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Editorial Reviews

Simon Preston's performances of Bach's organ works are among the finest in Deutsche Grammophon's catalog and stand as examples of how effective this music is when played without affectation. This disc opens with the ubiquitous "Toccata and Fugue in D minor," taken slower than is usually heard, but played crisply to clarify details others often rush past for show. The sprightly opening of the "Fantasia in G major" leads to a majestic contrapuntal section, with suspensions at nearly every bar line. However, Preston's con moto tempo prevents tedium. A late work of contrapuntal mastery exceeded only by the "Musical Offering" and the "Art of Fugue," Bach's "Canonic variations for organ on Vom Himmel Hoch da komm ich her" is given a bright and lucid performance. The amusing "Prelude and Fugue in D major" is built on the flimsiest scraps, though these generate astonishingly complex music. The "Pastorale in F major," gentle and unadorned, has a light registration of flutes and reeds. Concluding with the expansive "St. Anne Prelude and Fugue," Preston plays with clipped rhythms and in a lively tempo to propel the music to its glorious summation. The sound of the recording is excellent, though the clicking of the organ's mechanical action is sometimes intrusive. Blair Sanderson, All Music Guide

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