Bach - Fantasia and fugue in C minor BWV 537 - Wiersinga | Netherlands Bach Society

[@bach]

0:07 Fantasia 5:33 Fuga

[@KangKhafid]

Mantap from indonesia

[@seanmarshall7529]

@@KangKhafid ?????

[@seanmarshall7529]

@Sade Nishimura you're in the wrong feed

[@user-74652]

That first note makes me quite happy about my choice in headphones.

[@Radioactisaurus]

That deep note that massages your ears & brain. 😌

[@hansdaudey7813]

Your whole body needs contact with the soundwaves of this note for the real experience.

[@rono3223]

Beautiful and heart wrenching. How can you not love JS Bach?

[@joseluisgimenezperez909]

Who not love J.S.Bach?Quien no puede amar al grande Bach?

[@ritanicosia]

@@joseluisgimenezperez909 Nessuno, sono più che convinta

[@le_0318]

Absolutely no idea! ;)

[@dleimkuehler]

He was the most brilliant composers who ever lived.

[@seanmarshall7529]

@@le_0318 i understand, but he will never be a Hildegard non Bingen, a dufay, machault, i love polyphony, in all its expressions

[@lucadeieso4815]

The first 89 bars of the work were composed by Bach in Weimar, but the last 41 bars were composed by J.L. Krebs just after Bach's death in 1751. This fact explain the da capo form of this fugue (just as the mature "wedge" fugue BWV 548): it was the very best solution that the pupil could find to finish this early fugue of his great master. This explain why the themes are never combined as one would expext from Bach: he left the fugue unfinished and it was completed some decades later by his very best pupil.

[@matthewkane502]

Wow I never knew that

[@fooberdooge3103]

What’s your source? I don’t doubt it, but I can’t seem to find this bit of information online.

[@lucadeieso4815]

@@fooberdooge3103 you will find this interesting and convincing thesis in every book of Bach's organ music: the first 89 measures were copied by Krebs' father from an original manuscript in Weimar, then Krebs completed it in 1751, adding the last 41 bars

[@fooberdooge3103]

@@lucadeieso4815 So it's not confirmed, just a hypothesis?

[@lucadeieso4815]

@@fooberdooge3103 yes obviously no one have the Truth, but if you know your Bach, then you understand why this thesis Is the best to explain the strange contrapuntal "weakness" of these final bars

[@peteacher52]

What an organist! What an organ! What a total genius composer!

[@carloargoti9882]

Currently learning this piece. What an amazing bar set by this performance.

[@MitchBoucherComposer]

I think this is my favorite performance of this work. The opening registration in the fantasia is fitting--soft and elegant while the music is dreary and full of gloom. I really enjoy the fugue as well.

[@OldPannonian]

I am floored by the beauty of this work by Bach. The organist's playing is most impressive and masterly. The organ itself is a dream. Thank you, from Canada.

[@thomasdastillung4097]

The opening measures with the haunting pedal bass and perfectly chosen registers is astonishing.

[@HenrikBergpianorganist]

So refreshing to have a fantasia/prelude that isn't played with the usual organo pleno. Makes the fugue even more intriguing.

[@ronwalker4849]

I LOVE THE ELEGANCE OF THIS ORGAN. THE SOUND.. THE MARBLE MOULDINGS... THE COLORS IN THE ITALIAN TASTE..THE KEYBOARDS IN EBONY AND IVORY. IT IS NOT PLOODING MUSIC, BUT CONTEMPLETIVE MUSIC, AND I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS RECORDING.

[@benjaminmarks8765]

Agreed. A very open, pure, slightly gilded on the edges sound that is very refreshing and clear

[@Jesus-kq4mp]

I need to give at least a million likes to express how much I like this masterpiece. Thanks very much to NBS.

[@TommasoFrassini]

This piece comes from heaven.

[@damianmurphy1745]

The Fugue is just stunning. So much tension and drama. Thankyou so much for this interpretation

[@davidwolters9178]

Geweldig geen dag zonder Bach

[@seanmarshall7529]

Bravo, not Koopman speed, but I love it... it's one of the most important pieces, for me... Erwin Wiersinga -> Bravissimo!

[@glockengambe]

Agogik, Artikulation, Phrasierung - alles ganz nach meinem Geschmack und Verständnis. 'Musikalische Rede' kann so kaum besser verstanden werden! Dreidimensionale Musik. Meine Gratulation,Herr Wiersinga!

