Johannes Brahms - Complete Organ Works (Robert Parkins)

Information

Composer: Johannes Brahms

• (01) Prelude and Fugue in G minor
• (02) Fugue in A flat minor
• (03) Eleven Chorale Preludes, Op. 122
• (14) Chorale Prelude and Fuge in A minor on 'O Traurigkeit, O Herzeleid'
• (15) Prelude and Fugue in A minor

Robert Parkins, organ

Date: 2021

Label: Naxos

https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.550824

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Review

It's good to report Naxos again sweeping aside the competition not only in price, but in the quality of both performance and recording as well. Not that Brahms's organ works have received quite as much exposure on CD as one would have expected. The 11 Chorale Preludes, Brahms's swan-song (the cynics would describe it as a deathbed conversion), for all their popularity are elusive works attempting a synthesis between the essentially functional chorale prelude form and the intimate, personal language of an impromptu. They may well be ''a high point in German Romantic organ literature'' (to quote Parkins's own note) but their curious blend of impersonal formality and deep emotion renders really satisfying performances something of a rarity.

Danby tries too hard, with the result that it all seems just a little forced: Bowyer nearly gets it right, although his tendency to opt for quicker tempos will not be to everyone's taste. But Robert Parkins hits the nail absolutely on the head. He paces each one perfectly, the second ''Herzlich tut mich verlangen'' (No. 9) seems almost to float on air while ''O Welt, ich muss dich lassen'' (No. 3) avoids any hint of self-indulgence in its heartfelt statement of impending death. Of course this excellent instrument helps. Registrations have to be subtle rather than obtrusive with a strong bias towards unadorned eight-foot tone. Parkins chooses his stops with care and sensitivity—the gentle caressing of a Tremulant throughout ''Schmucke dich, o liebe Seele'' (No. 5) transforms a pleasant sound into a ravishing one.

The whole disc (the four early works fare equally well) is a significant addition to the recorded literature of both the organ and Brahms.

-- Marc Rochester, Gramophone

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Johannes Brahms (7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer and pianist. In his lifetime, Brahms's popularity and influence were considerable. Brahms composed for symphony orchestra, chamber ensembles, piano, organ, and voice and chorus. Many of his works have become staples of the modern concert repertoire. An uncompromising perfectionist, Brahms destroyed some of his works and left others unpublished. Brahms is often considered both a traditionalist and an innovator. His music is firmly rooted in the structures and compositional techniques of the Classical masters, with a highly romantic nature embedded within.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Brahms

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Robert Parkins is an American organist.

https://www.naxos.com/person/Robert_Parkins/581.htm

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