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Reviewer: James
A. Altena Based on the quality as well as quantity of his work, Hans Leo Hassler (1564–1612) should be far better known than he is among the myriad names of late Renaissance and early Baroque musicians. Yet, despite both his importance as one of the first German composers to introduce Italian innovations into music north of the Alps (he was a pupil first of Orlandus Lassus and then of Claudio Merulo and Andrea Gabrieli), and the elegance and sophistication of his compositions (with their melodic tunefulness and prominent use of the newer concertato and polychoral methods that he seamlessly blended with the older and more conservative ones entrenched in Germany), only a fraction of his oeuvre has been recorded. Consequently, it is a pleasure to encounter this new disc of 18 of his organ works, most of which, so far as I can ascertain, are receiving their premiere recordings. The types of pieces featured here range from canzonas, fantasias, ricercars, and toccatas to liturgical pieces (organ verses for a Magnificat and Credo) and intabulations of popular songs. Except for the Magnificat, a fantasia (the longest item here at 12:29), a ricercar, and a toccata, all of the pieces are short, ranging from about one to four minutes in length. The
performances, rendered by Franz Raml on two early 17th-century German church
organs, are excellent, and MDG—which in my experience consistently produces
the finest organ recordings of any label for richness, clarity, and fidelity
to sonic timbre—lavishes its usual care upon the proceedings. The booklet
includes detailed specifications for both instruments, plus notes on the
composer and a bio of the artist. An earlier collection of Hassler organ
pieces, recorded in 1999 by Martin Böcker for Ambitus, has virtually no
overlap with the contents of this disc. Another disc from 1999, on CPO,
interleaves four Hassler organ works performed by Böcker with 15 motets
performed by Manfred Cordes and his Weser-Renaissance Bremen ensemble; three
of those four appear on the present disc, so that CD (most worthwhile)
should be acquired primarily for the motets. For anyone interested in organ
music before Bach or even before Buxtehude, this release is enthusiastically
recommended. | |
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