Suzuki plays Bach Organ Works, Vol. 6

The sixth volume of Masaaki Suzuki’s acclaimed complete organ works of Johann Sebastian Bach presents the first eleven pieces from a manuscript known since then as the "Leipzig Chorales." This collection, which was created around 1739, is unusual in that it does not contain new compositions, but rather arrangements of organ chorales from the years 1708–17, when Bach lived in Weimar.

The chorale arrangements are based on well-known Lutheran melodies that Bach particularly liked. They were not intended as preludes for congregational singing, but as accompaniment for the communion service or as concert music. Bach devoted great care to this project by selecting the best of his organ works from earlier years of his career, and regarded it as his legacy for the future. Together with the Orgel-Büchlein, the "Schübler Chorales," and the third book of the "Clavier-Übung," the Leipzig Chorales represent the pinnacle of Bach’s sacred organ music.

On this recording, Masaaki Suzuki plays on the Arp Schnitger organ of the Martinikerk in Groningen, Netherlands, one of the largest and most famous Baroque organs in Northern Europe. Arp Schnitger was the most famous organ builder in Northern Germany in the 17th century, and his admirers included Buxtehude, Handel, and Bach himself.