Virgil Fox Legacy | Bach | Fantasia and Fugue in G minor

[@generalackbar245]

THAT *GENUINE JOY* right after 10:33 : he has just finished playing the piece, gets up, waves the audience with a large smile and a great joy on his face .... then, he cannot wait any more, and like a kid never satiated, returns to his keyboards to take back a last , the same one takes an umpteenth piece of cake at the end of a too rich meal... like that, just for fun, just for joy, just for pleasure. *SOLI DEO GLORIA* ... as Deo clearly has got a name, He is called Johann Sebastian Bach ; He also had once a Messiah who was called Virgil Fox. So much happiness. Hats down.

[@bach5861]

one of the greatest organ pieces ever written!

[@Engineer9736]

That Virgil Fox certainly was one kind of a man. So much dedication to Bach and the pipe organ. Truly awesome :)

[@jaredharris1940]

One of my first and memorable exposures to Bach!

[@CHRISTINEVERITYCOONEYdelia99]

Virgil Fox's technique is unsurpassable. His Bach Gigue is so exciting; he is lovely to watch. I know how difficult the organ is to play - I only do piano. But what a wonderful instrument the organ is in the hands of such a master. He radiates happiness in the music of the other master, J S Bach.

[@margaretjiantonio939]

The amazing thing about Virgil Fox is that he has no music in front of him. He memorized everything.

[@mr.booker9263]

Virgil Fox had something...which no other organist has been able to match.

[@organboi]

Not true.

[@andrewbarrett1537]

If I want to hear Bach's music played well... I go and listen to someone who LOVES Mr. Bach's music... like Virgil Fox. Of course, there are many other organists who also love his music, and I enjoy listening to them as well. However, I sometimes do get a feeling, with some instrumentalists, that they really can't stand what they are playing, and it shows in their performance. I shall not name names, since I hope I'm wrong! Anyway, if you want to hear anything, any kind of music played WELL, try to find someone who loves what they are playing, and you will likely hear that music at its best, and the performer(s) at their best. Despite the old audio quality of this recording, I think it is well presented and still very enjoyable today and IMO did Mr. Bach justice. Thanks Mr. Fox and thank you for posting!

[@gaiusflaminius4861]

Thanks to such champions of Music as Mr. Fox, humankind becomes knowledgeable by being introduced to Masterpieces of Classical Music.

[@Offshoreorganbuilder]

Played at speed, but entirely convincing - and no-one enjoyed it more than he did! Remarkable.

[@slowry12]

Thank you very much, the Fox videos are wonderful.

[@bcstechnologylimited896]

Arguably the greatest organist of the 20th century. I haven't heard anyone since Fox's death in 1980 who has approached his combination of showmanship and sheer virtuosity.

[@markcooke729]

How about his protege, Carlo Curley? Kenneth Swann is another master who should be recognised - then we have E Power Biggs who was a giant in his own right bringing Spanish organ music into the 20th Century where it rightly deserves its place.

[@jmariliou]

BCS Technology Limited FOX is on of thé best. You say the best... You know... USA is not THE earth... Like too much American, hé plays to fast, breaking the feeling, going to sprint performance. Sure he made the best with « come sweat death », but this video is not Bach, but Fox.

[@chucklambooy8457]

@@markcooke729 please stop!!! Curley not a chance. Who is Kenneth Swann?? His name is Frederick Swann and he is a technical keyboardist. Biggs wasn’t a pimple on Fox’s behind when it came to dynamic performance. So the answer is no one can touch Virgil to this day!!

[@chucklambooy8457]

@@jmariliou I sure see jealousy here. This is not Widor but Bach who was lively and spirited. Nothing wrong with tempo here…sorry!

[@markcooke729]

@@chucklambooy8457 Please forgive my faux pas - Kenneth Swann was my Principal when I was at elementary school in the States & I was conversing with an old school friend when I viewed this post, making me confused with my replies. I appreciate your opinion on Virgil Fox who I think was an amazing musician which is your valued opinion too, but I find your response to mine uncalled for. If you want to have discourse about an issue then at least be adult about it and not reply with infantile rebuttals.

[@PointyTailofSatan]

He was seriously in pain due to his cancer at this point. Hats off for still travelling all the way to Japan for this. Also he HATED this organ, and even had the builders make several changes to the organ before he would do the concert.

[@bbbbmer]

magnificent....

