Günter Raphael: Organ Music, Volume One
In the 1930s, as Günter Raphael (1903–60) found doors closing in his native Germany – he was half-Jewish – he was accorded a warm reception in Finland, where his music was heard in a series of broadcast concerts. There was a family connection, too: Raphael’s grandfather had taught Sibelius in Berlin. Raphael acknowledged his welcome by incorporating Finnish material into his music, and his Op. 41 is a monumental organ triptych based on Finnish chorales, with two towering contrapuntal edifices either side of a Baroque suite.
Ville Urponen, organ of St Paul’s Church, Helsinki
Listen To This Recording:
Fantasie und Fuge über einen finnischen Choral, Op. 41, No. 1 (1939)* (25:02)
- I. Fantasie. Choral – Vivace – Moderato – Lento – Poco più andante – Animato – Largo (10:58)
- II. Fuge. Molto tranquillo – Un poco mosso – Poco più mosso – Più animato– Moderato (14:04)
Partita über einen finnischen Choral, Op. 41, No. 2 (1939) (12:33)
- I. Chorale (1:28)
- II. Trio (1:34)
- III. Bicinium (1:12)
- IV. Minore (1:43)
- V. Cantus firmus (2:20)
- VI. Pachelbel-Form (2:06)
- VII. Choral (Basso ostinato) (2:10)
Passacaglia über einen finnischen Choral, Op. 41, No. 3 (1939)* (23:00)
- Chorale – (0:47)
- Variation 1 – (0:49)
- Variation 2 – (0:48)
- Variation 3 – (0:52)
- Variation 4 – (0:49)
- Variation 5 – (0:50)
- Variation 6 – (0:46)
- Variation 7 – (0:43)
- Variation 8 – (0:33)
- Variation 9 – (0:32)
- Variation 10 – (0:37)
- Variation 11 – (0:38)
- Variation 12 – (0:39)
- Variation 13 – (0:57)
- Variation 14 – (0:50)
- Variation 15 – (0:38)
- Variation 16 – (0:45)
- Variation 17 – (0:53)
- Variation 18 – (1:04)
- Variation 19 – (0:35)
- Variation 20 – (0:31)
- Variation 21 – (0:46)
- Variation 22 – (0:39)
- Variation 23 – (1:03)
- Variation 24 – pedal solo – (2:19)
- Chorale (2:37)
*First Recordings
American Record Guide :
‘These are intense, virtuosic, and largescale pieces, well crafted for the organ. […]
Urponen handles the formidable musical and technical demands with apparent ease. […] Extensive notes on Raphael and the music, with specification.’
—Robert Delcamp, American Record Guide
Fanfare :
‘Suffice it to say that [Raphael’s] music is quite substantial, has its own voice, and is worthy of renewed attention. […]
I like [his music], and think it is worth the journey and effort. […] [The] organist Ville Urponen has the measures of these three scores and realizes them in sterling performances. Toccata provides him with clear and spacious sound, though without the depth and impact of the very best organ recordings. […] Toccata has previously issued a disc of Raphael’s chamber music, and is to be thanked for its continuing dedication to the revival of his music. To those interested in either the music of Raphael or in 20th-century music for organ, this disc is strongly recommended.’
—James A. Altena, Fanfare
Fanfare :
‘All told, Raphael’s blending of the traditional and new is seamless and effective. Ville Urponen, playing the organ of St. Paul’s Church in Helsinki, performs with technical bravado and keen enthusiasm for Raphael’s colorful, vibrant writing. The recorded sound offers a superb balance of resonance, color, and detail. I look forward to future volumes in this series. Recommended.’
—Ken Meltzer, Fanfare
Fanfare :
‘It turns out that Raphael’s organ music is quite striking in its sonorities, evocative in many ways of the dark, brooding mystery in the opening segment of his Fantasie and Fugue, comparable to the moods of a similar cast one hears in some of Bach’s organ works. […]
[The fugue’s] final cadential summation is breathtaking and memorable. […]
This is obviously a compositional tour de force, but it’s also a tour de force for the organist who plays these works. […]
[Urponen] is both master of his craft technically and master of his art communicatively. He shares the spotlight, however, with the organ of St. Paul’s Church in Helsinki—a choir of pipes that chorus together most beautifully.’
—Jerry Dubins, Fanfare
Fanfare :
‘This release is called Günter Raphael: Organ Music, Volume 1, and I for one can hardly wait for Volume 2. Finnish organist Ville Urponen has triumphantly engaged with Günter Raphael’s music and brought us a stunning album, given a lush, reverberant, but still transparent recording, in St. Paul’s Church in Helsinki. […]
Raphael’s op. 41 is a fine piece of music that certainly whets my appetite for more of this composer. Kudos to Ville Urponen and Toccata Classics for bringing this music to a wider audience. Strongly recommended.’
—Mark Gabrish Conlan, Fanfare
Fanfare :
I find [Raphael’s music] extremely well crafted and embracing taut development of thematic material. […]
These works are quite an exciting discovery, not just for organ aficionados but for all who are interested in high-quality musical compositions that will repay repeated hearings. On the strength of this disc, I look forward to exploring Raphael’s symphonic and chamber music. Highly recommended.’
—Keith R. Fisher, Fanfare