Buxtehude sonatas

[doversoul1]

Sara Walker has been playing Buxtehude's sonatas in Classical Collection this week. Where instrumental works are concerned, I tend to think Buxtehude as a composer for the organ ‘and other’ although I very much enjoy his harpsichord works.

• Where do Buxtehude instrumental works come in within musical history?
• Any thoughts on Buxtehude’s instrumental works other than for the organ?
• Any CD recommendations (we did have this on harpsichord works)?

[MickyD]

I love these fascinating pre-Bach pieces . I got hold of the three volumes recorded by John Holloway, Jaap ter Linden and Lars Ulrik Mortensen and they are delightful recordings in my opinion. Happily they have been re-released on budget price Naxos, you lucky things!

[Flosshilde]

I heard one yesterday & enjoyed it, without knowing who it was by beforehand, & was surprised that it was by Buxtehude. Like you, doversoul, I've always associated Buxtehude with organ music (& choral). I'll have to follow Micky's lead/suggestion & check out the Naxos discs. This sort of music is ideal for domestic listening (& I assume that they were composed for domestic performance)

[Mark Sealey]

Ton Koopman on Challenge is about in the middle of a projected set of about two dozen CDs of all of Buxtehude's music. In a word: revelatory. Get them!

[MickyD]

Thanks for that reminder, Mark. I am aware of the Koopman project, but don't currently have the funds! I'm sure the discs are superb, but I'd be interested to hear how you think his performances of the chamber music compare to the Holloway/Linden/Mortensen set I mentioned earlier.

[Mark Sealey]

MickyD,

That set has a justifiably good reputation, of course. Koopman has clearly grown into the music: his more recent sets have a slight 'swing', a familiarity and 'zap' which the first ones didn't. The latest one, indeed, is a sheer delight. It contains music otherwise only available in ms!

Anyone been to the Buxtehude church in Lübeck?

[doversoul1]

Mark.
That reminds me. This was a fascinating programme (Goodness! Was it really 2007?!).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/earlymusicshow/pip/27lfk/

[Mark Sealey]

Thanks, d; I remember it. Not a big Skeaping fan (to put it mildly) but would have put up with her for this. Maybe I did. It has an excerpt of the Holloway, ter Linden, Mortensen CD :-)

[gurnemanz]

Here's a very pleasant period instrument programme:

[Flosshilde]

I heard one yesterday & enjoyed it, without knowing who it was by beforehand, & was surprised that it was by Buxtehude. Like you, doversoul, I've always associated Buxtehude with organ music (& choral). I'll have to follow Micky's lead/suggestion & check out the Naxos discs. This sort of music is ideal for domestic listening (& I assume that they were composed for domestic performance)

I've just had a look on Amazon & they are charging £7.00 each for the Naxos, which appear to have just one disc - is this right?

[doversoul1]

It’s £5.99 on Naxos site but the Amazon’s price may be ‘free’ p&p included.

http://www.naxosdirect.co.uk/title/8.557250#

[ed.] Naxos offers free p&p, too.

[Flosshilde]

Thanks Doversoul - one assumes that Amazon is going to be the cheapest, but it's not always so - I think that the Testament Ring was cheaper on their own site than on Amazon.

& I can't see my local HMV selling it - they seem to have given up Naxos anyway & concentrate on their own-label CDs & on CFM.

[MickyD]

The same performers on Naxos also did another survey of some Buxtehude vocal music with Emma Kirkby (the label was originally the Danish Da Capo) - I wonder if Naxos has re-released these as well?

[doversoul1]

Here goes.
With Emma Kirkby

http://www.naxosdirect.co.uk/title/8.557251#

And others….

http://www.naxos.com/search/kwsresults.asp?q=BUXTEHUDE&site=naxosalbums&ie=ISO-8859-15&output=xml_no_dtd&proxystylesheet=naxos_frontend&client=naxos_frontend&filter=0&x=14&y=7

Sorry, Micky. You’d better hide your credit card and forget where it is….

[ed.] I suppose in one way Buxtehude is rather like Bliss in that they seem to get mentioned in association with Bach and Britten. I don’t know Bliss too well but with Buxtehude, his music may not have the magnitude (?) Bach’s music has but it has… I don’t know. I’ll let others to think of a suitable expression.

[MickyD]

Doversoul, you know me and my credit card too well!

As for Buxtehude's music, three adjectives come to my mind: tender, genial, engaging. I'm sure there are many others.