Peter Kofler

Peter Kofler – Opus Bach, Vol. 1 – Organ Works (2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 05:57:46 minutes | 5,85 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © Farao Classics

In March 2017 organist and harpsichordist Peter Kofler launched his ongoing Bach project: a complete recording of Johann Sebastian Bachs organ works. Unlike performers of earlier complete recordings, Kofler opted for a modern instrument for this enterprise. For not only was J. S. Bach the perfecter of a great polyphonic era, he was an innovator and stimulator as well, particularly in the field of organ music. Be it the introduction of the tempered tuning system, the virtuoso use of the organ pedal or the development of the fortepiano: Bach significantly contributed to each of them and was one of the first to employ the possibilities of these modern developments. The four-manual Rieger organ at the Jesuit church of St. Michaels in Munich with its 75 stops offers many of the characteristics verifiably valued by Bach. It features an imposing fortissimo and a multitude of characteristic stop timbres that the cantor of Leipzigs Thomaskirche partly could only dream of in his days.
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Peter Kofler – Opus Bach, Vol 2 (2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 06:06:27 minutes | 5,99 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © Farao Classics

With volumes 6 to 10 Peter Kofler continues his complete recording of Johann Sebastian Bach’s organ works that he started in 2017. Unlike earlier complete recordings that rely on historical instruments, this ambitious project emerges from working with a ‘modern’ instrument. For not only was Johann Sebastian Bach the perfector of a great polyphonic era; he also acted as an innovator and a catalyst, particularly in the realm of organ music.
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Peter Kofler – Opus Bach, Vol. 3 (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 07:00:15 minutes | 6,83 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Farao Classics

It is finished. Peter Kofler’s grand Bach passion has reached its sonorous finale. Only six years after its inception in 2017, the native of Bolzano finalizes his complete recording at the four-manual Rieger organ of the Jesuit Church of St. Michael’s in Munich. Not only has this ambitious project set entirely new standards in recording engineering, but simultaneously it connects the spirited joy of a historically informed approach and the tonal possibilities of modern organ building. For – unlike other complete recordings of Bach’s organ works – this one does not rely on historical organs, but utilizes a single modern instrument – namely the organ that has been Kofler’s musical home since 2008, so rich in colors that he himself describes this richness as almost inexhaustible. Kofler takes advantage of this fascinating range by tirelessly contriving ever fresh combinations of sounds and register, which perfectly unfurl and reinforce the character of every single piece. The final CD – number 16 – ends with a track in radiant D major, the very essence of joy and gratitude in Kofler’s Bachian cosmos.

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