[@seanmarshall7529]

agogic -> relating to or denoting an accent produced by lengthening the time value of a note.

[@kikivolauvent1]

This first part just went ever so well with my mid-winter-nostalgia, slightly melancholic.... than the fugu woke me up alright. Beautiful rendition.

[@zacharybond23]

With the stops used and the tempo Mr. Wiersinga chose, he makes the fantasia sound heartbroken. I feel he drew the emotion out of the piece quite skillfully. Well done!

[@ronwalker4849]

A MAGNIFICENT COMPOSITION, ON A WONDERFUL ORGAN, AND MUSICIAN. IT DOESN´T MAKE ME MELANCHOLIC ONLY PROFOUNDLY EMPATHETIC AND COMFORTING. THE FUGUE SEEMS TO BE A REBELIOUS CONFRONTATION WITH THE FANTASIA IN A SORT OF CHALLENGE TO THE OPENING MOOD.

[@notaire2]

Wunderschöne und tiefempfundene Aufführung dieser perfekt komponierten Fantasie und Fuge im ruhigen Tempo mit durchsichtigen und perfekr vereinigten Tönen der historischen Orgel sowie mit sorgfältig kontrollierter Dynamik. Einfach wunderbar!

[@rubinsmith821]

quite possibly the most genius artist to ever put pen to paper

[@BaroquetoClassical]

Wonderful registration and performance... these are very deep waters by a masterful composer

[@austinafrench]

Absolutely brilliant! Brilliant composition, brilliant performance, brilliant video recording by NBS. Bravo!

[@Seenall]

I'm in absolute awe. Imagine hearing this in person!!!!!

[@kaysonpiano]

3 years and I still continue to come back to this often. Does not get better than this, thank you NBS for continuing to make top tier quality videos even till this day! Cheers!

[@risasb]

That right hand has been through a lot. Nine bows to you, sir.

[@PointyTailofSatan]

FYI: that odd 6 note ascending theme that suddenly appears in the middle of the fugue is an amazing throwback to a Middle Ages musical technique called the hexachord. Simply the first six notes of either a major or minor scale. So what Bach is doing is combining an ancient pre-Renaissance musical form and state of the art Baroque counterpoint. The real question is why? Did Bach hear something while he was constructing the fugue that made him think of the hexachord? And why right in the middle of the fugue, bookended by the original fugue theme? I guess we will never know.

[@theguywithcoolpens6466]

You’ve commented about this on so many videos of bwv 537. Spread the word I guess

[@Whatismusic123]

No? Lmao

[@DanielSilva-gc4xz]

@@theguywithcoolpens6466 lol

[@jamescoughlin8856]

Magnificent! Hard to imagine more perfect tempo or articulation. A model for all of us who study this piece!

[@MrLuridan]

This is a remarkable performance of an amazing piece.

[@samshearman5251]

So beautiful and beautifully played.

[@sheldonbazinga3985]

Un instrument magnifique, superbement entretenu, et de la bonne époque. Une réverbération terrible et des échos "diablement" difficiles à dompter. Là est la prouesse d'Erwin Wiersinga à donner un rendu clair et audible. C'est très fort et très beau.

[@markbell9973]

Ahh...la langue de Molière superbement rendue ! Autrement dit : des "signes" purement linguistiques. Mais ! Langue et parole d'emblée à la hauteur du message dans la bouteille jetée à la mer. Bouteille qui est belle et bien arrivée a ce destinataire qui t'adresse la parole depuis l'état d'Arizona (Apache Co .. Cowboyland) aux É-U. Eh oui: 4 langues utilisèes journalièrement comme langue maternelle. Le Zuni (7000 ans). Le Diné (Navajo). L'espagnole (ca. 1780). L'anglais (cultivé et en dialecte Cowboy) ca. 1890. Il existe même une certaine culture d'orgue avec nos deux instruments à tuyaux dans la région immédiate !! Mais Bach. Notre théologien à tous. Non? Vive la France! 3X à la vôtre!! Mark

[@sheldonbazinga3985]

@@markbell9973 Et que Dieu ait pitié de l'Amérique... À la vôtre...

[@marcelouz1]

Beautiful interpretation of this extraordinary masterpiece by BACH, how much Edward Elgar would love BACH's organ music, that he made a wonderful, inspiring transcription for orchestra with a creative force of BACH's religiosity.

