andrew ashdown What a wonderful thought... I am forever looking for eyewitness accounts of the great man playing to get as close as possible to imagining what it was like...
@@chrrev1 I always love stories about his improvising. Evidently he was fired from multiple churches because he would, I’m sure playing very well, but sort of screw around. Hahaha
I do the same while playing the violin and I only realized it after filming myself which made me super self-conscious. It’s like my entire brain and being is so focused on the music that I lose control over my face.
@@cosmopoliteness It's reasonable and understandable to feel self conscious about making "weird" expressions while playing and enjoying music, but it's perfectly fine to have such movements and expressions. In fact it serves as proof of your passion and enjoyment.
I understand that after Bach's death his family used some of his unpublished works to wrap around tree trunks to protect them from freezing weather. All you can do is weep..
@@SatNav37564 The absence of phones has nothing to do with it. And they are the least noticeable change that's happened since Bach's time. There are still many hard-working and intelligent people today.
Some sad comments here. Doeselaar is renowned throughout Europe for his musicianship and artistry. You should judge him by what you hear. That is all that matters.
I enjoy watching all of his videos not only for his expertise but the fact that he is an animated player. It's like performing to him is on an emotional level. I have also seen derogatory comments about one of Hans Andre Stamm's videos because he sat so still while playing. I guess you and I appreciate the talent above the"presentation".
Doeselaar's execution of the Fugue is magnificent beyond all measure. The tempo moves along with precision. Each line is clearly audible so that the voices can be heard independently and together. Bach would be proud.
If he could play the music rather than theater that would be fine...... He is so aware he is filmed. Horrible. This not music. THERE ARE testomnies of Bach playing. He used not to move at all. The emotion WAS in THE music.
Louise X, I am sorry for my inadequate English. I believe that van Doeselaar belongs to the HIP-musicans, they make attempt to bring the old music closer to the original style. For that reason ot is unfair to compare this performance to Alain and Walcha. For me who think it is important to restore this old music, Alain and Walcha is not interesting anymore.
but his enjoying the taste of each note makes it a bit slow. I like Peter Hurford's tempo but I cant find him playing large enough German instrument with a proper bass and echo like this one. (not Hurford though) th-cam.com/video/-Br08w4qd80/w-d-xo.html
You will never find a more passionate organist. The way he illustrates music with his hands and his full body is just unbelievable. And that music is not coming only from his hands but also from his heart. He is definitely my ultimate favorite organist in the world. Thank god he specializes in early music. And also that baroque tuned organ is awesome and works realy well for this piece. Also thank you Netherlands Bach Society for giving us the possibility to have all of Bach’s works available to every person FOR FREE! Again thank you 🙏🏻!
Only the truly great ones can play with the same effect and the strongest passion without twitching and swooning. A very rare thing indeed. The highest accomplishment.
Quite unbelievable that a human being can be capable of such technical mastery and musical expression all at once. He appears to be simultaneously conducting an orchestra, singing and dancing with his hands and feet. My mind is blown 💥
Together with BWV 543 en BWV 582 the greatest piece of organ music of all time for me. The oftener you hear it, the more you are amazed. Both pieces reconcile you with life. After this nothing has to be said. There IS a purpose of life: listening to this.
The fantasia is like the soul struggling against the darkness of the world and finally overcoming. The fugue is like a rapturous dance of triumph once the soul escapes this darkness and soars towards the heavens, in a constantly evolving dance.
Everything is simpler: he gives us his heart along with the music. Only in this way does music become great and lift our souls up to goodness, to purity, to truth! We 😊 will survive, because the Truth is with us.
That sudden shift to e flat minor after that D7 scale at 2:30 gets under my skin every single time. As if that wasn't expressive enough yet, Bach of course had to back it up with this incredible ascending chromatic bassline. But who else could have done such insane modulations in an instrumental piece? When I heard the Fantasia for the first time, I immediately felt reminded of the incredibly powerful accompagnato recitatives from his later Matthäuspassion.
Very true, one of some epic moments in this fantasia! also analyzing these chords can give some interesting ideas about harmony in general The way how smooth and yet interesting harmonic changes sound in Bach's music often make me think that he felt something in music in a different way, I can't say that other great composers leave the same impression for me with the way they utilize harmony in their music, although all of them have fantastic, sublime ideas in many pieces that I love, and I listen them more than I listen Bach now, but still, I'll try to describe this thing: The way he modulates really often, creating harmonic 'labyrinths' (mazes) in his music, which sometimes make you forget which part of the piece you're listening now, because it's a maze, they are not an absolutely mathematical and overly-complicated constructios, they flow so naturally, everything is vibrant and alive, and more than that, music somehow doesn't lose that hardly-describable feeling of direction created by harmony in his pieces, he knows how to make modulation smooth, which makes you feel subtle 'flourishing', and then a bit later he introduces 'weirder' stuff, it's often 'poignant' and bright, with some chromatic fun, and you usually don't expect that, he manages not to add too much, not to make it too 'off', simple modulations still leave feeling of emotion and purpose and don't drown in surrounding music, so that every change from major to minor feels sort of really clear, subtle changes in harmony are subtle changes of mood, as if he's beginning a new chapter in a story, but the movement of music never stops, sections don't contrast as much as in Scarlatti's sonatas, it's all subtle and yet so precise and powerful I'm really wondering if other people listening Bach think about this too, even if they don't have any idea about music theory, because the way Bach treats harmony is so precise and his ideas are so clear often, that you sort of can start to appreciate what is cool about harmony in general, through his pieces, it was like that for me in my journey through classical music :D
@@alexanderbayramov2626 Exactly. Bach is different to the others. Other's music can be summed up as a brilliant melody or line, accompanied by other things. Bach is fundamentally multiple brilliant melodies and ideas playing out simultaneously, in a brilliant configuration. Everything makes sense. Bach understood counterpoint to such a degree, that even the less-popular works in his repertoire, are more developed than the masterpieces of his peers. I'll take the ascending fourths/descending fifths sequence as a single example. Vivaldi and Scarlatti as masters this sequence, but their greatest developments of this sequence, are mundane (no exaggeration!) by Bach's standard. For example, in the first fugue of BWV 910, there is a three voice stretto on this theme, where the same motif is played simultaneously in three voices, around the circle of fifths - i don't think the aforementioned composers could conceive such an idea; it was just too advanced for them to think about, (no slight or insult to the composers).
