Peter Hurford - J.S. Bach - Passacaglia & Fugue in C minor BWV 582 [HQ Audio]

J.S. Bach - Passacaglia & Fugue in C minor BWV 582

Performed by Peter Hurford at the Our Lady of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church in Toronto, Canada.

HQ Audio - video muxed with lossless audio source

[GeorgeLangley]

RIP, Peter Hurford OBE (22 November 1930 - 3 March 2019)

[noiselesspatient]

Dear teacher, with sincere gratitude. Rest in peace 🙏🏻

[Ketzeph]

4:47 seconds: my absolute Favorite interpretation of that part of the passacaglia. Gives me chills every time. I remember hearing it when I was a kid and it just mesmerized me.

[sierracanon]

I had the privilege of studying with Dr Hurford in 1980, when he was in the midst of his Bach recording project. It was a transformative experience. He never feels like he has to get cute with clever registrational gimmicks, but lets the music speak for itself.

[actorsreels]

Truly sublime music, and played by a genius. The interpretation is so unique. I've heard it played by different performers, but this is God speaking.

[JordiFranchParella]

Excellent. Really outstanding. Hurford performances of J.S. Bach are on the best. Faster than Karl Richter and slower than Koopman. Very clean articulation and beauty of expression.

[PointyTailofSatan]

This organ is quite small, but OMG is it SO good for Bach. I have spent so many hours in this organ loft, and I can tell you, it's one of Casavant's masterpieces. The fact that Hurford flew all the way from England just to record on this small 25 stop case organ with no combination action, and no 32' rank, gives you some idea of the organ's greatness.

[AlanB]

This is part of Peter Hurford's Bach series that went out on Radio 3 years ago, and I can remember the broadcast, and I remember him saying that at the end of this performance he was unable to speak for about 45 minutes. That's the effect this music has when you play it. I think this is the best recording of this piece but it needs decent speakers :)

[kilroy]

My favourite played by my favourite . absolute genius .

[johnswimcat]

Superbly accurate playing and yet always with the essential feeling of Bach, for me anyway. How any human mind could write this music and how any human could play it, and really well, is quite beyond me

[cassander]

Impossible to please everyone, but to me perfect in clarity, tempo and expressiveness.I don't think PH has been bettered in this recorded repertory.

[MrUzuhl]

This performance is absolutely amazing !

[DamionNobel]

I only listen to Peter Hurford when I'm in the mood for Bach.

[Coop-Greavesie]

As a poor engineering apprentice, I bought Peter's complete recordings of the organ works back in the early 1980s, finishing in late 1984. I can still remember the thrill of going into the shop each time I could afford the next set. They cost me a total of £88, a lot at the time. There were eight boxed sets of LPs.

In 1985, they brought the whole lot out in one box, for £48. I was rather upset to say the least.

They are the best money I've ever spent though. I still have them and, as an Amazon reviewer said, they're probably as close as you can get to listening to Bach himself.

[fernandofranciscolopez]

Un maestro en su tiempo uno de los mejores organista.

[peteacher]

Part of the excellent clarity and projection of this recording is due to the superb voicing of the great Casavant organ. Towards the end of the vinyl era I bought 2 LPs of Peter Hurford playing Bach and others at this organ. It really helped to bring out the inner voices of the Passacaglia like none other I had heard to date. Only Piet Kee at the Alkmaar organ equalled it.

[matildabasu]

Outstanding, mr. Hurford! from the family Basu

[PointyTailofSatan]

There is no 32 ft on this organ. And just 2 keyboards. It doesn't even have a combination action. But OMG if you could be in the loft and hear it! Almost every concert organist who comes to Toronto makes a pilgrimage to play this organ.

[PointyTailofSatan]

BTW: this Casavant Freres organ is basically the sister to the one Gould used to record the Art of Fugue. That organ played by Gould was destroyed in a fire. The organ played here is located in another church just s few blocks west. How good are Casavant organs? They have been building organs since 1880, and are closing in on Opus 4000!

[lampwithbulb]

one of my favorite masterpieces by Bach... This guy must have been tottally mad... Cannot be explained in any other way.. MegaWatts of energy in his music...