[@TommasoFrassini]

All the voices and the harmonies Bach put in this masterpiece make me think about the duality of every human being. We live the whole adventure accepting this truth

[@adriandegroot2264]

Great tempo control, which is key to the performance of this music. This instrument is also one of the most beautiful organs in the world. Thanks for this exemplary rendering!

[@dleimkuehler]

Amen, Bach was perhaps the greatest composer to have lived. If you question this listen, read about counterpart. Fugue subjects - I think you will agree. This Organist is Brilliant!!

[@kennyrafel5090]

There is no perhaps about it!

[@therealrealludwigvanbeethoven]

@@kennyrafel5090 Eh...

[@andrezkamotu]

Probably the most melancholic Bach's organ piece in my opinion... I'd like to hear BWV 534 performed by Erwin Wiersinga!

[@andreacosta74]

The most underrated “Bach organ”

[@tomfilipiak690]

Beautiful. And what an interesting thing it is to watch the organist with all of the movement required including using the feet for the lowest notes. That is a workout that takes a lot of focus and energy!

[@farahmohammed1963]

Beautifully played!!! This is one of my most favorite pieces!! Thank you!!🌺

[@johnlong8037]

LORD JESUS THANK YOU FOR THIS ORGANIST...BLESS HIM FOR HIS GOOD WORKS PROVIDING BEAUTIFUL MUSIC IN GOD'S CHURCHES AND FOR SHARING HIS GREAT SKILLS AND TALANTS FOR GOD'S PEOPLE ON EARTH... .GLORY BE TO GOD THE MOST HOLY BLESSED TRINITY FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT..THANK YOU MR.ORGANIST...GOD BLESS YOU...

[@leonardoantoniodichiara]

Mi hai fatto "gustare" questo brano in modo superlativo!

[@cieloleonordelgado9696]

Es hermosa la Obra y su gran interpretación al órgano...Gracias por ésta verdadera Fantasía Espiritual...no debiera admitirse anuncios... al escuchar una melodía que nos conecta directamente con Dios...que no admite éstas fallas...🙏 inexplicables...y sin embargo nos perdona...

[@pilpie]

Mooi en intens gespeeld. Prachtig om te horen dat bij het ouder worden de 'rijping' ook groeit in de voordracht.

[@TheGloryofMusic]

Taped-together sheet music--the bane of every organist!

[@lorenzley1324]

Ich habe nur ein einziges Wort, es ist wunderschön. Die Registrierung wunderschön, die interpretation auch.

[@bobh5087]

Like Wiersinga, this has long been a great Bach favorite of mine - both to hear and play. I prefer to play the Fantasia "bigger," using manual Principals 8' 4' 2' / pedal Principals 16' 8' 4' - but it works quite well here with quieter 8' and 4' voices, as well. And I think his tempos and phrasings, etc. are just right. We really do hear some great sadness expressed in the first movement, perhaps after Bach had lost one of his children or a wife. (?)

[@wietseouwejan6804]

Its only the 8' you hear. Its very rich in overtones!

[@bobh5087]

@@wietseouwejan6804 Thanks. I did wonder about this. Thought I heard a 4' in there.

[@rjwusher]

The consensus dating of this piece is 1723, three years after Bach had returned from a long voyage to Bohemia to find his wife dead and buried. Tragedy would not spare Bach as in later years seven (!) of his children died, and two close relatives who lived in his house. And let's not forget that at the age of ten he had lost both his parents.

[@bobh5087]

@@rjwusher It's amazing how much joy pervades Bach's music, considering the tragic life he lived.

[@Basal89]

Bellissima interpretazione!

[@alistairnelson]

What an awesome performance!

[@andrewwoodward8810]

Magnificent! I can only imagine how thrilling it must be to play music like this on a fabulous instrument such as the one in this video. Keep it up NBS please - loving every video! (...and looking forward to hearing the St Matthew Passion, live in Naarden, in April!)

[@markmartin7702]

a tear cannot dream

[@rjwusher]

I have absolutely no idea what on earth that means, but it sounds very poetic though.

[@bernhardroelfsema8436]

Geweldig gedaan, Erwin. Hulde.