@@christianindividual4550 True. Bach's use of sequences and schematas is often much more elaborate and refined, especially in fugal textures, the suspensions are so staggeringly complex that you can barely make out the underlying schema. His use if dissonances is also way more liberal so he can indeed put much more counterpunctal material in shorter amounts of space. Look just at the first c major fugue of the Well-Tempered Clavier where the strettos lead to some intervals that would just by themselves sound really awkward together. Bach goes way beyond the more simple tricks of the Neapolitan school where you essentially just have a schematic theme that essentially dictates its own countersubjects and free counterpoint. The free interlude sections are the more difficult parts because you have to smoothly puzzle them together with the theme's sequential model. Bach does this as well in his mid-life fugues, such as this one. The theme is a sequence of descending fifths. It's the same for the BWV 543 fugue. The most significant way these fugues differ from the 'standard' is their length and the staggering amount of subject entries. But Bach takes way more liberties after that and disguises the sequential nature of the music more and more. This is also coincidentally why Bach makes a terrible case study for all of those students who want to learn how to write a fugue. You can't just replicate a WTC fugue as a beginner. It will always sound awkward. I'd always advise to check out Handel, Corelli and partimentos by Durante, Fenaroli and others. Learn schematas and thoroughbass, then later learn how to give them little twists like the great master did.
@@maniak1768 Thank you very much for the information, and especially for the tips at the end. I always wondered what was going on in his mind. Bach seemed to understand and manipulate intervals in ways that others did not.
This old man is putting on a master class by example on musicality as it pertains to the performance of Bach's organ works. It never ceases to amaze me how many skilled and talented organists seem to fail to understand the art of musical expression; and it's something so important to doing Bach's great works justice to the listener (especially to the non-musician listener).
@@davebarclay4429 I am 50 now, when i was 15 a man of 50 seemed very old to me! Now i feel much better than i did at the age of 30. Ok as long as i do not look in the mirror! Hihi!
Bach continued to write dramatic, powerful, and intricate music like this in a time when people were pushing for things to be simpler, happier, and easier to play and listen to.
I have just caught this and OMG Doeselaar' soul was laid bear on that keyboard . each and every note come from the very core of Doeselaar's being. Bach would be in awe of such a performance.
Jacob Wilhelm Lustig, who was later organist at the organ in this video (Martinikerk Groningen), was also present at Bach's concert in 1720 when Bach presumably played this piece - or at least the fugue. He later remarked that Bach's playing made him feel "like his soul was on fire!"
I too feel like my soul is on fire, when I lose myself, wandering hither and thither in the fantasia, then making my way home at last in this mighty fugue. Amen!
Bach’s solo organ works are easily some of the most underrated pieces of baroque music that’s out there. Contrapuntally and harmonically rich, and very expressive compared to a lot of baroque pieces from the same era. This organist is absolutely phenomenal and I hope to attend one of his recitals and/or a masterclass.
I don't think you'll find many organists who underrate Bach's works! The problem is that organ music is regarded as a niche interest and inevitably associated with the church. I knew of one newspaper music critic (now fortunately deceased) who point-blank refused to report on organ concerts on the basis that they were only for organ fans and not "proper" music lovers. Faced with that sort of ignorance and prejudice it's no wonder that organ music, even by Bach, is underrated by non-organists.
La plus belle interprétation qui ait jamais été faite de cette oeuvre. On ne s'en lasse pas! Bach demeure et de loin, le plus grand de tous les musiciens !
ปีที่แล้ว +2
Ex-aequo avec l'interprétation de Janssen sur l'orgue Arendt du musée des Augustins de Toulouse 😉
One of the most famous organ pieces from J. S. B., i listened to it many times, but this time my ear was really brought to understand and follow musical figures I never heard so clear in any other performance.
All of Bach. This wonderful project should be undertaken by the European Union. Don't you think you need to preserve your heritage? More credit to the Netherlands Bach Society for it's labour of love. Thank you for a most exhilarating performance Mr. Leo van Doeselaar. Can't think of any other human activity that compares with the mastery of the pipe organ! Kudos.
Deze man gaat zo diep in de muziek dat het eigenlijk grappig is om te zien hoe hij ongegeneerd hij dit machtige instrument met al zijn kracht en gevoel kan temmen. Maar al bij al, prachtige diepgaande muziek op een prachtig orgel en voor mij, een van de beste Nederlandse organisten die ik ken en die mij diep kan raken met zijn spel. Proficiat !! Orgelbouwer, Marc nagels, België
This recording is one of the *most awesome* I've ever heard on the magnificent BWV 542 ... and trust me, I've heard _tons_ of them! The player is absolutely one with his playing, that's spectacular and fascinating. Hats down, I respectfully kneel, as I know I would need much more than one simple life to achieve such a skill.
Mr. van Doeselaar is fantastic here, also "The Green Monster" sounds fabulous and is recorded very nicely. There is a nice possibility "to have a taste" of the same piece on the same organ by Benjamin Righetti. Very very nice also. And sound engineer did it a bit differently. Here: th-cam.com/video/2ZBsdNro7_8/w-d-xo.html
This must be what peak power feels like. Man just sitting in his tower with lightning shooting off his fingertips laying down trials and tribulations upon the lands. Imagine how grateful you might feel sitting in that beautiful work of art and being able to bust out the loudest, mythical tunes of all time and no one tells you to shut up. You even have a little minion that turns pages for you.
When I hear Horowitz playing the piano, I am mesmerized. When I hear Van Doeselaar playing the organ, I am mesmerized. I cannot analyse, why it is possible or how it can happen. But I feel a strong energetic magnet field. Van Doeselaar is one of the greatest organists, who dedicate themselves to the music of J.S.Bach.
I have always been of the opinion that listening to Bach does something to your mind. I am not a musician but I do go to some other place when listening to Bach on an organ. For me it has nothing do do with any religion as I don't have one. There is something about this music that is all encompassing leaving the listener in some sort of higher place. I can fully understand how Leo is so possessed by this music while playing. He is totally immersed in what he is doing and is probably on some sort of uplifting journey when at the keyboard.
I agree. When I was a student in 1952 I would sit alone in the beautiful Lord Mayor’s Chapel in Bristol and hear the organist playing the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor and be transported to a higher place.
