Karl Richter - Passacaglia & Fugue In C Minor - BWV 582

Karl Richter performing in Ottobeuren...

[@johannesneef1094]

Karl Richter mastered the great art of working his way into Bach's works in depth. That one gets the feeling that Bach himself is sitting on the organ, and that he was able to show his humility before God in his highest art!

[@Dan_C604]

Passed away in 1981, his memory is alive and well in so many musical records. Great conductor, choirmaster, organist and harpsichordist.

[@bjorncanters955]

Dan C So it is Richter and also Walcha, in my opinion the best Bach performers. Ich don't know how Bach played this. But every time i hear this,my heart is full of silence,eternity and may be of touch by the Lord. Goosebumps on my neck.

[@annamcancarini6953]

I'll try to explain "das Phaenomen Richter" and why I consider him the greatest Bach's interpreter. First, he had a global musical education, he was a Kantor, an outstanding organ and harpsichord player, like Bach, and a genial Choir Director. The intense charisma and the energy he projected from the podium led his interpreters to achieve accomplishments, in the true spirit of the music: this is authenticity in my opinion, not playing on copies of ancient instruments. His orchestra was much smaller than a Philarmonic, his Choir was big but so at unison, the voices so young and clear, with little or no vibrato, to look like a "knabenchor". Some said he played romantic, but in many interviews Richter denied that: "Romantic are Wagner or Schumann, with their Crescendi and Decrescendi and Rubato, but I don't play like that. Some mistake phrasing with romanticism, but they don't understand a thing in music. Phrasing is important, music must breathe to build the structure of the piece". All his recordings are excellent, some of them unsurpassable masterpieces. The beauty and the intense meditative Richter's interpretations of Bach, Haendel and others were no more reached by any of his successors.

[@georgesmelki1]

I totally agree!

[@BestForeverMusic]

❤️💖❤️💝👍

[@CziffraTheThird]

Master........my master! Richter is master to me!

[@JackGibbonsHQ]

Well said!

[@andreasisenberg8700]

Well said! Karl Richter is one of my favourite interpreters not because of the perfection of his choir's voices, but because of the spirit of his interpretations. He maintained the "soul" of the music which so many of more recent and technically more perfect interpretations have lost. For these latter the German saying suits well according to which the "operation went well, only the patient is dead".

[@farshidrabbani]

Passacaglia part is the best emotional music I've listened, especially the version that Mr. Richter played. I listen to that when I feel lonely or remember my love 👌👌❤❤

[@Nico7583]

I can't prevent my tears from falling down when I watch and LISTEN to the outstanding performance of Herr Karl Richter on this absolute master piece. Oh my GOD ...

[@johnaluncooke6827]

Karl Richter - Simply THE BEST !!

[@crazyorganist1609]

As an organist Richter's Bach technique is flawless and plays Bach exactly as it should be. He doesn't add unnecessary ornaments and let's the music speak for itself

[@MerlynAStern]

He played the whole thing by memory, and the guy pulling the stops had to use a big book. It blew my mind !

[@DjPsychoLive]

#Goals

[@renaudgg]

hahahahajaj its true

[@wiawaysb]

o yea what is that dude doing? someone enlighten me please

[@JohnJohnson-yi6jg]

@@wiawaysb He is changing the stops to make different sets of pipes open or closed off. It is how the color/timbre of the instrument changes throughout the piece. For example notice the difference in sound at 4:40 vs. 6:10.

[@MitchBoucherComposer]

I cannot imagine the pressure one must be under when playing this music from memory. His playing is flawless...

[@francescotarchi8911]

Deep in the Music History - "....where the music was born" + Respect from Italy

[@sacredbolero]

I have my doubts in other repertoire but when it comes to the organ richter is unquestionable. A richter organ performance does not let the ear tire despite countless repetition of listening. It’s incredible

[@HansDunkelberg1]

How often do you repeat such playbacks?

[@andreasisenberg8700]

Karl Richter is one of my favourite interpreters not because of the perfection of his choir's voices, but because of the spirit of his interpretations. He maintained the "soul" of the music which so many of more recent and technically more perfect interpretations have lost. For these latter the German saying suits well according to which the "operation went well, only the patient is dead".