[@geraldhahnefeld7663]

Diese Aufnahme ist der Beweis dafür, dass die Musik vor allem JS Bachs die Verbindung zwischen dem göttlichen Himmel und der Erde darstellt. Gespielt von Wiersinga wird die Orgel zum Kosmos!

[@lenanielsen5903]

🕊Love Bach🕊

[@diogenesofsinope1638]

Thank God without him Bach would have not been who he was. He would have been a different man. Pray that we may return to such greatness!

[@lenanielsen5903]

Bach loved God

[@magcreepy4267]

And God loved bach and his offering all this wonderful music...

[@Mymusictoshare]

Geweldig!! Mooi gespeeld en super leuk om je zo even weer te zien Erwin.

[@davidalmagrogarcia9488]

Just what I needed for today... Thank you NBS.

[@kevinpfaff2301]

Well done. A good tempo. Many thanks!

[@trzpiotkakokietka8673]

I don't like very much organ music, but it's excelent! I am enchanted by his playing

[@rjwusher]

You should try listening to more organ music. Obviously you have good taste, because as far as organ performances go, this is the absolute best.

[@tahaouhabi3520]

it's called King OF Instruments for a reason

[@schrysafis]

@@tahaouhabi3520 It's the only instrument that can produce such variety of sublime sounds. It fits perfect with Bach.

[@ТатьянаМашукова-ж5ш]

Vielen Dank für das Video. Sehr Gut!

[@fernandosoares5812]

Pura serenidade... beleza excessiva. Eu sei lá que mais...

[@trevjr]

Wow this organ almost sounds like a human voice. Perfect registration, beautiful playing, wonderful!

[@hofmusikus91]

Best organn fugue by the Master!

[@PommerscherKater]

Wunderschön👍🎶

[@CR33SIVE]

Could you guys possibly do BWV 543, I love that piece.

[@almalopezbarroso1163]

It would be amazing

[@markmartin7702]

they should publish all of 2344 Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis

[@geiryvindeskeland7208]

Zederath, I am sorry for my inadequate English. BWV 543? Search for Christian Barthen, for me as a HIP-supporter, I think that Barthen does it very well! Listen to the clear difference of tempi between the Preludium and the Fugue, it fits very well to the time signatures C and 6/8.

[@zacharybond23]

@@geiryvindeskeland7208 There are a lot of good performances of BWV 543. One of my personal favorites is Simon Preston's interpretation.

[@gianlucatovo]

Unbelievable!! Bravo Maestro!!

[@mathemagic7616]

Thanks Bach.Thanks NBS. You are adorable.

[@martin_A.miranda]

when bach is the inventon on blood moon dance of star butterfly, excellent interpretation sir.

[@martin_A.miranda]

correction: star vs forces of bad

[@mmbmbmbmb]

Extraordinary ~ THANK you !!!

[@goscott444]

_Think I will turn my sub woofer on and piss off my neighbor! Thank you JSB!_ 🤣

[@debs-3309]

The prelude was sort of meh but the fugue is definitely worth being considered as another one of bachs greatest masterpieces!👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@ritanicosia]

In the sound of this organ I feel an alone soul who tells her own pain to God

[@qdwre]

thats exactly what i feel

[@ritanicosia]

@@qdwre Many days have passed, but I greet you an happy 2023

[@f.javiersarasua9715]

Qué delicia! Interpretación, registración, instrumento todo perfecto.

[@giorgiofrezet8979]

Wonderful! Bravo!

[@VGO527]

Amazing!!

[@benjaminniemczyk]

Superb.

[@garethwilliams9981]

Wonderful! Thank you!

[@albertocolzani897]

Bravissimo!!

[@heekyungkim8147]

beautiful ❤️

[@TheAtheist22]

Beautiful.

[@Lucius_Chiaraviglio]

I like that he DOESN'T do the all-too-common transition to a major chord on the ending note.

[@MitchBoucherComposer]

What other performers end the piece in c major? I think it would sound really horrible. Maybe not horrible, but incorrect, considering the overall gloom of the piece.

[@Lucius_Chiaraviglio]

@@MitchBoucherComposer I don't know about this particular piece, but I do know that many but not all performers end other Bach (and other Baroque) pieces in minor key with a major chord, and in each case, as you say, it sounds really wrong when put together with the rest of the piece.

[@AceyBleach]

It is called a "Picardy third". Some music is written that way. It is a type of borrowed chord. It can be found in choral music as well. I think William Bryd's vidimus stellam is a good example. Can also be found in a handful of BWVs like 887....