My favourite Bach organ work, where I feel he really lets himself go - the "headbanging" comment is apt - and to me a truly great performance needs a slightly uninhibited quality. With Leo van Doeselaar you can both hear it and see it! Certainly ranks among the truly greatest performances alongside (in my view) Peter Hurford, Helmut Walcha and Marie-Claire Alain.
EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BACH RECORDING IS FABULOUS. NOT JUST THE SOUND OF THE ORGAN WHICH IS BETTER THAN GOLD. ADD TO THIS THE ORGANIST WHO HAS PERFECT RHYTHMIC SENSE FOR PHRASE STRUCTURE. I LOVE IT. THE ASCENDING CHORDS ARE A SYMBOL FOR ASCENDING THE STEPS TO HEAVEN.
When I first saw this video and saw the way his head and left hand shaking in the first few seconds, I know it gonna be an excellent performance because he's fully into the music.
This passionate performance would satisfy Stanislavsky who asked his actors to give it all in their performance, as if they had the last day to live... What an incredibly moving piece! Even during our time the long descending bass line with sequential, following one another unresolved intense dissonances sounds shivering. And how daring it must have been like during composer’s time when such single chord was considered “a crime”... What a magnificent piece and the most amazing delivery of it too! Standing ovation!
I listen to this Fantasia and hyperventilate while thinking : " is it possible to write a better piece of music ? " ; there is a momentary pause and then Bach uses this incredible Fugue to explain so many ways in which it really is possible to write even greater music. Many thanks to the deranged organist: Leo van Doeselaar for understanding the exquisite explanation in the score, well enough to help me hear every note, harmony, and counterpoint argument as though it were a rigorous mathematical proof beyond doubt.
Splendidly played. Thank you. 👍 💖 Bach never once introduced a single extraneous note, while, at the same time, exhausted every conceivable "permutation" of his fugue subjects. There's no one like him - *Le Maître Suprême* of all serious musicians, past, present, and future.
@@RodCorkin At that time, Bach was considered as an outdated musician, and was greatly underestimated. The recognition of his greatness is relatively modern.
@@VictorHeuer Berlioz became aware of the Bach cult in the 1840s, he mentioned that people who knew nothing about Bach were suddenly announcing him as the greatest composer.
@@RodCorkin Answering to the deleted question: well, Berliotz sought different forms of composition, without following the standard adopted by Bach's advocates at that time, such as Felix Mendelssohn (who always sought to bring Berlioz to this group, implying that he would have to understand Bach's bass lines to be able to decently compose his own). He (Berlioz) was very successful in his work, without chasing the trend on Bach of his time, which I consider as something healthy for a musician concerned with his own style. Bach, for example, preferred to remain faithful to his own more conservative (and said outdated) style than to adhere to the gallant style that was in force at that time and pursued even by his sons Wilhelm Friedeman, Karl Phillip Emmanuel and Johann Christian, and by his friend George Phillip Telemann (at the end of his life).
I've just donated a small amount to the NBS. I honestly wish I could donate more, and will once I have the funds, but I am so glad to have done it because of the sheer quality of the pieces you make, my obsessive and eternal love for Bach, and the stylish presentation you make. Bravo.
als je deze man hoort spelen kunnen heel wat organisten opdoeken die zichzelf zo geweldig vinden en hun orgels niet aan anderen ter beschikking willen stellen..... Dit is zo ongelooflijk muzikaal en zo ontzettend goed !
I, for one, love to see the "seizure" movements of a passionate musician. There's nothing better than witnessing someone completely living in the music like this!
Maestro van Doeselaar is so good, such a marvelous performance to treasure forever! Many thanks to him and NBS and all involved in production, for this gift to the world! Greetings from Canada!
Nothing like head banging or simple emotional expression of the music. If you pay attention his head and mouth are moving with the absolute precision of a symphony conductor. In fact, a close observation of his so called ‘headbaning’ can teach a great deal about the music itself. Who cares anyway, this is one of the greatest performance of this piece I’ve ever been overpowered by and I’ve heard more than a few.
Это всегда невероятно!!! Каждый раз, когда я слушаю это произведение Баха передо мной предстаёт бесконечность вселенной, миллиарды звёзд, тысячи тысяч галактик. Эта БЕСКОНЕЧНОСТЬ мира, как он мог , по сути не зная о ней, так точно её описать в музыке!!!
Here is another Glenn Gould, possessed like him body and soul by music. Very fascinating to see and listen. The organ and the musician are outstanding, and the fugue is exciting and swinging, as all Bach's fugues, but this one more than ever.
An amazing aural experience. Thank you from Stephen in North Carolina/USA. By the way the reverberations in that cathedral are remarkable and stir my soul. I bet there is much demand by musical groups to have their concerts in that church.
This music blows away every rock concert ever made!! Johann Sebastian Bach is the God of Music! Fantasia and fugue in G minor BWV 542 This is the original HEAVY METAL: lead organ pipes
The greatest thanks 😊and appreciation To You, Maestro!👏👏 You are not only a real virtuoso - you give your SOUL to all listeners! My tears, my admiration! Thank you from my (100% Russian )💗 heart!
Something about Organ music is just so beautiful. I'm a Pianist myself, but I often find myself coming back to his Organ music and being in pure amazement about how his Piano works are only such a small part of Bach. If you ask me, with the exception of some truly great pieces, most of his beauty lies in his Organ music
You summarise things nicely! But the credit lies not only with the composer, but with the performer who conveyed this awe inspiring piece of music to our ears!
I’m pretty sure that this could be cacophony to some human ears, and they would not be at fault for that. No, this is far from being universally relevant, let alone some kind of ‘essence’ to “all” music. It does not have universality that applies to all listeners (and we’re only talking about humans!). On the other hand, I would say that time and rhythm, together with patterns, are the real Alpha and Omega of all (human and some animals’) music. To say that something like this, which is specially tailored for a select set of culture, is universal is to be extremely narrow-minded.
@@kevinwhitten2947 With what metric are you saying that Bach's music transcends culture? It doesn't even transcend time! His composed music was really popular only after he died, and has been declining since. His skill in improvising music is also underappreciated today, unlike when he lived. Culture change, and Bach's music unfortunately does not pass the test of time, and this is only talking about Europe. I don't even think I need to drag in the rest of the world's music to show that Bach is not universal. It is natural for some to prefer Bach's music over other kinds of music, but to say that it can compare in any ways to the majesty of humanity is a travesty to us all.