[@Highinsight7]

My favorite performance of this EPIC, timeless, glorious work...

[@jeffreymiller4814]

Karl Richter was in a class by himself. He was one of the greatest musicians of all time. All you are aware of when he performs is the magnificence of the music he chooses to bring to life. Such beautiful, EFFORTLESS playing.

[@franckranaivo666]

Karl Richter nous fortifie dans notre foi chrétienne. Reposez en Paix cher Maître trop tôt disparu!!!

[@RolandoGonzalez-dn7lo]

Let's not forget the talent of the guy that presses the button at around 10:14 - he really shines there!

[@vonpfrentsch]

The "button" is called "organ stop", "Register" in german.

[@viviviccello]

This is the creation, this is the universe... This is Bach...

[@andreasposchmann7131]

yes

[@user-ki6bd6yw7q]

Universe... and endless soul... and love, because the universe was created from love 😊. The best, excellent performance, no doubt 💗 I am not religious at all; I am Russian. And I have opened soul 😍 for such the endless wonder 🌞

[@dmac469]

Man this is over the top. Best ever.

[@angelosilva4051]

Karl Richter memorabile interprete di Bach all'organo e sul podio ci ha lasciato troppo presto straordinario anche per Bruckner e Brahms Schumann e Dvorak. Assolutamente completo elettrizzante trascinante. Storico.

[@filipi58]

Je le redis, on part aux anges en écoutant Karl Richter interpréter cet morceau de Bach, j’en ai les larmes aux yeux. Que d’émotions dans son jeu, c’est impressionnant.

[@johntiggleman4686]

Wow! I have not been blown away by a performance of the Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor since I saw Virgil Fox perform it way back in 1981. Mr. Richter out did Virgil by quite a lot. And we see what is meant by "pull out all the stops." I couldn't see for sure if they all were, but it sure sounded like it. Amazing.

[@georgesmelki1]

What a wonderful masterpiece, played by an outstanding performer!

[@maru679]

Trovo che Karl Richter sia una reincarnazione perfetta di Johann Sebastian Bach. Secondo il mio parere lui riesce a interpretare perfettamente quello che Bach voleva dire con le sue composizioni.

[@alfredopirondini4913]

Karl Richter. The greatest interpreter of J. S. Bach

[@geiryvindeskeland7208]

I am sorry for my inadequate English. In which way is Karl Richter the greatest interpreter of J.S. Bach?

[@alfredopirondini4913]

Because he is strict in adherence to the score and eliminates the romantic influences from the performance of music

[@kinchiey5910]

+geir øyvind eskeland your english is beautiful

[@trespire]

To add "romantic influences" to Bach is almost a sacrilege. Bach should be performed without adding or changing, there is so much depth & beauty in the precision of Bach. To play without ego is no easy. Richter was a musikarbietnehmer

[@amantesdelamusik.9469]

The geatest of all time! But Kommt ihr totcher! lol

[@pearlblues3665]

Bravo Herr Richter!

[@bjorncanters955]

Sie sagen es.Wem soll man hier mehr danken. Dem lieben Gott der Musik JSB.Oder Karl Richter für seine grandiose Interpretation. Ich könnte mir das 100x anhören und finde immer Neues,was mir bisher entging. Bachs Musik ist wie ein stetig expandierendes Universum. Ohne Anfang und Ende.

[@HansDunkelberg1]

Interesting, especially given that people back then had not yet heard about how the universe really expands.

[@hansweichselbaum2534]

Und dem Orgelbauer.

[@forgottenbooks2395]

Richter's is the only performance where time seems to stop in the coda (specifically 13:29 onwards) in the little pauses between the notes. You can almost hear the organ breathing in those pauses, like some gargantuan being.

[@jasonhoch7105]

I visit this recording often, but never read the comments. You describe exactly what I feel he’s trying to convey. He knew that instrument well enough, he pushed it to the absolute limits to make it seem like it’s a breathing being. The coda, with all the stops out, makes it apparent the organ is almost at the limit of its wind capacity. You hear this when it starts going slightly flat. Richter knew how to bring out those features on instruments to make the music seem more human/alive. Absolute brilliance when Bach is usually played so mechanically. It’s sad he left us so young.

