J. S. Bach: Toccata & Fugue - E. Power Biggs (Sony 2002)

Gems of improvisation on the organ.

In addition to composing choral works, Bach was responsible for the organ music at the various churches where he was employed. Usually his music would be improvised based on a chorale tune, and the organ works he wrote down retain this improvisatory character. The most famous such piece is the Toccata and Fugue in D minor, with its famous opening call and a fugue subject that is now a popular cell phone ring. The Passacaglia in C minor, a set of variations on a repeated harmonic pattern, comes in a close second. This bargain CD features the legendary E. Power Biggs playing these two masterpieces as well as five others.

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