@@stawpnagd7820 Then with what metric are you saying Bach's music doesn't transcend culture while we have been constantly proved otherway? After almost 300 years we still have his music. "Declined since then"? In fact we know it's on the contrary, his music declined till Mendelsohn and the romantics revived it, and since then has been fairly popular. Who in the wolrd hasn't heard about "Jesus Joy of man's desiring" or "Air in G"'? Nietzsche even said "I'm far from the christian spirit, but hearing St. Matthew Passion makes me wanting to be one". NASA took the Goldberg Variations and send them to space in the golden disc of the Voyager, some of them said in an humouresque way that "Putting other music on the disc was a good cover letter for humanity, putting Bach is braggin about it". I can agree that disliking it is a question of culture or aquired education, but sorry, that's not a proof of his lack of grandness. Believing that the popularity of an artwork has something to do with its complexity ,that it's real narrow-minded.
Besides all the fitting accolades to the divine composer, the superb organ, incredible church acoustics and the impassioned organist who brings the music alive so dramatically and convincingly, permit one further comment. This organist understands the significance of the musical temperaments used at Bach's time and how they impact the music interpretatively!
Had to save this to my TH-cam pipe organ collection and love the animation of the organist. Looked like his own conductor. Some great comments here too.
I was watching closely and thought, "Hmmm... is the Hoofdwerck the lowest manual, a la Français..." then i realized - shove coupler! What a rendition of that fugue - wild, rip-roaring, and driving, just as a fugue should be...! Sent ausgezeichnet!
If I was agnostic before listening to this, now I am a devout deist. This is absolute proof that God exists. Only God could create a man of such brilliance to compose this. Let heaven’s hallowed halls ring with these divine sounds. And God said, Let there be Bach and there was. Case closed.
Doctors, painters, musicians - anyone with talent put in countless hours of practice and honing their skills to have someone demean it all with "boy, god sure gave you a talent". Fok dat.
0:07 Fantasia
6:07 Fuga
Netherlands Bach Society do a organ solo recording of sinfonia cantata BWV 29
They did - with the solo/continuo played using this very organ! See their AllOfBach page.
Fantasia is butiful...
aquaen h.
Fuga
Aloha Genios
To have heard Bach improvise ... would be the ultimate time-travelling dream
Amen.
andrew ashdown What a wonderful thought... I am forever looking for eyewitness accounts of the great man playing to get as close as possible to imagining what it was like...
@@chrrev1 I always love stories about his improvising. Evidently he was fired from multiple churches because he would, I’m sure playing very well, but sort of screw around. Hahaha
Lol what about Beethoven?
@@IsaacW. Bach playing on a cathedral organ would have been OUT of this world!!!!! My respects for Beethoven, but Bach was the ULTIMATE improviser.
It might look like he is having seizures, but what I see is a man who has poured his soul into this performance.
You can always close your eyes and enjoy the music avoiding the gestures
@@barbaracross7426 I meant this in a positive way.
@@mutahard7720 no. enjoy it however you feel.
I do the same while playing the violin and I only realized it after filming myself which made me super self-conscious. It’s like my entire brain and being is so focused on the music that I lose control over my face.
@@cosmopoliteness It's reasonable and understandable to feel self conscious about making "weird" expressions while playing and enjoying music, but it's perfectly fine to have such movements and expressions. In fact it serves as proof of your passion and enjoyment.
I've been listening to JS Bach now for almost 50 years!! I still can't understand how he wrote what he wrote and how much he wrote!
I understand that after Bach's death his family used some of his unpublished works to wrap around tree trunks to protect them from freezing weather.
All you can do is weep..
He was in THE process 💖
Dominic,the identical question I keep asking myself also. It is amazing right ?.
"Anyone who works as hard as I did can achieve the same results." -- J. S. Bach.
That's some hard working...
@@SatNav37564 The absence of phones has nothing to do with it. And they are the least noticeable change that's happened since Bach's time. There are still many hard-working and intelligent people today.
Some sad comments here. Doeselaar is renowned throughout Europe for his musicianship and artistry. You should judge him by what you hear. That is all that matters.
He is a true genius and was my inspiration when studying the Fantasia for ABRSM Grade 8.
I agree but love it because he’s great not because he’s famous. That’s a logical fallacy called argument by authority.
I enjoy watching all of his videos not only for his expertise but the fact that he is an animated player. It's like performing to him is on an emotional level. I have also seen derogatory comments about one of Hans Andre Stamm's videos because he sat so still while playing. I guess you and I appreciate the talent above the"presentation".
?
He's a rockstar..
Music is not a competition. However, this is the best performance of this piece I've ever heard.
I agree, except for my daughter who played this piece at the end of her study ( from a father's heart !)
Totally agree!!
it is very good. another great recording of this was done by gabor lehotka in wich you have a bit more clarity but not ad much greatniss
Unsurpassed
Karl Richter
Doeselaar's execution of the Fugue is magnificent beyond all measure. The tempo moves along with precision. Each line is clearly audible so that the voices can be heard independently and together. Bach would be proud.
If he could play the music rather than theater that would be fine...... He is so aware he is filmed. Horrible. This not music. THERE ARE testomnies of Bach playing. He used not to move at all. The emotion WAS in THE music.
@@iama8537 He's not Bach. He just human like the rest of us. And he plays an exciting reading of a masterpiece. Don't watch. just listen.
Louise X, I am sorry for my inadequate English. I believe that van Doeselaar belongs to the HIP-musicans, they make attempt to bring the old music closer to the original style. For that reason ot is unfair to compare this performance to Alain and Walcha. For me who think it is important to restore this old music, Alain and Walcha is not interesting anymore.
He plays like a madman which is perfectly alright with me.
but his enjoying the taste of each note makes it a bit slow. I like Peter Hurford's tempo but I cant find him playing large enough German instrument with a proper bass and echo like this one. (not Hurford though) th-cam.com/video/-Br08w4qd80/w-d-xo.html
That fugue is one the greatest and most profound pieces of music ever written,,,
, a master organist like van Doselaar is necessary in the process
The complexity is just unbelievable
Playing the organ isn't a profession, it's a life style.
😂 Spot on!
