Kei Koito - Organ Works Vol.6 : Kei Koito - Import CD

From his early, ambitious work Pièce d’Orgue to the sophisticated Canon-like Fantasia of his later years, this performance brings Bach’s spirit to life today using historical instruments! The sixth installment in Megumi Koito’s “Bach: Organ Masterworks” series—an excellent project that delves deeply into Bach’s multifaceted musical world using historic instruments. This album features a collection of works—including preludes and fugues, fantasias, and a variety of chorales—in which free compositional style and religious elements are seamlessly intertwined. This album features content that rivals even Bach’s greatest religious works, seeming to reflect the composer’s spirit and authentic voice directly. The opening fantasia, Pièce d’Orgue BWV 572, exudes a powerful presence as the centerpiece of this album. Composed in three movements with a middle section characterized by rich polyphony and bold harmonies, it displays a highly original musical language that blends French and Italian styles with the tradition of “hexachordal fantasias” dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries. This monumental work bears the unmistakable imprint of the youthful Bach’s creative fervor during his Weimar years. It is particularly appealing to listen to alongside his later works, such as the Schübler Chorales and the Canon-like Fantasies. Megumi Koito is a virtuoso internationally acclaimed as a leading authority on Baroque organ interpretation. Her performances—which fuse thorough research into historical performance practice, keen insight into the individual character of each instrument, and her own unique musical intuition—go beyond mere reproduction to possess the power to revive the inner life of the works for the present day. In this series, she uses a different historical organ for each volume, offering performances that thoroughly explore the relationship between the works and the instruments. CLAVES

Tracklisting:

1.Fantasia/Piece d’Orgue in G major, BWV 572
2.Fugue in C minor, BWV 575
3.Kommst du nun, Jesu vom Himmel herunter auf Erden, BWV 650
4.Wer nur den lieben Gott lasst walten, BWV 647
5.Prelude & Fugue in C minor, BWV 546~I. Prelude
6.Prelude & Fugue in C minor, BWV 546~II. Fugue
7.Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 645
8.Ach, bleib’ bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 649
9.Canonic Variations on "Vom Himmel hoch, da komm’ ich her" in C major, BWV 769a~Canon all’ottava
10.Canonic Variations on "Vom Himmel hoch, da komm’ ich her" in C major, BWV 769a~Canon alla quinta
11.Canonic Variations on "Vom Himmel hoch, da komm’ ich her" in C major, BWV 769a~Canto fermo in canone: alla Sesta e al rovescio [sic], alla Terza, alla Seconda, alla Nona
12.Canonic Variations on "Vom Himmel hoch, da komm’ ich her" in C major, BWV 769a~Canon alla settima, Cantabile
13.Canonic Variations on "Vom Himmel hoch, da komm’ ich her" in C major, BWV 769a~Canon per augmentationem
14.Prelude & Fugue in C major, BWV 545~I. Prelude
15.Prelude & Fugue in C major, BWV 545~II. Fugue
16.Wo soll ich fliehen hin, BWV 646
17.Meine Seele erhebt den Herren, BWV 648
18.Fugue on Magnificat, Meine Seele erhebt den Herren, tonus peregrinus, BWV 733
19.Magnificat, BWV 243~10. Suscepit Israel