whether those in TH-cam are really experts who are reviewing his playing or people who have strong views and want to give a solid piece of their mind. All I know is that Virgil Fox doesn't emphasise on maestro-like perfection and rigid styles typical of many famous organ players.
the first dj
J S Bach and Mr. Fox were great organists. I have heard equally spirited performances by others:Walter Kraft, E Power Biggs, et al. As to the sheer level of technique, other than in the Fugue's Subject and Answer in the Pedal, and the Pedal flourishes at end, this isn't that demanding a piece. The Fugue is a subject accompanied with chords, rather than a sophisticated counter subject. Anyone who can play the Trio Sonatas of Bach would have no difficulty performing this work.
Try Prelude and Fugue in D Major posted by bishfan 20th Century Organs or BWV 532 1/2 or Bach Prelude in D major, BWV 532 on you tube. Or if you want to hear a Bach vintage Organ that he played try either Praeludium BWV 532 Koopman - Arp Schnitger organ or Concertato Prelude from Prelude and Fugue in D BWV 532. The latter 2 are on tracker action, the organist isn't assisted by electro-pneumatic action, more difficult to play. Take a hike indeed! Anyone can post their opinions on you tube.
You GO GIRL! Virgil always ROCKED! One of my fav. Bach pieces. The damn pedal passages blow my mind!
+Jeff Blythe ....superb technic....
+Jeff Blythe ....superb technic....
Jeff. the word is "pedal." Not "peddle."
Was stoned at the time. My apologies. I "fixed" it...
oh brother -- some of the pomposity and arrogance of those who criticize mere technique and fail to grasp the sheer joy and mastery of this profoundly great artist!!! what oatmeal/pablum such people spread, while listening and watching virgil fox just have a great time eliciting masterful music for the ears of God.... shame on you!
@garebear1015 Some of us do. Thanks for being thee and remembering.
I don't know much about the organ, but he seems pretty good.
Honestly, as an organist, I don't have much to criticize about Virgil's playing. His techniques is impeccable and his interpretation standard Widor-Schweitzer. The only thing I will say is that his incessant manual and registration changes is kind of silly. They don't really add anything to the overall impression--but they are Widor-Schweitzer!
@kknots what silliness
please explain...
@dangerfan2005 Virgil once said, "Purists are those who talk about it and can't do it!" I couldn't agree more.
Fox was a jazz organist. That is not a corruption of Bach, but part of the tradition of classical music., in which musicians interpreted and modified the original composition. The purist camp is fairly recent, and a radical break with tradition. Oh, and by the way--nobody knows exactly how Bach originally intended the work to be performed. It's all a matter of opinion. And as Lou Reed said, opinions are like assholes; everyone has one. We don't need to see yours.
I would strongly argue that. Purists have been around as long as there have been music schools. I can't tell you the hours I've spent on the bench polishing a phrase so that my teacher would say it "sang" well enough.
with all due respect, your perspective is flawed. first, and foremost, virgil was not a jazz organist but recognized as one of the most accomplished classical organists of the 20th century. the "purist camp" actually began in 1956, when the "know-it-alls" decided to agree with an engineer and untrained, amateur organist, charles fisk, who declared the organ a "dead instrument" that could only be revived by returning to the organ-building standards of the 18th century. this has nearly prevented the instrument from EVOLVING, like every other. oh, and by the way, not knowing how baroque compositions are to be performed is nothing new!! today, we accept all kinds of interpretations from all kinds of musicians and groups, EXCEPT ORGANISTS. virgil had the right idea and he was a consummate musician. he will never be equaled.
Such a true mastery...
Yet, I am still uncertain if Virgil's grand interpretation is better than the "musty, aged" conservative interpretations. I certainly know that I would much have rather seen Virgil perform this then some "dead" interpretation! Virgil Fox Forever!
The counterpoint's all there, pal. If you can't hear it, then it's your ears are at fault.
MIGHTY NICE I DO SAY SO MY SELF
Performance, amazing. Complaints, wet, pedantic, and jealous.
I only speak the truth. I speak as a trained organist also ; as a musicologist ; as a performer ; and, as an interpreter.