Art of Fugue Recorded on the Organ

Art of Fugue has a long history on record. Many of those recordings were made on the organ. The two related lists of these organ recordings offered here are intended to become as complete as possible. Anyone who knows of relevant details or corrections that could be included here is most welcome to email them to us (see contact info in the Information section).

The following is an alphabetical list of organists who have recorded complete performances of Art of Fugue, each name followed by the date of release. To find more information about a particular recording, look for it by its year on the longer list which follows afterward. Any details mentioned (mostly concerning locale of instrument, or movements omitted) are purely informational. No critique is intended in mentioning such details, and no meaning of any kind is intended, if a particular recording is not listed here as of yet.



Organ Recordings of Art of Fugue, arranged by name of artist:

Names followed by an asterisk are presented exactly as referenced in Walter Kolneder's Die Kunst der Fuge: Mythen des 20. Jahrhunderts, Volume III, pp. 336-338 and 447-453 (Heinrichshofen, Wilhelmshaven, 1977). Kolneder unfortunately did not give first names, nor did he consistently mention dates. Any recording lacking a date is listed at the end of the list by year of release. Other available information has occasionally been added to Kolneder's listings.

Older recordings may be assumed to be out of print. A few, such as Walcha's, have been reissued, and are listed here with their new catalog numbers. A recording is only listed as 'out of print' if it is actually known to be so.

Marie-Claire ALAIN (1974, 1993); E. Power BIGGS (1947); Ulrich BOHME (2000); Colm CAREY (2001); Jens E. CHRISTENSEN (1996); DIJUR* (no date); Hans FAGIUS (2000); Michael FERGUSON (1993, 2003); FORSBLOM* (no date); Glenn GOULD (1967); Barbara HARBACH (1990); HEITMANN* (c. 1936); HOFFMAN* (no date); André ISOIR (1999); Paul JORDAN (1999); Ensemble Wolfgang von KARAJAN (no date); Johannes-Ernst KÖHLER (1970); Kei KOITO (1999); Charles KRIGBAUM (c. 1976); Bernard LAGACE (1995); Thierry MECHLER (1997); Lionel ROGG (1970); Wolfgang RUBSAM (1992); SCHNEIDER* (c. 1962); SCHUBA* (c. 1962); Herbert TACHEZI (1977); TAKAHASHI* (c. 1975); Louis THIRY (1993); Jaroslav TUMA (2000); Ville URPONEN (1994); VIDERØ* (no date); Helmut WALCHA (1957); Håkan WIKMAN (1996); Gerd ZACHER (c. 2000); Lynn ZEIGLER (c. 2001); Henk van ZONNENVELD (1997).



Organ Recordings of Art of Fugue, arranged by year of release:

1936

Heitmann*
Telefunken AJ 6.41905


1943

Maurice Duruflé
Though not a recording, and not a performance on organ, notable all the same because Duruflé was one of two harpsichordists in a complete concert performance in Paris with the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, Charles Münch, director.


1947

E. Power Biggs
RCA Victor 832-833 (out of print)
1937 Aeolian-Skinner, Harvard Memorial Church(?), Cambridge, MA
Omits the four canons.


1957

Helmut Walcha
Archiv Produktion 12CD-419904 (OLF)
1725 F.C. Schnitger, St. Laurenskerk, Alkmaar, The Netherlands
Includes Walcha's completion of Contrapunctus 14.


1962

Schneider*
FSM 73801

Schuba*
Christophorus SFKLP 78073-2


1963

Ensemble Wolfgang von Karajan
André Charlin, (Schwann) AMS 44/45
Walcker positive organs (3 of them), Grande Salle of the Mozarteum, Salzburg, Austria
Arranged for three organs, and performed by Wolfgang von Karajan (brother of the conductor), Hedy von Karajan, and Hans Andreae.


1967

Glenn Gould
Sony Classical SMK 52595
1960 Casavant, All Saints' Anglican Church, Toronto, Canada;
Chapel of the Theological College, New York City
Includes only the first nine Contrapuncti; was intended as volume one of a complete recording, which was never finished.


1970

Johannes-Ernst Köhler
Berlin Classics 0091762BC
1746 Hildebrandt, St. Wenzel's, Naumburg, Germany
This recording predates the recent restoration of the organ.

Lionel Rogg
Angel LPSB-3766 (out of print)
1959 Metzler, St. Peter's Cathedral, Geneva, Switzerland
Includes Rogg's completion of Contrapunctus 14.


