Although angels, playing the violin or the viola da gamba, are missing on the organ case of the Dordrecht Bach organ, the registrations on this CD however, blend ‘string bowing and breath’. The refinement of the applied registers, demonstrate its capabilities in performing chamber music. This results in a rich experience of sound combinations. The flexibility of the tones of the oboes and the recorder are sometimes contrasting and another time melting together with the colour palette of the Bach organ.
The Silbermann organ in Freiberg has served as a sound sample for the Bach organ (Verschueren Orgelbouw 2007), in relation to Bach's workplaces and his oeuvre.

Krebs wrote many compositions for church organ and a wind instrument, taking advantage of this enriching combination. We can imagine that Bach would have carried out the same practice, when he had no orchestra at his disposal, but wanted a change of colours when executing a choral or trio sonata. He reworked his trio sonatas for several combinations of instruments, though many of these original manuscripts are lost.
Telemann wrote many works for a keyboard instrument, where, instead of accompanying, it has to compete with a melody instrument. We have chosen two trios from the collection “Essercizii Musici”, published around 1739. The high level of compositions in this collection can compete with Bach’s elaborate trios.

"The content is rich and varied. Also original in choice. I listened to it with pleasure (at breakfast) and admire the sound: It seems as if the solo instrument is one of the registers of the organ, especially in the first pieces of the CD, making the relationship very natural." Max van Egmond, éminence grise in Bach performance practice.

Click on the menu, in the player at the right, to listen to some fragments.

About Onno Verschoor. About Cor Ardesch. About the Bach-organ.

The recording and production of this CD has been made possible by the SENA Performers Music Production Fund, STS-Digital and the Grote Kerk Dordrecht.