Nowadays, the fashion is mainly for historically authentic interpretation: performers play from facsimiles or original scores, with historically accurate orchestration, articulation, etc. This recording of selected works by Bach in organ arrangements by William Thomas Best (1826-1897) gives evidence of an approach to Bach’s compositions that may seem quite capricious today. Alongside his arrangement of Bach’s 'Chaconne' for violin from the Partita No.2 in D minor, this SACD presents highlights from his comprehensive edition of Bach’s organ works, from chorale preludes to the C minor 'Passacaglia'.

In his editions and arrangements, Best saw it as his mission, particularly for an English audience which was entirely unfamiliar with Bach’s works, to provide the organist with what amounts to stage directions in matters of choice of tempo, articulation, registration, selection of manuals and, where appropriate, the use of the swell pedal. In this way the great free-standing organ works appear as dramatic scenas or ballads, while the smaller-scale works and chorale preludes come across as poetry.

Best achieves a convincing dramatic presentation of Bach’s music: by means of refined and well-placed tricks of the trade, the poetic meaning of individual passages is made apparent, and his economy of means and avoidance of all superficial effects enable the grandiose form of each work to come to the fore. The performance indications, or rather suggestions, are presented in such a way that the organist is amply challenged as a musician, interpreter and personality at all times.

Carsten Wiebusch studied church music at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf. As an organist he achieved success at international organ competitions, including the August Gottfried competition in Magdeburg and the Johann Sebastian Bach prize competition in Wiesbaden, both in 1995. He teaches an organ class at the Musikhochschule in Karlsruhe and has been organist at the Christuskirche, Karlsruhe, since 1999.

The Klais organ at the Christuskirche, Karlsruhe was inaugurated in 2010. Its powerful yet poetic tone is heard on this SACD for the first time in any recording.

Contents:
- Chaconne (D minor)
- Praeludium & Fugue (E minor)
- Passacaglia (C minor)
- Toccata & Fuge (D minor)
- Toccata, Adagio & Fuge (C major)

Chorale Preludes:
- Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier
- Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend
- Herzlich thut mich verlangen
- Herr Gott, nun schleuss den Himmel auf
- Magnificat ‘Meine Seele erhebt den Herren’
- Vater unser im Himmelreich