I have followed the organ recordings and arrangements of Hansjörg Albrecht on the (always excellent sounding) Oehms SACDs with varying enthusiasm. The latest, which opens with the Sinfonia in D for Organ and Orchestra (in the orchestra-less transcription of Marcel Dupré), might just be the best; it unequivocally rocks.

Albrecht’s own arrangement of the other half of Bach’s Clarvier-Übung Part 2 is…successful. Here, Bach trades Italian brilliance for French stateliness, and that air of grandeur is immediately captured in the strutting dotted rhythms of the Ouverture. Perhaps the great variety of expression that Bach achieves in his suite of stylized dances makes this a more promising subject for transcription. Albrecht is able to make a number of telling executive decisions as far as coloration is concerned. He keeps the series of gavottes, passepieds, and bourrées light and airy for the most part; for the concluding Echo he balances a heftier “symphonic” sound against the more soloistic answering echo. In all, this is a pretty effective transcription.

…very well played…by Hansjörg Albrech… Oehms’ SACD recording is pretty grand, too, with a canny sense of depth and churchy ambience. Read complete review