You will never find a more passionate organist. The way he illustrates music with his hands and his full body is just unbelievable. And that music is not coming only from his hands but also from his heart. He is definitely my ultimate favorite organist in the world. Thank god he specializes in early music. And also that baroque tuned organ is awesome and works realy well for this piece. Also thank you Netherlands Bach Society for giving us the possibility to have all of Bach’s works available to every person FOR FREE! Again thank you 🙏🏻!
i mean yes he's van doeselaar he can have as much body movement as he wants, but bach personally didn't move much
Only the truly great ones can play with the same effect and the strongest passion without twitching and swooning. A very rare thing indeed. The highest accomplishment.
I do not remember how much I came here to listen this masterpiece! How divine this is! Ô Lord, I do hope Johann Sebastian Bach is in heaven!
Quite unbelievable that a human being can be capable of such technical mastery and musical expression all at once. He appears to be simultaneously conducting an orchestra, singing and dancing with his hands and feet. My mind is blown 💥
Indeed... ❤
I don't believe I've ever seen someone so passionate in his performance. When one of his hands are not engaged with the keys he conducts. Amazing.
Like Gould.
I hope to one day play the organ with the passion of this man. He clearly feels the music in every fiber of his being.
Together with BWV 543 en BWV 582 the greatest piece of organ music of all time for me. The oftener you hear it, the more you are amazed. Both pieces reconcile you with life. After this nothing has to be said. There IS a purpose of life: listening to this.
I agree
For me BWV 564 and 552 too, especially Hans-Andre Stamm's interpretation. Also, "Dorica", BWV 533, 540, and so many others :D
The fantasia is like the soul struggling against the darkness of the world and finally overcoming. The fugue is like a rapturous dance of triumph once the soul escapes this darkness and soars towards the heavens, in a constantly evolving dance.
Who says so ?
@@johnsilverton639 He does...
If you say so..
All that on a sheet of music?
Everything is simpler: he gives us his heart along with the music. Only in this way does music become great and lift our souls up to goodness, to purity, to truth! We 😊 will survive, because the Truth is with us.
That these works were even conceived is a blessed miracle. That we are so privileged to hear them played at this level is simply miraculous.
One feels literally shaken by the mystical grandiosity of Bach's fantasy and fugue in g minor.
This is the best performance I have ever heard. Clean, precise, emotional performer. That is how you should play Bach.
And also gives the lie to the idea that you can't be "clean and precise" and "emotional and thrilling" at the same time. Wonderful.
That sudden shift to e flat minor after that D7 scale at 2:30 gets under my skin every single time. As if that wasn't expressive enough yet, Bach of course had to back it up with this incredible ascending chromatic bassline. But who else could have done such insane modulations in an instrumental piece? When I heard the Fantasia for the first time, I immediately felt reminded of the incredibly powerful accompagnato recitatives from his later Matthäuspassion.
true
Very true, one of some epic moments in this fantasia! also analyzing these chords can give some interesting ideas about harmony in general
The way how smooth and yet interesting harmonic changes sound in Bach's music often make me think that he felt something in music in a different way, I can't say that other great composers leave the same impression for me with the way they utilize harmony in their music, although all of them have fantastic, sublime ideas in many pieces that I love, and I listen them more than I listen Bach now, but still, I'll try to describe this thing:
The way he modulates really often, creating harmonic 'labyrinths' (mazes) in his music, which sometimes make you forget which part of the piece you're listening now, because it's a maze, they are not an absolutely mathematical and overly-complicated constructios, they flow so naturally, everything is vibrant and alive, and more than that, music somehow doesn't lose that hardly-describable feeling of direction created by harmony in his pieces, he knows how to make modulation smooth, which makes you feel subtle 'flourishing', and then a bit later he introduces 'weirder' stuff, it's often 'poignant' and bright, with some chromatic fun, and you usually don't expect that, he manages not to add too much, not to make it too 'off', simple modulations still leave feeling of emotion and purpose and don't drown in surrounding music, so that every change from major to minor feels sort of really clear, subtle changes in harmony are subtle changes of mood, as if he's beginning a new chapter in a story, but the movement of music never stops, sections don't contrast as much as in Scarlatti's sonatas, it's all subtle and yet so precise and powerful
I'm really wondering if other people listening Bach think about this too, even if they don't have any idea about music theory, because the way Bach treats harmony is so precise and his ideas are so clear often, that you sort of can start to appreciate what is cool about harmony in general, through his pieces, it was like that for me in my journey through classical music :D
@@alexanderbayramov2626
Exactly. Bach is different to the others.
Other's music can be summed up as a brilliant melody or line, accompanied by other things.
Bach is fundamentally multiple brilliant melodies and ideas playing out simultaneously, in a brilliant configuration.
Everything makes sense. Bach understood counterpoint to such a degree, that even the less-popular works in his repertoire, are more developed than the masterpieces of his peers.
I'll take the ascending fourths/descending fifths sequence as a single example.
Vivaldi and Scarlatti as masters this sequence, but their greatest developments of this sequence, are mundane (no exaggeration!) by Bach's standard. For example, in the first fugue of BWV 910, there is a three voice stretto on this theme, where the same motif is played simultaneously in three voices, around the circle of fifths - i don't think the aforementioned composers could conceive such an idea; it was just too advanced for them to think about, (no slight or insult to the composers).
@@christianindividual4550 True. Bach's use of sequences and schematas is often much more elaborate and refined, especially in fugal textures, the suspensions are so staggeringly complex that you can barely make out the underlying schema. His use if dissonances is also way more liberal so he can indeed put much more counterpunctal material in shorter amounts of space. Look just at the first c major fugue of the Well-Tempered Clavier where the strettos lead to some intervals that would just by themselves sound really awkward together. Bach goes way beyond the more simple tricks of the Neapolitan school where you essentially just have a schematic theme that essentially dictates its own countersubjects and free counterpoint. The free interlude sections are the more difficult parts because you have to smoothly puzzle them together with the theme's sequential model. Bach does this as well in his mid-life fugues, such as this one. The theme is a sequence of descending fifths. It's the same for the BWV 543 fugue. The most significant way these fugues differ from the 'standard' is their length and the staggering amount of subject entries. But Bach takes way more liberties after that and disguises the sequential nature of the music more and more.
