Fernando Germani playing organ works by Johann Sebastian Bach from Alkmaar

Even though I try to present a variety of different organists, the field of historical organ recordings often has its own life, where recordings surface and disappear. Fernando Germani recorded a great deal of music, and his recordings were released in quite big numbers and were well distributed worldwide due to his “big name” in the recording industry. In retrospect it’s therefore quite easy to aquire his recordings. That is why I am able to present the fourth release with him. This time it’s one of the LPs from his legendary recordings at the fabulous Schnitger organ in Alkmaar, Holland.

Fernando Germanis organ playing is always great to listen to, but I would especially recommend his version of the Passacaglia, which in my opinion is one of the best ever to be put on record. It has the rythmical intensity and big lines typical for Germani coupled with a really fine sense for registrations.

Some technical details; I could not find the exact release date and year for this recording, and I know it is around 1959, where the public domain area ends, so if anyone has a legal problem with this release, please let me know at once and I’ll remove it immediately! Since this organ is of great historical significance, I’ve included excerpts from the backside of the LP cover with the disposition and some background history in German.

Again a big thanks to Claus Byrith for providing this recording.




Download detailed playlist

Disposition of the organ

Download link:
http://www.ihorc.com/ihorc/IHORC-14/IHORC-14_-_Germani_-_Alkmaar.rar

Comments

  1. maestro3 September 2010 at 22:32

    Thank you for these wonderful recordings - very important that they are not forgotten!
    May I request, if possible, the 78s of Anthon van der Horst on the organ of the Central Methodist Hall in London, published in 1929/30 by Columbia? There was Bach, Widor (Toccata) and Haendel, if I remember correctly (he also accompanied Schubert Lieder on the organ there).
    Many thanks again.

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  2. David Federman10 June 2017 at 17:01

    I just watched "Tree of the Wooden Clog," from 1979, and Fernando's recordings of Bach are played throughout this 3-hour masterpiece. Somebody help me find them, please.

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