1974

Marie-Claire Alain
Musical Heritage MHS4154/55
Marcussen, Laurenskerk, Rotterdam, The Netherlands


1975

Takahashi*
Columbia OQ 7298-N
2 Synthesizers (had Virgil Fox recorded Art of Fugue on his Rodgers touring 'instrument', I would list it here, too...)


1976

Charles Krigbaum
Red Rose Music, Volume 5
1971 Von Beckerath, Dwight Memorial Chapel, Yale University, New Haven, CT


1977

Herbert Tachezi
Teldec LC6019
Ahrend & Brunzema, Bremen-Oberneuland, Germany
Omits Contrapunctus 14.


1990

Barbara Harbach
Gasparo GSCD-282-3
1983 Fisk, Downtown United Presbyterian Church, Rochester, NY


1992

Wolfgang Rübsam
Naxos 8.550703/4
1976 Flentrop, Duke University Chapel, Durham, NC


1993

Marie-Claire Alain
Erato 4509-91946-2
1975 Kern, Eglise Saint-Martin à Masevaux, Haut-Rhin

Michael Ferguson
On the Pipedreams Premieres CD
Minnesota Public Radio, PD 1001
1979 Fisk, House of Hope Presbyterian Church, St. Paul, MN
Contrapunctus 14 only, with Ferguson's completion.

Louis Thiry
Studio SM-1222.15
1741 Silbermann, St. Thomas Church, Strasbourg, Alsace


1994

Ville Urponen
MILS 9548
1990 Kangasala, Naantali Church, Naantali(?), Finland


1995

Bernard Lagacé
Analekta 3066-7
1961 Beckerath, Immaculate Conception Church, Montreal, Canada


1996

Jens E. Christensen
Kontrapunkt 32233/34
No organ information given.

Håkan Wikman
Finlandia 4509-98990-2
1658 J.G. van Hagerbeer/1791 H.H. Hess, Nieuwe Kerk, Haarlem, The Netherlands



1997

Thierry Mechler
Solstice CD-147
1993 Muhleisen/St. Nicholas Church, Walbeck, Germany

Henk van Zonneveld
WISP CD-25969
1985 Hugo van Emmerik 'clavi-organum', a synthesis of the harpsichord and organ. The first such, built new, since the 18th century. (Mr. Zonneveld describes this instrument—in Dutch—on his website, which also has pictures of it.)
A performance of the early version of Art of Fugue, with the addition of the 'last fugue' (evidently from Bach's later revision).


1999

André Isoir
Calliope CAL9719
1982 Grenzing, Saint-Cyprien-en-Périgord, France
Some movements performed in duet, with Pierre Farago.

Kei Koito
Temperaments TEM 316016/17
1748 Dom Bedos, Holy Cross Church, Bordeaux, France


2000

Ulrich Bohme
Motette CD12661
1766 Riepp, Ottobeuren Abbey
Another recording of Bach's early version of Art of Fugue, with a cadenza for Contrapunctus 6 by Bohme.

Hans Fagius
BIS CD1034
Organ of the Garnisons Kirke, Copenhagen


Jaroslav Tuma
Supraphon SU3439-2
1999 Slajch, Sacred Heart Church, Ceske Budejovice
Some movements performed in duet, with Giedre Luksaite-Mrazkova.

Gerd Zacher
Aeolus CD-10131 (OLF)
1714 König/1998 Fasen, St. Leodegar Parish, Niederehe, Germany.
Omits the four canons and Contrapuncti 12 and 13.


2001

Colm Carey
Signum SIGCD 027
1954 van Leeuwen/Flentrop 1995, The Dutch Church, Austin Friars, London
Omits the four canons and Contrapuncti 12 and 13.

Paul Jordan
Brioso BR 128
1986 Brombaugh & Associates, Collegedale Church, Southern Adventist University, Tennessee
With completion of Contrapunctus 14 (listed as Contrapunctus XVIII) by Erich Bergel and Paul Jordan.

Lynn Ziegler
Calcante 2CD-011
1987 Brombaugh, Iowa State University, Ames, IA


2003

Michael Ferguson
Birolius Editions 1001/2
1985 Schantz, Church of St. Leo the Great, St. Paul, MN
Includes Ferguson's completion for Contrapunctus 14.


No Date

Dijur*
Melodia CM 03081-4

Forsblom*
Prop. 7734/5

Hoffman*
Pelca PSR 40527

Viderø*
HS.HSL 2073


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