This is also coincidentally why Bach makes a terrible case study for all of those students who want to learn how to write a fugue. You can't just replicate a WTC fugue as a beginner. It will always sound awkward. I'd always advise to check out Handel, Corelli and partimentos by Durante, Fenaroli and others. Learn schematas and thoroughbass, then later learn how to give them little twists like the great master did.
@@maniak1768
Thank you very much for the information, and especially for the tips at the end.
I always wondered what was going on in his mind. Bach seemed to understand and manipulate intervals in ways that others did not.
This old man is putting on a master class by example on musicality as it pertains to the performance of Bach's organ works. It never ceases to amaze me how many skilled and talented organists seem to fail to understand the art of musical expression; and it's something so important to doing Bach's great works justice to the listener (especially to the non-musician listener).
"Old man"? Professor van Doeselaar is two years younger than me and I'm not old 👾
@@davebarclay4429 I am 50 now, when i was 15 a man of 50 seemed very old to me! Now i feel much better than i did at the age of 30. Ok as long as i do not look in the mirror! Hihi!
My impression: J.S.Bach himself is playing the organ, so much genuine devotion I have never seen. Genial.
Bach continued to write dramatic, powerful, and intricate music like this in a time when people were pushing for things to be simpler, happier, and easier to play and listen to.
I have just caught this and OMG Doeselaar' soul was laid bear on that keyboard . each and every note come from the very core of Doeselaar's being. Bach would be in awe of such a performance.
Excellent organist. Gift from God. One of my favorite BACH organ pieces..
Een van grootste organist van Nederland Leo van Doeselaar en een land vol met zeer hoge kwaliteit orgels en organisten
Jacob Wilhelm Lustig, who was later organist at the organ in this video (Martinikerk Groningen), was also present at Bach's concert in 1720 when Bach presumably played this piece - or at least the fugue. He later remarked that Bach's playing made him feel "like his soul was on fire!"
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place!
I too feel like my soul is on fire, when I lose myself, wandering hither and thither in the fantasia, then making my way home at last in this mighty fugue. Amen!
Bach, the OG metalhead
I can just imagine Bach enjoying throwing himself into this piece in the same way as van Doeselaar - maybe even headbanging too!
Unbelievable. This really gave me shivers. And tears.
WOW.
Just...wow. I can't add to that.
John. Fellow organist.
Bach’s solo organ works are easily some of the most underrated pieces of baroque music that’s out there. Contrapuntally and harmonically rich, and very expressive compared to a lot of baroque pieces from the same era. This organist is absolutely phenomenal and I hope to attend one of his recitals and/or a masterclass.
I don't think you'll find many organists who underrate Bach's works! The problem is that organ music is regarded as a niche interest and inevitably associated with the church. I knew of one newspaper music critic (now fortunately deceased) who point-blank refused to report on organ concerts on the basis that they were only for organ fans and not "proper" music lovers. Faced with that sort of ignorance and prejudice it's no wonder that organ music, even by Bach, is underrated by non-organists.
Yeah they get no attention 🤣
No Words for explain. Magnific organ. The music of Bach is universal. Manaus. AMAZONAS.BRAZIL.
La plus belle interprétation qui ait jamais été faite de cette oeuvre. On ne s'en lasse pas! Bach demeure et de loin, le plus grand de tous les musiciens !
Ex-aequo avec l'interprétation de Janssen sur l'orgue Arendt du musée des Augustins de Toulouse 😉
Auriez-vous un lien à partir duquel je puis écouter s'il vous plaît ?
One of the most famous organ pieces from J. S. B., i listened to it many times, but this time my ear was really brought to understand and follow musical figures I never heard so clear in any other performance.
All of Bach. This wonderful project should be undertaken by the European Union. Don't you think you need to preserve your heritage? More credit to the Netherlands Bach Society for it's labour of love. Thank you for a most exhilarating performance Mr. Leo van Doeselaar. Can't think of any other human activity that compares with the mastery of the pipe organ! Kudos.
The pinnacle of organ music in my opinion, played brilliantly.
Deze man gaat zo diep in de muziek dat het eigenlijk grappig is om te zien hoe hij ongegeneerd hij dit machtige instrument met al zijn kracht en gevoel kan temmen.
Maar al bij al, prachtige diepgaande muziek op een prachtig orgel en voor mij, een van de beste Nederlandse organisten die ik ken en die mij diep kan raken met zijn spel. Proficiat !!
Orgelbouwer, Marc nagels, België
This recording is one of the *most awesome* I've ever heard on the magnificent BWV 542 ... and trust me, I've heard _tons_ of them! The player is absolutely one with his playing, that's spectacular and fascinating.
Hats down, I respectfully kneel, as I know I would need much more than one simple life to achieve such a skill.
Mr. van Doeselaar is fantastic here, also "The Green Monster" sounds fabulous and is recorded very nicely. There is a nice possibility "to have a taste" of the same piece on the same organ by Benjamin Righetti. Very very nice also. And sound engineer did it a bit differently. Here: th-cam.com/video/2ZBsdNro7_8/w-d-xo.html
It's a trapp!
@@geraldojohann9821 Was just about to do this myself but you'd beaten me to it hahaha.
do you know Heiler's mindblowing rendition?
This must be what peak power feels like.
Man just sitting in his tower with lightning shooting off his fingertips laying down trials and tribulations upon the lands.
Imagine how grateful you might feel sitting in that beautiful work of art and being able to bust out the loudest, mythical tunes of all time and no one tells you to shut up.
You even have a little minion that turns pages for you.
Dramatic. Majestic. Splendorous. What a tremendous performance!
Brings a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye. Just magnificent!
When I hear Horowitz playing the piano, I am mesmerized. When I hear Van Doeselaar playing the organ, I am mesmerized.
I cannot analyse, why it is possible or how it can happen. But I feel a strong energetic magnet field.
Van Doeselaar is one of the greatest organists, who dedicate themselves to the music of J.S.Bach.
Ich liege im Krankenhaus und diese göttliiche Musik lässt mich jeden Schmerz leichter ertragen. Thank you genius Johann Sebastian!
Ich hoffe daß Sie bald gesund werden.
I have always been of the opinion that listening to Bach does something to your mind. I am not a musician but I do go to some other place when listening to Bach on an organ. For me it has nothing do do with any religion as I don't have one. There is something about this music that is all encompassing leaving the listener in some sort of higher place. I can fully understand how Leo is so possessed by this music while playing. He is totally immersed in what he is doing and is probably on some sort of uplifting journey when at the keyboard.