[@annamcancarini6953]

Well said! There is so much "espressivo" and tension in Richter's way of making music. He understood so deeply the architecture of the work and how to assemble and disassemble it. He took the listener to an ecstasy.

[@kade4503]

Yeah I describe this as otherworldly the way Richter performs this, and especially at the end when you can hear it echo, it is clear that something was being harnessed by him with the organ. But that's just how I like to see it because this was extravagant and just so, as I said before, otherworldly.

[@johncliff996]

eindrucksvoll Unsterblichkeit, ein meisterverk Herr Richter

[@HansDunkelberg1]

One could perhaps not formulate it so clearly in English.

[@haotianyu6368]

Celestial, divine music...

[@jamesupton4996]

Richter was exceptional.

[@ivanodrog]

He was, is and will be exceptional

[@ivanodrog]

Also is died

[@farshidrabbani]

the last minuets are so emotional.

[@user-fg5kt5wk6u]

Когда я всматриваюсь в лицо Карла, мне кажется, что если он наденет парик и старинную немецкую одежду, то перед нами предстанет сам Мастер, Иоганн Себастьян! Присмотритесь - этот высокий лоб, прямой нос, эти резкие и отрывистые движения, полные силы... И по моему, Рихтер есть ни кто иной, как воплощение Баха в XXI веке. Тогда всё становится на свои места. Великий гений вновь пришёл к нам напомнить о себе.

[@daviddaniel2302]

De toutes les versions de cette extraordinaire page de Jean Sébastien Bach, c'est celle de Karl Richter sur orgue baroque que je préfère. Partant de très bas, la musique enfle, et avec ces extraordinaires variations , s'élève vers le Ciel avec majesté. C'est une musique qui vous incite à devenir croyant !

[@nesenrjul]

Un verdadero virtuoso el organista. reconforta el alma escuchar a un artista de los grandes

[@kastorgelbau]

Nareszcie nagranie wyższej jakości! Dzięki za zamieszczenie. Pozdrawiam.

[@hdholl]

Ok ok. Richter is great and all that. I agree. Yet could we have a round of applause for the humble servant in the background who silently flutters around and flawlessly works the organ stops? Not a simple feat either.

[@HansDunkelberg1]

It certainly is quite simple, compared with the feat achieved by Richter. Especially when you are supported, psychologically, by such acoustics.

[@voltaspeeder17]

What a masterpiece and execution

[@trebeliant4707]

this is real sound of Ottobeuren organ

[@MitchBoucherComposer]

What fascinates me the most about the playing of Herr Richter is watching his hands, and the technique which he has. His playing seems both rigid yet fluid at the same time, and I wonder how this was achieved on a tracker-action organ.

[@JRorgel]

Just Genius.

[@bekamaisuradze9035]

You have precious channel. Thank you so much for Karl Richter's wonderful video music.

[@xilofag]

GOAT

[@georgeleermakers5500]

& Jhr. Humphrey: This is so Geniaal, He was a Magistral organist. Merci.

[@bjorncanters955]

Thanks Adrian. Richter und Walcha und Bach must be the whole part. Love this .Go on.

[@edouard-nicolasdimitriev5799]

Une magnifique interprétation. Surtout, soulignions l'art du crescendo. Le crescendo, on le retrouve très rarement chez les organistes contemporains. J'ai infiniment apprécié. Edouard, Musicologue.

[@tuxedomoon]

This piece for me is the tribute of Bach to a dying area of playing, the Baroque!

[@HansDunkelberg1]

I wonder to what a degree Beethoven has been inspired here, concerning his 9th symphony.

[@Suprachemistry]

POWER!!!!!!!

[@Matinex93]

Wspaniałe wykonanie wspaniałego utworu wspaniałego kompozytora. Ukłony

[@VALERIOFOTOGRAFOVIDEO]

662 - bellissima musica - ciao da VALERIO !!!!!!!!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@kenz3l]

Das ist gut, Herr Richter

[@Theonainlo]

Marvelous! Thank you so much for posting.

[@GUCCHIOG]

Great work!

[@lorganisteanonym8956]

excellente interprétation de la passacaglia et fugue en ut mineur,d aura plus que j ai déjà essayé cet orgue magnifique

[@anjing2728]

貴重な映像を有り難うございます。

[@klausbrauckmann9095]

Unglaublich !

