Review of Sweelinck: Master of the Dutch Renaissance Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621) was considered to be the finest keyboard player and improviser of his day. His captivating playing and influential teaching earned him the titles “Orpheus of Amsterdam” and “Maker of German organists.” His students were among the leading organist/musicians of the early Baroque in … Read more
Mendelssohn: Organ Sonatas Jonathan Dimmock, Holzhey organ, Weissenau, Germany Loft LRCD 112 (7744) rating: FIVE STARS! Those used to romanticised interpretations of Mendelssohn’s sonatas may find this recording uncomfortable, especially in Werckmeister III temperament. Mendelssohn, however, had a penchant for classically voiced organs and was full of praise for the southern German organ builder Johann … Read more
Although the first two organs pre-date Sweelinck’s birth, and the third is a reconstruction of an organ from around 80 years after his death, all three allow convincing representations of the aural world of Sweelinck – not least in their mean-tone tuning. All are important instruments in their own right, notably the Oosthuizen organ. Although … Read more
Sweelinck Goes Home – And Has Never Sounded So Good! The idea of “taking a musical journey” is pretty much a meaningless cliché – but not always! Organist Jonathan Dimmock’s two-CD set, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck: Master of the Dutch Renaissance, will send you on a rewarding musical journey to places you thought you knew but … Read more
A representative selection of organ works by Sweelinck is recorded on three very appropriate organs, all of which are tuned in meantone. Also included are two works by Scheidemann, and the variations on “The Woods so Wilde” by Byrd. The Oosthuizen instrument is dated 1521, while that at Hattem is from 1550. Both are single-manual, … Read more