I also am no musician, but listenning to Bach seems to re-arrange all the molecules of my being - putting them in their correct places!
I agree. When I was a student in 1952 I would sit alone in the beautiful Lord Mayor’s Chapel in Bristol and hear the organist playing the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor and be transported to a higher place.
My favourite Bach organ work, where I feel he really lets himself go - the "headbanging" comment is apt - and to me a truly great performance needs a slightly uninhibited quality. With Leo van Doeselaar you can both hear it and see it! Certainly ranks among the truly greatest performances alongside (in my view) Peter Hurford, Helmut Walcha and Marie-Claire Alain.
I've never heard such an extraordinary interpretation of this piece of music until today. An excellent rendering of this fantasy and fuge in g-moll
EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BACH RECORDING IS FABULOUS. NOT JUST THE SOUND OF THE ORGAN WHICH IS BETTER THAN GOLD. ADD TO THIS THE ORGANIST WHO HAS PERFECT RHYTHMIC SENSE FOR PHRASE STRUCTURE. I LOVE IT. THE ASCENDING CHORDS ARE A SYMBOL FOR ASCENDING THE STEPS TO HEAVEN.
When I first saw this video and saw the way his head and left hand shaking in the first few seconds, I know it gonna be an excellent performance because he's fully into the music.
Outstanding organ work from an outstanding composer on an outstanding organ. Wonderful. Soli Deo Gloria!
This passionate performance would satisfy Stanislavsky who asked his actors to give it all in their performance, as if they had the last day to live... What an incredibly moving piece! Even during our time the long descending bass line with sequential, following one another unresolved intense dissonances sounds shivering. And how daring it must have been like during composer’s time when such single chord was considered “a crime”... What a magnificent piece and the most amazing delivery of it too! Standing ovation!
My favorite Bach organ piece, played by my favorite organist.
I listen to this Fantasia and hyperventilate while thinking : " is it possible to write a better piece of music ? " ;
there is a momentary pause and then Bach uses this incredible Fugue to explain so many ways
in which it really is possible to write even greater music.
Many thanks to the deranged organist: Leo van Doeselaar for understanding the exquisite explanation in the score,
well enough to help me hear every note, harmony, and counterpoint argument
as though it were a rigorous mathematical proof beyond doubt.
Splendidly played. Thank you. 👍 💖
Bach never once introduced a single extraneous note, while, at the same time, exhausted every conceivable "permutation" of his fugue subjects.
There's no one like him - *Le Maître Suprême* of all serious musicians, past, present, and future.
Johann Mattheson described Handel as the greatest organist of his time.. :)
@@RodCorkin At that time, Bach was considered as an outdated musician, and was greatly underestimated. The recognition of his greatness is relatively modern.
@@VictorHeuer Berlioz became aware of the Bach cult in the 1840s, he mentioned that people who knew nothing about Bach were suddenly announcing him as the greatest composer.
@@VictorHeuer personally I prefer Handel
@@RodCorkin Answering to the deleted question: well, Berliotz sought different forms of composition, without following the standard adopted by Bach's advocates at that time, such as Felix Mendelssohn (who always sought to bring Berlioz to this group, implying that he would have to understand Bach's bass lines to be able to decently compose his own). He (Berlioz) was very successful in his work, without chasing the trend on Bach of his time, which I consider as something healthy for a musician concerned with his own style. Bach, for example, preferred to remain faithful to his own more conservative (and said outdated) style than to adhere to the gallant style that was in force at that time and pursued even by his sons Wilhelm Friedeman, Karl Phillip Emmanuel and Johann Christian, and by his friend George Phillip Telemann (at the end of his life).
I love the passion Doeselaar plays with
I love fugues and listen to it often. This made my day enjoyable. This man is a master in my humble opinion. 👍👍👍👍👍
A brilliant performance, played with both bravura and taste. Exemplary. Thank you M. Van Doeselaar.
Mr. Doeselaar, Thank you for your master performance !
I've just donated a small amount to the NBS. I honestly wish I could donate more, and will once I have the funds, but I am so glad to have done it because of the sheer quality of the pieces you make, my obsessive and eternal love for Bach, and the stylish presentation you make. Bravo.
als je deze man hoort spelen kunnen heel wat organisten opdoeken die zichzelf zo geweldig vinden en hun orgels niet aan anderen ter beschikking willen stellen..... Dit is zo ongelooflijk muzikaal en zo ontzettend goed !
I, for one, love to see the "seizure" movements of a passionate musician. There's nothing better than witnessing someone completely living in the music like this!
This is tied with BWV 533 for my favorite organ work, I'm so happy to see that NBS decided to do this one!
Maestro van Doeselaar is so good, such a marvelous performance to treasure forever! Many thanks to him and NBS and all involved in production, for this gift to the world! Greetings from Canada!
Oh...beautifully played. You put so much passion into your playing....I end up weeping tears of sheer joy. Thank you so much.
What a wonderful piece of music - beautifully played! This fugue always brings tears to my eyes! I love Bach’s music! 😀💕👍🍀
Maestro Doeselaar's energy is infectious! I love it, and I love a musician who so obviously loves his art Bravo! Bravo!
Bravo Maestro !
I can listen to Doeselaars BWV 542 over and over again .Its heavenly played , its transcendental! Thank you
Absolutely superb! One.of the most difficult pieces, played with passion and craftsmanship.
Che passione e che energia in questa interpretazione! Grande Van Doeselaar|
That might be the best performance of this fantasia and fugue I have heard. Just amazing.
Magnífica y magistral interpretación de una joya del repertorio barroco para órgano. Bravo maestro Leo van Doeselaar!
Headbanging, Baroque style.
that's emotion.............. only good artists have it.
hell yeah!
Yes, this is Metal as fuck.
Nothing like head banging or simple emotional expression of the music. If you pay attention his head and mouth are moving with the absolute precision of a symphony conductor. In fact, a close observation of his so called ‘headbaning’ can teach a great deal about the music itself. Who cares anyway, this is one of the greatest performance of this piece I’ve ever been overpowered by and I’ve heard more than a few.
