Fugue from Prelude and Fugue in A Minor, BWV 543 (J.S. Bach)

Recorded for the second Boston Bach International Organ Competition (BBIOC) 2022 on the Rieger organ at the University of Pretoria, South Africa.

[@kyotokid4]

...one of my favourite fugues by Bach. The performance is magnificent with rubato and accents so perfect.

[@michaelhewitt258]

Beautiful pedal work Very very exciting to watch

[@limitstoprogress]

Yes, super-fine pedal work, and your playing makes this piece really shine! Excellent work keeping the left-hand notes audible, by good registrations. thank you for posting!!

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Many thanks!

[@micheal49]

Oh, for sure! Especially the voice-leading near the end of the fugue, right before the closing toccata section. Just wondrous!

[@melodymonger]

Absolutely stunning performance 🤩. Thank you for sharing that with us 🙏.

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Thanks for listening

[@Kex706]

Brava!

[@Szpzer]

Schitterend gespeeld! En wat een prachtige orgelklank! Zeer indrukwekkend!

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Thank you so much for the feedback. That organ does indeed have a magical sound.

[@Szpzer]

@@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg Did you record the prelude also? I love the magical base tone, one measure postponed, to increase the tension...

[@1900intz]

Fantastic performance. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻. Made my day so much brighter after hearing and watching your post. Thank you.

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Wow! Thank you so much Murray. I truly appreciate your feedback. It makes me so happy to hear that what I do can brighten up people's days. I hope to continue to bring joy through music. That Bach is just a wonderful piece of music isn't it!

[@James-v6f2c]

Bach is the true master of music !

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

I completely agree with you on that!

[@jeff-onedayatatime.2870]

This fugue has always been one of my favorites, and at the end of this performance, sitting alone in the living room, I leapt up out of my chair cheering. :)

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Oh wonderful! I am so glad to hear this and thanks for sharing. This is what music is supposed to do, strike joy in people's hearts! Thank you for listening.

[@organman52]

Excellent !😍

[@sgsmozart]

WOW ! Amazing and thrilling !

[@pianosteven5494]

Wonderful playing! Your fingers are so fast and flexible, great movement of your body and a breathless pedalwork. Wonderful solopart of your feet, great playing of toe and amazing running 🥰. Please more

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Thank you very much!

[@DorHeledMusic]

Absolutely crushing it 🔥⚡️🎶🎹

[@cheerful_child3]

... so beautiful ...

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Thank you and thanks so much for listening.

[@lord.of.tamarindo]

one of my favorite fugues of all time, you absolutely did a fantastic job❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@OperaLars]

Great!

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Thanks so much Lars. I appreciate your comment.

[@amrocha19]

Magnifica interpretação, parabéns.🌹🌹

[@FatherKeeg]

PERFECTION!!! Thank you for your wonderful performance.

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Thank you for the wonderful comment! It brings me so much joy to know that people enjoy what I do. I hope to continue to inspire more people through my music.

[@Orgelfan62]

I love it too

[@lepetitorchestre2730]

Les mots qui me viennent en vous écoutant : "Paix, Élévation, Ineffable, Parousie, Plénitude...'. Merci à vous. Parfait !

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Wow, thank you so much for your kind words. I truly appreciate it. Thanks also for listening and supporting me.

[@DuoDelmarle]

Magnifique oeuvre + magnifique orgue + magnifique organiste : JE KIFFE A MORT !!! Cette interprétation DÉCHIRE SA RACE !!!

[@geoffkeeton4311]

Wow!

[@hansvanderveen4569]

Danke für das schöne Orgelspiel. Die Kirchenorgel ist und bleibt die Königin 👑 aller Musikinstrumente.

[@spokorobek]

waw...............................waw

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Thank you so much, and thanks for listening.

[@grizzly41424]

Magnificent. Bach would approve and add a rave review..

[@JeanBernard64]

Truly magnificent, I congratulate you, you play perfectly with total mastery and listening to you remains an indescribable pleasure, thank you for this unforgettable moment.

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Thank you so much for your kind words. It's my pleasure.

[@luizalbertorodrigues4560]

Beautiful

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Thank you Luiz. I really appreciate your feedback.

[@peter3867]

Superb! Sounds just like my amazing recording by Nicholas Danby

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Thank you Peter.

[@JohannesDavidsen]

Amazing 👏

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

@@JohannesDavidsen thank you for listening.

[@38Marvin38]

Great! Thank you!

[@brianregan5053]

Äußerst schön, Isabelle! Höchsten Dank!

[@gideonbrits2680]

Baie mooi Isabelle !

[@mariejacobs7546]

Baie dankie vir hierdie wonderlike werk van Bach! Jy speel dit so goed!

[@stronkserbia444]

This is the height of excellence surely.

[@timm7400]

I once heard this performend by Klint Kraus, on the great organs (combined instruments at either end of the marble space) at St. James Cathedral, Seattle, WA; astoundingly perfect in every way: performance, acoustics, and instrument(s). And in a space so conducive to such music. The performance of this work, in this video, is reminiscent of that experience. The cathedral is a sought-after venue to record vocal works there, as well. Kraus, a phenomenally talented organist who, after earning his Doctorate in Music, went on to earn another in medicine, and is now a practicing physician for those with less access to good medical care. Echoes of Albert Schweitzer. Foot Note: I read that JS. Bach revised this work repeatedly over a 20 year period; a time span, greater than on any other composition. Apparently it was his favorite, too.

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Thank you so much for your kind words. I am humbled. I think that there are many better recordings, but I try my best and love what I do. I am glad that you liked this so much!

