FLORENCE MUSTRIC

• J.S. Bach / Florence Mustric

"Florence [Mustric's] performances...are of exceptionally high quality. This album fully achieves Florence Mustric’s aims, as stated on the sleeve notes, to 'showcase the fabulous qualities of the instrument in some of the most beautiful and imaginative music composed over the past three centuries'".

Jeff Perkins, BlogCritics - November 2009

"...in the kinder and gentler pieces [Mustric] excels. They are imbued with an all-consuming warmth that I found both delightful and gratifying. The distortion-free recording is, like her playing, especially cozy, detailed, and airy, from the deepest pedal tones to the top of the treble. As in all serious organ recordings, the instrument’s specs are provided."

William Zagorski, Fanfare - July / August 2009

"The sound [of the organ] is indeed quite vibrant and powerful... Clarity is superb - rarely will you hear Bach’s lines so clearly delineated... I can hear [Ms. Mustric's] commitment in this music, and the emphasis on lucidity and cleanliness of line is most impressive. Indeed it is hard to imagine any virtues of this organ being lost in the recording, so attentive are the microphones. The program itself is extremely attractive, some of Bach’s most famous and beloved pieces."

Steven Ritter, Audiophile Audition - June 2009

"The organist at Cleveland's Trinity Lutheran Church continues her fine series of recordings on the imposing Rudolph von Beckerath organ... Mustric exploits the full tonal resources of the instrument as she builds Bach's massive structures and forges a celebration of organ sonority. Textures are clear, lines deftly balanced and ornaments tastefully applied. Your speakers (and ears) will be in heaven. Grade: A."

The Cleveland Plain Dealer - March 2009

Florence Mustric has a master of music in organ performance from Cleveland Institute of Music and a bachelor of arts from Oberlin. In April 1994, in order to showcase Trinity’s world-famous Beckerath organ at the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cleveland, Ohio, Florence Mustric and Robert Myers, director of music, began Music near the Market, a concert series of themed programs presented free every Wednesday of the year.

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The Beckerath organ employed in this recording has the rare and winning combination of clarity, power and warmth. Its versatility makes it superb not only for Baroque masterpieces but also for music of almost every other style and period. The goal in recording this program is to showcase the fabulous qualities of the instrument in some of the most beautiful and imaginative music composed over the past three centuries.

These recordings document the sound of the Beckerath at its half-century mark, before restoration. After 50 years, the pipes, keyboards and many other parts need attention. Leathers and other items need replacing. This Beckerath still sounds wonderful, despite the need for restoration, a project currently under the direction of Leonard Berghaus.

 

RUDOLPH VON BECKERATH ORGAN (1956) Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Cleveland, Ohio
This historic organ was the first large mechanical-action organ in North America. It was built in 1956 in Hamburg, Germany by Rudolph von Beckerath, who crafted it in the tradition of the organs of northern Europe in the Baroque era. With this organ, Beckerath demonstrated that centuries-old techniques of organ-building produce a beautiful sound that is transparent and powerful yet warm. Ideal for Baroque repertoire, this organ also serves music of many other styles and periods. It has inspired more than one generation of builders, organists and music lovers. This organ has 3,467 pipes arrayed in 65 ranks in five divisions.

JOHANN SEBSASTIAN BACH
Toccata and Fugue in D minor (S. 565)
Prelude and Fugue in D major (S. 532)
Passacaglia in C minor (S. 582)
Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major (S. 564)
Fantasia and Fugue in G minor (S. 542)
 

MSR Classics