@@musicisitall No. You don't need to do this while playing such magnificent pieces. But Emotions are a result of good playing
Это всегда невероятно!!! Каждый раз, когда я слушаю это произведение Баха передо мной предстаёт бесконечность вселенной, миллиарды звёзд, тысячи тысяч галактик. Эта БЕСКОНЕЧНОСТЬ мира, как он мог , по сути не зная о ней, так точно её описать в музыке!!!
Just listen.....with your eyes closed... Beautiful! Heavenly!
Here is another Glenn Gould, possessed like him body and soul by music. Very fascinating to see and listen. The organ and the musician are outstanding, and the fugue is exciting and swinging, as all Bach's fugues, but this one more than ever.
Probably among the better Bach pieces I've heard... Amazing guy he was, and is; living on forever in his brilliant music!!
An amazing aural experience. Thank you from Stephen in North Carolina/USA. By the way the reverberations in that cathedral are remarkable and stir my soul. I bet there is much demand by musical groups to have their concerts in that church.
7500 watt from 20 years old sony and my back on the floor eyes closed and my heart kicking my throat. ❤ that's to feel to be alive.
Superb Performance of Bach's Masterpiece of Organ work!
This music blows away every rock concert ever made!!
Johann Sebastian Bach is the God of Music!
Fantasia and fugue in G minor BWV 542
This is the original HEAVY METAL: lead organ pipes
Yes...imagine playing the theme of the fugue on the electric guitar.
i love how this guy plays, like he's playing metal music
The greatest thanks 😊and appreciation To You, Maestro!👏👏 You are not only a real virtuoso - you give your SOUL to all listeners!
My tears, my admiration! Thank you from my (100% Russian )💗 heart!
And all this on one of the planet's finest instruments.
Something about Organ music is just so beautiful. I'm a Pianist myself, but I often find myself coming back to his Organ music and being in pure amazement about how his Piano works are only such a small part of Bach. If you ask me, with the exception of some truly great pieces, most of his beauty lies in his Organ music
Absolutely electrifying! Majestic work and interpretation!!!
This is too cool. Some of the darkest yet illuminating music ever written. Bach is the master.
That fugue is the Alpha and the Omega of all the music.
You summarise things nicely! But the credit lies not only with the composer, but with the performer who conveyed this awe inspiring piece of music to our ears!
I’m pretty sure that this could be cacophony to some human ears, and they would not be at fault for that. No, this is far from being universally relevant, let alone some kind of ‘essence’ to “all” music. It does not have universality that applies to all listeners (and we’re only talking about humans!). On the other hand, I would say that time and rhythm, together with patterns, are the real Alpha and Omega of all (human and some animals’) music. To say that something like this, which is specially tailored for a select set of culture, is universal is to be extremely narrow-minded.
@@stawpnagd7820 speak for yourself bro. Bach's music is universal and transcends culture. i would say your way of thinking is the narrow minded
@@kevinwhitten2947 With what metric are you saying that Bach's music transcends culture? It doesn't even transcend time! His composed music was really popular only after he died, and has been declining since. His skill in improvising music is also underappreciated today, unlike when he lived. Culture change, and Bach's music unfortunately does not pass the test of time, and this is only talking about Europe. I don't even think I need to drag in the rest of the world's music to show that Bach is not universal. It is natural for some to prefer Bach's music over other kinds of music, but to say that it can compare in any ways to the majesty of humanity is a travesty to us all.
@@stawpnagd7820 Then with what metric are you saying Bach's music doesn't transcend culture while we have been constantly proved otherway? After almost 300 years we still have his music. "Declined since then"? In fact we know it's on the contrary, his music declined till Mendelsohn and the romantics revived it, and since then has been fairly popular. Who in the wolrd hasn't heard about "Jesus Joy of man's desiring" or "Air in G"'? Nietzsche even said "I'm far from the christian spirit, but hearing St. Matthew Passion makes me wanting to be one". NASA took the Goldberg Variations and send them to space in the golden disc of the Voyager, some of them said in an humouresque way that "Putting other music on the disc was a good cover letter for humanity, putting Bach is braggin about it". I can agree that disliking it is a question of culture or aquired education, but sorry, that's not a proof of his lack of grandness. Believing that the popularity of an artwork has something to do with its complexity ,that it's real narrow-minded.
É maravilhoso que tenhamos músicos desse alto nível, para que possamos escutar essas maravilhas do repertório de Bach
Besides all the fitting accolades to the divine composer, the superb organ, incredible church acoustics and the impassioned organist who brings the music alive so dramatically and convincingly, permit one further comment. This organist understands the significance of the musical temperaments used at Bach's time and how they impact the music interpretatively!
Had to save this to my TH-cam pipe organ collection and love the animation of the organist. Looked like his own conductor. Some great comments here too.
Such an amazing, stunning, glorious, marvellous, majestic and badass instrument. What a sound! Leo superb, as always. Greetings from Italy ❤
Thank You Leo Van Doeselaar!!! Nobody else performs This Absolute Masterpiece the way You did/do! Thank You!
This performance leaves me speechless.
I was watching closely and thought, "Hmmm... is the Hoofdwerck the lowest manual, a la Français..." then i realized - shove coupler! What a rendition of that fugue - wild, rip-roaring, and driving, just as a fugue should be...!
Sent ausgezeichnet!
If I was agnostic before listening to this, now I am a devout deist. This is absolute proof that God exists. Only God could create a man of such brilliance to compose this. Let heaven’s hallowed halls ring with these divine sounds.
And God said, Let there be Bach and there was. Case closed.
God may not exist to me, but his name misspelled with an extra O, that’s very real. And Bach might say, let there be good.
@Alain Bressers here we go
That depends on how you define God.
Doctors, painters, musicians - anyone with talent put in countless hours of practice and honing their skills to have someone demean it all with "boy, god sure gave you a talent". Fok dat.
オルガンと対話している様な、情熱的で見事な演奏ですね。演奏していただき、ありがとうございます。
now there's a man with passion
I really love this piece. In my personal opinion it rapresents the history of humanity, evolution included, blessed of a Divine light.
Such a great performance!
Wickedly complex chromatic modulations even today. Bach is the greatest musical genius of all time. Thank you God.
Relamente apasionante y maravillosa interpretación. ¡¡ Felicidades !!
This organ has been restored recently. Great performance Maestro. Bach is smiling with pride now.
Fantastische opname en perfecte uitvoering 😘🎶👍