[@seymahonda9298]

I love this one...

[@samoinborut1339]

Das ist Wahnsinn. This is crazy.

[@tolick01]

Jhr. Humphrey: De Grootste Organisten die wij gehad hebben Bravo, Grootmeester.

[@THEbombatomo]

Mary Leermake

[@renaudgg]

In addition to that, Karl kind of look 1-2 seconds prior the stop change, at where the guy should go pull haha, its unbelivable, almost saying “Ok man its here pull now”

[@erzsebetpetroczki1143]

Still the best.

[@Dd4V]

truly divine

[@renaudgg]

my god... at 14:18 and +

[@danielalaura7304]

Sjajno!

[@userunknown2771]

Top Karl klasse

[@samoinborut1339]

Ja, so soll man Bach spielen. Yes, this is how to play Bach.

[@kinchiey5910]

More like passacaglia and fuge in B moll

[@dreamer_4937]

I assume that would be because of Baroque pitch.

[@usfghost]

yes it is

[@johannsebastianbach3411]

Atta-boy!

[@jokubasvelzys3374]

And why toccata and fugue in D minor is more famous than this piece?

[@TheStockwell]

Stokowski and horror films, basically.

[@TheEternalWayfarer]

Stokowski's transcription and Disney's Fantasia.

[@HansDunkelberg1]

Because it is more dramatic.

[@user-lp3qs7so5d]

Чудесно..

[@charlottewhyte9804]

wow

[@andrearodigari4840]

I think God had a different plan for him. Too good for us . But I know. I will will meet him one day.

[@merardolandazury8952]

Adrián volovets por qué el otro vídeo de 15 minutos no se puede escuchar en los celulares

[@kinchiey5910]

6:20 what stop is that?

[@maksiu026]

no way, here is no bourdon, only subbass or maybe oktavbass in pedal. Manual sounds like zimbel plus steel flute 4'

[@usfghost]

im seeing your comments all over bach videos, respect.

[@roku401]

@@maksiu026 the passacaglia theme moves to hands alone, no pedal, then ritornello a Thema fugatum.

[@georgesmelki1]

Adrian Volovets, some more information on this recording please!

[@cesarenobile1995]

where is this church?

[@chiyochichi380]

+Cesare Nobile Basilika von Ottobeuren (it's german :3)

[@ivanodrog]

12:40

[@HansDunkelberg1]

Good observation! That must be terribly difficult, especially given that also the _left_ foot is involved.

[@clarification007]

Was that recorded in the same time then the Bach Toccata & Fugue with K. Ritcher? The video Passacaglia & Fugue In C Minor - BWV 582 is so much better here!

[@Skaaygraff]

It looks like the same time, but I agree, the sound it's way better here. But the Toccata & Fugue it's a really awesome version. Maybe it was because of the analogic/digital conversion process.

[@annamcancarini6953]

If you want good music and an astonishing Richter, please buy a very good version on cd. You Tube is only a beginning.

[@bjorncanters955]

annam cancarini I had doch this .JSB is still there,every time.

[@aimiliosspiliopoulos1091]

Ahh! That is a very good interpretation! It has great timing and a thick sound, also a variety of stops put in the correct position. Though, it is a little more dirty than I would prefer and more romantic (it is not romantic practically, but I like "it" less). I think it comes second to the interpretation of E. Power Biggs' on the Harvard tracker pipe organ, witch is just inhuman. I suggest it to everyone. One way or another, this is one of the best pieces of music Bach ever wrote, or ever written in general!

[@ericvanlabeke9016]

Pas de furitures ni tremolo en fin de phrase merci !

[@shahrzadm.5167]

Meraviglioso Richter! Meraviglioso Johann Sebastian, meraviglioso l'organo! Che commento del cazzo.

[@AntonioPantalone]

ma cos

[@deathfan2002]

This is supposed to be c minor not b minor

[@nicholasjohns5064]

deathfan2002 it's because of baroque tuning

[@Bronzebk]

Wow! Didn't know this existed. I'm familiar with him as a conductor & knew he was also an organist, but never heard him play. He's definitely up there with E Power Biggs 👍🏽