GERMAN BAROQUE ORGAN WORKS - Massimiliano Sanca

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GERMAN BAROQUE ORGAN WORKS - Massimiliano Sanca (Organ) - 8032632230502 - Released: October 2020 - MV Cremona MVC/019-050

Johann Ludwig Krebs:
- Fantasia in G Minor (arr. for organ)
- Auf meinen lieben Gott: Auf meinen lieben Gott
Johann Pachelbel:
- Fantasia in G Minor (POP 114)
- Wir glauben all' an einen Gott
Johann Gottfried Walther: Partita, Jesu meine Freude, LV 2
Johann Sebastian Bach:
- Prelude and Fugue in G Minor, BWV 535a
- Prelude and Fugue in G Minor, BWV 535b (fragment)
- Fugue in G Minor, BWV 578
- Leipziger Choräle: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 659
- Leipziger Choräle: Vor deinen Thron, BWV 668
- Prelude and Fugue in C Major, BWV 531
- Fantasia in C Minor, BWV 1121

Organist Massimiliano Sanca, who received his diploma in Organ and Organ Composition with full marks in 1996, and has participated in numerous organ interpretation courses (with Harald Vogel amongst others) and performance practice of Renaissance and Baroque music, is without a doubt a musician highly proficient in the field of Baroque keyboard literature. His choice of tempos are accurate, along with a keen sense of registration despite the limited choices at his disposal, and contrapuntal clarity is always in focus. But the star attraction in this recording is the instrument itself.

The new 2007 Ilic Colzani mechanical action Organ of the Sanctuary of the Madonna of Mangher in Vallio Terme, inspired by instruments built by Gottfried Silbermann who worked in close association with Johann Sebastian Bach himself, is a delight to hear. Despite being of small stature with only 7 stops ranging from a 2' Octava to a 16' Posaune reed stop for the pedalboard, it produces a distinctly clear and true sound across the board, with a natural level of chiff effect. In other words this instrument is perfectly suited to the music at hand, with just enough oomph and gravity in the pedal to support the Prelude and Fugue in G Minor for example.

In this day and age of binary code, and bits and bytes, it's reassuring to know that there are still craftsmen around willing to build musical instruments based on hundreds of years of knowledge and tradition, that are not software driven or designed.

Jean-Yves Duperron - October 2020