ASSEMBLE YOUR OWN BACH PASSIONS AND ORATORIOS ALL -TRANSISTOR Continued front preceding page from works other by Bach- principally Part II, it is as though a ray of sunshine Ycit the Trauerode -and fitted to as many had burst through clouds. Both Fritz portions of a libretto of the St. Mark Wunderlich, tenor, and Franz Crass, bass, Passion that Bach is known ELECTRONIC ORGAN to have used are on the same high level as the ladies. but whose music has been lost. The re- Wunderlich sings both the Evangelist's sult is plausible; some of the music, es- recitatives and the tenor arias with an pecially two big choruses from the Trau- unforced lyricism; in the long phrases 3 NEW MODELS erode, is very fine, and we may have of " Frolle Hirten" ( Part he Recital II) holds $1500 here a small portion of a third Passion Consolette Il $850 his own very well with the obbligato Spinet $550 by Bach. The solo singing is good enough, flute. Crass's voice lacks the brass needed but the two great choruses have been bet- for the trumpet aria in Part I but in ter performed on records in their other every other respect his performance is incarnation. entirely satisfactory. Chorus and orches- .St. A Luke Passion attributed to Bach tra are first -rate. Except for the over - is available on Lyrichord 110 or 7110, prominent sopranos in one chorus ( "Ehre This is the all - three discs. in a performance conducted sei Gott." Part II), the balances are just new, all- transis- by George Barati. This is an interesting and the tor Schober sound transparent and lifelike; curiosity, with a few piquant moments in this respect the care taken to differ- Recital Model ...the most versatile electronic scattered among yards organ available today. Its 32 voices (plus amaz- of recitative and entiate between dynamic levels in the ing "Library of Stops "), 6 couplers and 5 pitch dozens of chorales; but if it was com- double echoes of "Fliisst, stein Heiland" registers delight professional musicians ...make posed by a Bach, it must have been by (Part IV) is characteristic of the whole learning easy for beginners. Comparable to a cousin of Johann Sebastian's four times recording. ready -built organs selling from $5000 to $6000. removed. Chorus and soloists perform The older Archive set (3079 /81, mono The pride and satisfaction of building one of well, and the sound is good. only), directed by Fritz Lehmann, is also these most pipe -like of electronic organs can excellent in most respects. While the now be yours ...starting for as low as $550. The Christmas Oratorio soloists The Schober Spinet, only 391/4 inches wide, fits IGunthild Weber, Sieglinde into the smallest living room. The new, all - Wagner, Helmut Krebs. Heinz Rehfuss) The six cantatas (or "parts that con- transistor Schober Consolette I1 is the aristocrat ") do not match up to the later Archive of "home-size" organs stitute this "oratorio" were designed to ... with two full 61 -note quartet, except for the bass, they are all manuals, 17 pedals, 22 stops and coupler, 3 be performed separately on six days: in good form, as are the conductor, the pitch registers and authentic theatre voicing. Christmas and the following two days, chorus, the orchestra, and the recording AND YOU SAVE 50% OR MORE BECAUSE YOU'RE BUYING New Year's Day, the Sunday after New engineers. DIRECTLY FROM THE MANUFACTURER Year, and Epiphany. The modern cus- A recording that deserves considera- AND PAYING ONLY FOR THE PARTS, NOT COSTLY LABOR. tom of doing them all in one evening tion, especially if price is important, is would probably have It's easy to assemble a Schober Organ. No spe- surprised Bach as that directed by Fritz Werner (Musical cial skills or experience needed. No technical much as would our occasional habit of Heritage Society MHS 571/73, mono and or musical knowledge either. Everything you devoting a whole evening exclusively to need is furnished, including the know -how. stereo). It has an intimate quality that You twenty -four preludes and fugues supply only simple hand tools and the time. of the suits much of the music well. The chorus, Well -Tempered Clavier. True, the texts which seems small, is nicely balanced You can buy the organ section by section ... so of the cantatas follow the order of events and very responsive to the conductor. you needn't spend the whole amount at once. recounted in the Gospels, the from Birth Agnes Giebel, the soprano, sings most of Jesus (Part I) to the visit the You can begin playing in an hour, even if of Magi of her part sweetly; Helmut Krebs em- you've never played before -with the ingenious 1 Part VI): but musically each Part is ploys his light tenor with his usual skill; Pointer System, available from Schober. complete in itself. Since there is not Berry MacDaniel's attractive baritone much variety of mood from Part Thousands of men and women- teenagers, too one to does not have the right color for the -have already assembled Schober Organs. another. owing to the joyful nature of trumpet aria but is quite pleasing every- We're proud to say that many who could the Church season celebrated, it is when afford to buy any where else; the alto of Claudia Hellmann organ have chosen Schober they are heard one because they preferred it musically. or two or even is smoother and rounder at the bottom three at a sitting that they can best be than in the middle or especially at the Send for our free Schober Booklet, describing appreciated. And there is much to appre- top. This Erato recording is almost half in detail the exciting Schober Organs and op- ciate, for every one of these cantatas tional accessories; it includes a free 7 -inch "sam- a tone low, and there is some distortion contains some wonderful movements. The pler" record so you can hear before you buy. and lack of clarity in tutti, but there is choruses that open five of them are all much to enjoy here nevertheless. very fine, and the instrumental move- Richter's older edition, on Telefunken ment that begins Part 11 is one the THE trdtfilV31 /j2 CORPORATION of 2003/05, mono only, is markedly inferior 6 tenderest and loveliest of all the baroque to his Archive performance. At the time 43 West 61st Street, New York, N.Y. 10023 pastoral symphonies. There are some when it was recorded, his rhythm was Also available in Canada. Australia, Hong Kong, first -rate arias and duets, and the work sometimes rigid, his stresses heavy; he Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom ends with an astonishingly lively and was capable of beginning a slumber aria cheerful fantasy on the same chorale mezzo-forte and of slowing up in the melody that appears several r -r times with middle of a piece for "effect." Further- THE SCHOBER ORGAN CORP., DEPT. HF -23 shattering effect in the St. Matthew 43 West 61st Street, New York, N.Y. 10023 Passion. (This is the tune that first turns up in a love song a century before Bach!) Please send me FREE Schober Booklet Of the six complete versions currently and free 7 -inch "sampler" record. available (all three -disc sets), the finest Enclosed find $2.00 for 10 -inch quality LP one from every standpoint, it seems to record of Schober Organ music. ($2.00 me, is the latest -the recent Archive refunded with purchase of first kit.) album, 3253/55 or 73253/55, conducted by Karl Richter. It has an extraordinarily Name good quartet of soloists. Christa Ludwig's singing in all three of the alto arias is Address hauntingly beautiful. Gundula Janowitz does the soprano part with immaculate City State Zip No._ phrasing and bull's -eye accuracy; when L J her voice is first heard. as the Angel in CIRCLE 41 ON READER -SERVICE CARD 84 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE www.americanradiohistory.com.