A journey through grand organ works written for grand organs during the golden era of organ building in Northern Germany

This program was played in Norden, Germany, on the famous organ built in 1688 by Arp Schnitger, the master organ builder of 17th century Northern Europe. It is the second largest remaining Schnitger organ in Germany, and contains an amazing array of contrasting colors and sonorities. From the thunderous full organ sounds in the Bruhns Praeludium and the Bach Prelude and Fugue, to the beautiful single stops heard in Seeelinck’s Soll es sein, these pieces show off the multitudinous resources of this magnificent instrument.

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Works performed on the “Arp Schnitger in Norden” program include:

Dietreich Buxtehude, Magnificat Primi Toni, BuxWV 204
Jan Pieterzoon Sweelinck, Variations on Soll es sein
Johann Sebastian Bach, Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV 531
Jacob Praetorius, Magnificat Primi Toni
Heinrich Scheidemann, Motette Intabulation on Alleluja, Laudem Dicite Deo Nostro
Georg Muffat, Toccata tertia – Apparatus Musico Organisticus
Vincent Lübeck, Choral Fantasy on Nun lasst uns Gott dem Herren- a 2 Clav. e. ped.
Nicholaus Bruhns, Praeludium in E minor (the small)