"Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir" (Sinfonia from Cantata BWV 29)
Concerto A minor BWV 1065 for 4 harpsichords and strings after Vivaldi
Ciaccona (from Partita Nr. 2 in D minor for Violin Solo BWV 1004)
Toccata in D BWV 912
Contrapunctus I, V and IX (from 'Die Kunst der Fuge' BWV 1080)
Italian Concerto in F major BWV 971
"Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" (Chorus from the Cantata BWV 80 arranged for 4 hands and 2 feet)

Generally speaking, playing and/or listening to organ music by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) is serious business. But as organists Leo van Doeselaar and Erwin Wiersinga demonstrate on this new recording, it can also be a lot of fun. I haven't enjoyed listening to organ music by Bach this much in a long time. Mind you, part of the enjoyment is due to the fact that all the pieces on this CD are transcriptions or adaptations for organ of works written for other instruments or voices, so it's like listening to them with fresh ears.

The instruments featured in this recording are the two organs of the Martinikerk Groningen: the main Arp Schnitger organ, and the Jean-Baptiste Le Picard choir organ. Two prime examples of Baroque organ craftsmanship and artistry. The buoyancy and cheerful character in Leo van Doeselaar's own arrangement and interpretation of the Sinfonia is quite infectious, and his choice of registration is quite befitting the spirit of the piece. The same can be said about Erwin Wiersinga's outlook on Guy Bovet's fine arrangement of the Concerto A minor, with the final Allegro quite simply bouncing off the keys. On a more solemn tone, Doeselaar's adaptation for organ of Gustav Leonhardt's arrangement for harpsichord of the famous Ciaccona is given all the loftiness it deserves, and the quick fingerwork in the middle passages really stands out on the organ. And both organists let their hair down and allow the Schnitger organ to shine in all its glory, in the 4-hands arrangement of the Chorus from the Cantata.

The clear MDG recording, served up in Hybrid Super Audio CD, playable in all formats, captures all the subtelties as well as the power of these fine organs. Recommended!