J.S. Bach's Inventions and Sinfonias
Vitual Pipe Hauptwerk St. Anne's church, Moseley Organ
Pier Paolo Strona - Organ
| Total time: 59' 20" |
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- Click to listen a sample - |
| 1 |
Invenzione a due voci n. 1 in do maggiore |
BWV772 |
1' 27" |
demo |
| 2 |
Sinfonia a tre voci n. 1 in do maggiore |
BWV787 |
1' 18" |
demo |
| 3 |
Invenzione a due voci n. 2 in do minore |
BWV773 |
2' 04" |
demo |
| 4 |
Sinfonia a tre voci n. 2 in do minore |
BWV788 |
2' 17" |
demo |
| 5 |
Invenzione a due voci n. 3 in re maggiore |
BWV774 |
1' 26" |
demo |
| 6 |
Sinfonia a tre voci n. 3 in re maggiore |
BWV789 |
1' 45" |
demo |
| 7 |
Invenzione a due voci n. 4 in re minore |
BWV775 |
1' 05" |
demo |
| 8 |
Sinfonia a tre voci n. 4 in re minore |
BWV790 |
2' 11" |
demo |
| 9 |
Invenzione a due voci n. 5 in mib maggiore |
BWV776 |
1' 58" |
demo |
| 10 |
Sinfonia a tre voci n. 5 in mib maggiore |
BWV791 |
3' 39" |
demo |
| 11 |
Invenzione a due voci n. 6 in mi maggiore |
BWV777 |
3' 20" |
demo |
| 12 |
Sinfonia a tre voci n. 6 in mi maggiore |
BWV792 |
1' 16" |
demo |
| 13 |
Invenzione a due voci n. 7 in mi minore |
BWV778 |
1' 33" |
demo |
| 14 |
Sinfonia a tre voci n. 7 in mi minore |
BWV793 |
2' 21" |
demo |
| 15 |
Invenzione a due voci n. 8 in fa maggiore |
BWV779 |
1' 14" |
demo |
| 16 |
Sinfonia a tre voci n. 8 in fa maggiore |
BWV794 |
1' 33" |
demo |
| 17 |
Invenzione a due voci n. 9 in fa minore |
BWV780 |
2' 28" |
demo |
| 18 |
Sinfonia a tre voci n. 9 in fa minore |
BWV795 |
5' 09" |
demo |
| 19 |
Invenzione a due voci n. 10 in sol maggiore |
BWV781 |
1' 07" |
demo |
| 20 |
Sinfonia a tre voci n. 10 in sol maggiore |
BWV796 |
1' 22" |
demo |
| 21 |
Invenzione a due voci n. 11 in sol minore |
BWV782 |
1' 30" |
demo |
| 22 |
Sinfonia a tre voci n. 11 in sol minore |
BWV797 |
1' 43" |
demo |
| 23 |
Invenzione a due voci n. 12 in la maggiore |
BWV784 |
1' 50" |
demo |
| 24 |
Sinfonia a tre voci n. 12 in la maggiore |
BWV798 |
2' 00" |
demo |
| 25 |
Invenzione a due voci n. 13 in la minore |
BWV784 |
1' 22" |
demo |
| 26 |
Sinfonia a tre voci n. 13 in la minore |
BWV799 |
2' 04" |
demo |
| 27 |
Invenzione a due voci n. 14 in sib maggiore |
BWV785 |
1' 45" |
demo |
| 28 |
Sinfonia a tre voci n. 14 in sib maggiore |
BWV800 |
1' 43" |
demo |
| 29 |
Invenzione a due voci n. 15 in si minore |
BWV786 |
1' 14" |
demo |
| 30 |
Sinfonia a tre voci n. 15 in si minore |
BWV801 |
1' 56" |
demo |
Click to see CD booklet:
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The Two-Part Inventions and Three-Part Sinfonias are among the most interesting and beautiful pieces of work written for keyboard by J.S. Bach.