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Thank you so much for the kind gesture. I wish I could have heard that performance in Seattle too. It's a long long way from South Africa though. I've been to Oregon once, so I know 😀 Perhaps next year I'll have the opportunity to go to Boston again for a little concert tour. That's a little closer.

[@grahaml6668]

Nicely done. A clear touch, and no jumping around among the manuals! I assume this is the Rieger in Pretoria?

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Thanks so much Graham. Indeed, this is the Rieger organ in the Chapel on the University of Pretoria campus.

[@halvey123]

Thank you for sharing the glorious, work with the You Tube world.

[@pauldavies925]

She does honour to a work of genius by her stunning performance.

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Thank you very much, I appreciate your comment.

[@JohnCavicchio]

Beautiful. Thank you sharing. God bless your talent.

[@juanvicentepascual5774]

Precioso, maravillosa y soberbia interpretación de esta obra maestra de J.S.Bach .Muy brillante ejecución.

[@johngrey9600]

Talent is a wonderful thing.

[@sigurdm]

Gorgeous !! ❤️❤️❤️👏👏👏

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Thank you! 😊

[@川端正一-j7e]

素晴らしい力量を感じます!ご活躍をお祈りし申し上げます!

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Thank you and thanks for the great wishes too. All the best to you too.

[@mysticcc210]

What an absolute performance, bravo 🔥

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Thank you so much for your kind words and thanks also for listening.

[@椎谷健太]

音色がアーレントオルガンのようです。美しいです。

[@fabiocorralo4609]

Excelente performance. Técnica notável que mantém o verdadeiro estilo barroco e registração muito bem escolhida para o órgão.

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Thank you very much for your kind comment. I appreciate you listening and supporting me. I love this particular organ - it's one of only three Rieger organs here in South Africa and stands in the Chapel on the campus of the University of Pretoria. It is particularly well-suited for baroque music and the acoustics are wonderful and intimate.

[@maron6761]

Great!!

[@ced1401]

wonderful

[@Jarial7]

Superb international star quality Bravo Diva muse of music you do your teachers great honour a true master of your art I am a total fan of your wonderful work God's deepest blessings on you and all you love Father Charles Anderson

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Oh, I am so flattered 😊 Thank you so much for your most kind words. I appreciate it and appreciate that you listen to my videos and support me.

[@DuoDelmarle]

Ausgezeichnet ! Vielen Dank !

[@alee8685]

Perfect

[@ambraorlandini164]

Magistrale Fuga in La minore....Bach un gigante nell'arte della Fuga.Bravissima l'interprete

[@taiyo1964]

bravo！！

[@Jean-PierreBosc-zu5dt]

Excellente organiste

[@Vince_uk]

Brilliant

[@linoferrentino]

God bless you; in the recording it is clear how much effort is required to master this composition. How your feet move to stay into the right slot for the next note while you read the sheet and move the hands; as an amateur guitarist this is like magic. Thank you.

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Thank you very much for your kind comment. Playing the organ takes years of practise since so much is involved. I am very fortunate and thankful to have had one of the best and most talented organ professors in South Africa, prof Wim Viljoen, who in his youth studied in Paris with Marie-Claire Alain.

[@pa0nhc844]

Nice play and good recording resulting in good differentiation between manual voises and play.

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Thank you very much for your comment. Johan Deysel from Ensemble Productions did the recording.

[@petertyrrell3391]

Well-done for the speed and accuracy! However, I think it can be just as effective a bit slower. A lot of the material is string instrument idiom, so might need more time to get the bow going - imagine a 'cello playing the theme in the bass entry.

[@Ann0-23-ky7dq]

I agree, no rush needed. As the music itself provide lots of tempi/var. 🎹🎹👏

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Thank you for listening. I'll definitely keep that in mind in my next performance. Much appreciated.

[@filippofratini3181]

Estremamente precisa.....come avrebbe voluto Bach probabilmente

[@francoisdesbordes114]

Madame, merci !! Superbe registration et maîtrise technique proche de celle des plus grand ; Marie Claire Alain ou Helmut Walcha.

[@benedictcowell6547]

Praise indeed!

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Merci beaucoup. Mon professeur, Wim Viljoen était l'élève de Marie Claire Alain

[@СергейАлякшин]

Отлично!

[@sergiocattapan1192]

Gli accenti risultano perfetti alla terza esposizione tematica ed all'entrata del pedale😂 quarta esposizione tematica

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

Grazie mille. Sono contento che ti piaccia la mia performance.

[@Backstabbio]

Fukn RAD!

[@jesuisravi]

olé!

[@benedictcowell6547]

Tout ce qu'il faut pour ravissement

[@goodman1127]

miles away from Ton Koopman's playing or Smits, Doeselar

[@OrganistIsabellevanRensburg]

That's what makes them so special and why I did effort to take lessons from Smits and Doeselaar in 2018. It won't stop me from doing what I love.

[@pauleagle913]

What an amateurish thing to make a comparison like this. She’s a brilliant performer, and not miles away from anyone, other than a person who would make such a remark as yours. Please unplug and go back to your mother’s basement. Isabelle, thank you for this beautiful and inspiring performance!!

[@goodman1127]

@ it's your chilldish opinion. Musical performances are always under comparision and evaluation. If you have not too sharp ear it's your problem.

[@oludotunjohnshowemimo434]

Did Bach like the theme and decided to improvise on it or was he challenged to do so?

[@j.l.visser5740]

Veel te snel.😭

[@benedictcowell6547]

It has been remarked here in respect to another lady Organist that it is delightful to see may young lady organists, and here is another, and they are all such exciting musicians that have put life into a repertoire that can be quite jaded, Why are there so many brunets. A silly question but it might be interesting