[@Lucius_Chiaraviglio]

@@AceyBleach Thanks for giving the name of this phenomenon: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picardy_third . . . I wouldn't mind it every now and then if that's what the composer put in, but it seems awfully overused, and I have heard more than one instance of the same piece played with it and without it, as if the performer or arranger had thought that one had to be put in if it wasn't explicitly marked.

[@NinjaofApathy]

I'm no expert, but I read someone saying that it was a tradition to not end on minor chords in churches sometimes (at least this was the explanation for a Dmaj end on bmv 565 toccata fugue video) And in that great video, one of the Netherlands Bach Society's organists ended the song on a major instead...I personally thought it actually kinda worked, even though it felt unusual.

[@Bigbassdrum60]

Bach exemplifies Loss Of Life in his music. The loss of his first wife which haunted him most of his life is woven into his music.

[@ЕленаМи-т6ы]

Бах❤ Вершина. Океан. Космос. Невыразимое.

[@stevemiller5915]

Magnificent!!!!

[@flemmingranch8777]

En smuk og letløbende orgelkoncert. Flot spillet......

[@m0vnt41n5]

How to tell if your organ is perfect: the drone of the pipes.

[@spartahristova2631]

Heartbreaking

[@antonellabaluganti8109]

Bellissima sinfonia

[@floriandevuyst]

Out of this World

[@floriandevuyst]

Direct connection with Universe Consciousness

[@WolfieNamira]

at 7:33, in the sheet music there are three descending notes (Eb, D, C) that normally play after that F# in the right hand, but in this performance he's not playing them. Is he playing the piece wrong or is it an optional sort of ornamentation? either way, my favorite performance!

[@bach]

Great that you enjoy the performance! Erwin Wiersinga plays from the official Bärenreiter Urtext edition: imslp.eu/files/imglnks/euimg/3/34/IMSLP869926-PMLP111703-bachNBAIV,5fantasiaetfugaincBWV537.pdf. The moment you refer to, is bar 64. In this edition, the right hand plays F#/C with four descending notes (D, C, B-flat, A). This is what Wiersinga plays as well. To which sheet music edition do you refer?

[@WolfieNamira]

@@bach vmirror.imslp.org/files/imglnks/usimg/0/0e/IMSLP01322-BWV0537.pdf the one edited by Wilhelm rust is the one I have been using. The one you posted doesn't have those 3 descending notes, interesting!

[@capitanoachab]

Super!

[@sacredkinetics.lns.8352]

` 👽 Glamorous and intense.

[@WolfieNamira]

I couldn't breathe throughout the fugue...

[@RWAS073]

Although I admire the energy of his perfomance, I continually feel that the he omits notes...

[@seanmarshall7529]

Omits notes? The omitted note controversy? Google bwv 537 in imslp, download the score, is free, and follow the music while reading the score.. Mozart had top many more , new discovery, bach kept notes back... I'm just pulling your leg,. If you read around you'll read sooner interesting facts about this piece... Good luck and stay in peace

[@soubass16]

Bravoooo!!!

[@gerardbegni2806]

This fantasia and fugue can be considered as the opposite of the F&F in G minor. The outstanding far modulations of the latter are replaced here by a much more regular and quiet but very sensitive harmonic structure, giving the falsely feeling of a conservative style.

[@jeyagodwin.i7619]

Fuga🔥🔥🔥❤️

[@prophetofwellbeing]

Where is this glorious instrument?

[@bach]

In the Stiftskirche St. Georg, Goslar-Grauhof

[@KangKhafid]

Mantap

[@Roedygr]

Do you wear special shoes to avoid damaging the pedals?

[@rh7189]

Are you serious?

[@MitchBoucherComposer]

Organ shoes were built to make the pedals easier to play. Although you could play barefoot or in socks as well...but I'm certain there are other shoes which *could* damage the pedals.

[@rh7189]

​@@MitchBoucherComposer OTT much? I'm sure this most capable organist probably knows best *winks*

[@rh7189]

@@MitchBoucherComposer Some how I think this very capable organist knows best

[@augustbakenhus3288]

Pedal Pushers

[@dominiquemuskad768]

Je viens de m apercevoir que les couleurs des touches sont inversés sur cet orgue. Sait on pourquoi ?

[@bach]

That has a purely aesthetic reason.