[@williamshryock1784]

He was an amazing artist and person ...

[@fossosejore]

nonostante qualche errore che gli perdono volentieri, grande carica emotiva! Bellissimo

[@mckenziecalhoun316]

Poi non ha nemmeno qualcuno che gli cambi i timbri, quindi tanta memoria

[@andrewbarrett1537]

Pay no attention to the small mistakes, I understand he had cancer something awful around this time, including tumors growing in-between his fingers, so the fact that he can play so much of this so well, at this tempo, is something of a miracle to me.

[@chucklambooy8457]

@@andrewbarrett1537 Good God you people and your criticisms!!! He had no tumors between his fingers!! What a bunch of crap. Why must you always seek to criticize and not enjoy? Would your performance of same excel??? My guess is a resounding NO!!!

[@bonnybarfriendly8926]

❤Virgil was "the best of his kind!!"😊

[@vladimirorlov413]

Glorious!

[@jirikleker3133]

Fugue starts 5:23

[@Malikjardine]

Theres Only Two Musicans I Know Of Who Play And Know This Fugues Climax , And Cameron Carpentor And Virgil Fox Do

[@himmerod9117]

it seems you are a real expert for interpretation of Bachs organ music! :-))

[@djmotise]

Oh please.

[@Malikjardine]

Frank Kuhl I am not ? I have an opinion am I right ? Maybe I should start my sentences with “IN MY OPINION, I think Cameron , and Virgil the 2 of the 20 organist I have ever heard play this fugue know how to bring you to the climax “ is that better ?

[@burtward895]

EPB was exceptional in many ways and his refusal to play anything not genuine was very commendable. He despised Fox for that alone. I would love to know what he would say about Carpenter. Probably call him an anarchist or antichrist. It’s all good, Biggs hated Oklahoma and he irony is we have a College level organ construction program at OU. You can actually get a degree in music in organ construction. And Biggs would probably say that organ building should be left to only professionals. But who do you remember the best? Sir Biggs or Mr. Fox.

[@josephgraif2588]

"not genuine". sadly, we don't know what is genuine because we do not know the mind of bach. we only know, FOR CERTAIN, that he left no interpretation markings on nearly all of his manuscripts. enough said...

[@sandragrushoff9844]

The organist is amazing and no negative opinion given here. I love the speed - because it's not uniformity in speed and other interpretations are far too slow and cut out the tension. But on the piece itself - why did Bach bother after 0.54 - it's more than a contrast, it's complete brilliance and then bland empty stuff. I'm sure I'm not the first or last to ask that question nor the first or last to receive criticism for asking it because Bach can do no wrong. However there's blind loyalty and then there's brilliance and the 0.54 seconds of it is just that; you can walk into a Cathedral and hear this , shuffle along, and take your seat, but if you're there soon enough, your hair will stand on end.

[@jeffjensen27]

ANYONE? Know What Ever Happen To The Actual Touring Organ Virgil Fox Had? Let Us Know,

[@elkaluzi]

count dracula is visiting you, tonite, guys.

[@jozef9755]

Just seems he sacrifices what’s important in the music just to show he can change stops and play fast.

[@mortonbelcher]

Where is this concert taking place?

[@jnjcaron]

starbucks

[@josephgraif2588]

@@jnjcaron how dare you...it took place in tokyo

[@andrewbarrett1537]

@@josephgraif2588 Ha! I think Mr. Fox would have laughed :)

[@michaelhoerig5920]

Virgil's technique is awesome, but I think the tempo is too fast. The clarity and singing quality of the theme is lost. I've played this piece many times and I know how difficult it is to play this fast.

[@andrewbarrett1537]

Perhaps you're right, but I do note that the syncopation in this theme can be felt more strongly and discerned more clearly at this tempo. Of course we will never get to hear Mr. Bach play this so we'll never know for sure. I like that there are several different versions of this piece by different organists :)

[@john3260]

I disagree, I think contrapuntal music is not meant to sing but to sound like a conversation between people and I think this tempo brings this quality out pretty well. I reckon that's why Bach's fugal themes, especially in fugues that were written for organs, tend to have a lot of 'movement' in them to further embody this quality.

[@michaelhoerig5920]

@@john3260 All music should sing!

[@suonaresuonaresuonare2760]

Virgil Fox was just a showman for simple minds. There is little music in his performances, and even less culture

[@organboi]

That is without doubt the LAMEST audience ever.