In Bach's time they were normally played on harpsichord, but nowadays Bach's keyboard music is played more and more on other instruments invented after Bach's death too; mainly piano, but nothing prevents us from playing them on the accordion or organ, as in this CD.
The harpsichord crystal-clear sounds dampen quickly and highlight the flowing weaves of polyphony, encouraging the performer to enrich them with ornaments which keep the sound level high and continuous; with piano, sounds have different and varied damping and, with their touch, pianists can give the execution great expressiveness; with the organ, an extraordinary timbral palette is available to the performer, who can control sounds knowing they will remain constant without dampening in time; the accordion adds to the variety of timbres and the constance of sounds the possibility of changing their intensity through the movement of the bellows; the guitar allows for different possibilities of expression, thanks to its warm sound, although sounds dampen very quickly.
J.S. Bach's keyboard compositions feature articulate polyphonic weaves, architectures built on sustained notes, themes and moments of great expression; the melodic lines created by the sustained notes, for instance, almost vanish with the harpsichord, whereas they emerge with clarity with the organ.
The choice of instrument also influences the speed of execution, which tends to spontaneously increase with the harpsichord, while the organ encourages a slightly lower tempo for better clarity of the musical discourse.
In essence, Bach focused on the music, and his music is fairly independent of the instrument on which it is played; on the contrary, each instrument can aggrandise it, emphasising its richness and beauty in different ways.
With this spirit and intention, the 15 Two-Part Inventions and the 15 Three-Part Sinfonias are presented in the CD with the timbres and sounds of an organ.
The organ chosen is the organ of St. Anne's Church, in Moseley, Birmingham, UK; a virtual organ available in the "Hauptwerk" system, which nowadays allows anyone to play actual instruments from all over the world at home, with the highest level of fidelity.
More detailed information about the system and a better understanding of this organ are available on the following websites:
https://www.hauptwerk.com/
http://www.hauptwerk.com/clientuploads/documentation/PDF/StAnnesOrganInfo.pdf
Registri (Stops)
Manuale 1 (Grande Organo, Great, GO): Diapason Large 8 (Dl), Diapason Small 8 (Ds), Dulciana 8 (Dla), Bordone/Gedacht 8 (G), Principale 4 (P), Flute 4 (Fl), XV, Trumpet 8 (Tr), Mixture/Ripieno IV (R), Clarion 4 (Clr)
Manuale 2 (Swell): Bordone 16 (B), Principale 8 (P), Salicionale 4 (S), Piccolo 2 (Fl2), Rohr Flute 8 (Fl8), Flauto Magico 4 (Fl4), Viola da Gamba 8 (VG), Voce Celeste 8 (VC), Mixture/Ripieno III (R), Clarinet 8 (Cl), Trumpet 8 (Tr), Oboe 8 (Ob), Controfagotto 16 (Cfg)
Pedal: Open Diapason 16 (OP), Sub Bas 16 (SB), Echo Bas 16 (EB),Principale 8 (P), Bass Flut 8 (BF), XV 4, Trombone 16 (Trb)
Unioni: Swell-Pedal (SP), Great-Pedal (GP), Swell_Great (SG), Swell-Octave (SO) Swell-Octave-Great (SOG), Swell-SubOctave-Great (SSOG), Swell-SubOctave (SSO)
The cover photo, by Pier Paolo Strona, was taken in Arnstadt, Germany, where J.S. Bach lived from 1703 to 1707, and where he was organist at the Neue Kirche, initially built in 1333 and presently known as Bachkirche. It shows the monument dedicated to him on the square the church where he was once an organist overlooks. The monument portrays him as a young man as he plays an imaginary organ. Two big, centuries-old trees still stand on either side of the church today: perhaps they were already there in Bach's time.
Audiophile recording made in 2015
Pier Paolo Strona is a civil engineer, researcher in the field of the numerical models of structures, photographer and author of books and calendars. He plays piano, performing both in Italy and abroad, with a repertoire ranging from the most important classical composers to ragtime, Latin American as well as asian music, and organ with a repertoire focused particularly in baroque music.
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