The Baroque master Buxtehude is one of the greatest Danish composers ever. His career was spread over three different regions: Denmark, southern Sweden and northern Germany. But Buxtehude considered himself a Dane. For the last forty years of his life he worked in Lübeck, where he was organist at the large Mariairche; before that, oddly enough, he had been organist in churches of the same name in both Helsingør and Helsingborg. His fame as an organist was very considerable. Bach walked all the way from Arnstadt to Lübeck to study with Buxtehude, and was crucially influenced by his meeting with the older composer, as was Händel. For a long time knowledge of Buxtehude's works was limited to the organ works and his major sacred choral works. Along with other Baroque composers, Buxtehude was "rediscovered" in the mid-nineteenth century, and his organ works were republished as an example of the style current before J.S. Bach. Interest in his chamber music works, however, has only gathered momentum in recent years. In these Buxtehude frolics with great imagination between learned contrapuntal traditions and a freer, more fanciful style. On the whole. Buxtehude's imagination is amazing, and gives his works a lively, improvisational feel. With our present-day fully-rounded picture of Buxtehude's works we can unhesitatingly count him as the greatest composer of the northern European Baroque in the period between Heinrich Schütz and J.S. Bach.
25/02/2013 WQXR (New York)
01/04/2011 MusicWeb International
22/03/2011 Custos
01/03/2011 Gramophone
22/02/2011 Klassisk
28/01/2011 Musikansich.de
26/01/2011 Sydsvenskan
02/01/2011 Klassik.com
17/12/2010 Classics Today 10/10
08/12/2010 Kristeligt Dagblad
02/12/2010 Berlingske Tidende
01/12/2010 International Record Review
01/12/2010 Audiophile Audition
01/11/2010 Klassisk
24/10/2010 The Observer
19/07/2004 BBC Music Reviews
15/04/2004 Classics Today (10/10)
15/02/2004 Organists' Review
15/02/2004 Politiken
15/02/2004 International Record Review
15/02/2004 MusicWeb International
15/02/2004 Fono Forum
15/02/2004 Early Music Review
SACD 6.220534 (2010)
Grammy-winning ensemble Theatre of Voices and Paul Hillier in Buxtehude's rare works of his vocal music
CD 8.557250 (2008)
The six sonatas without opus numbers conclude a unique series of CDs
SACD 6.220530 (2007)
Conclusion of Bine Bryndorf’s complete Buxtehude series. New reference recording!
SACD 6.220520 (2007)
A tour de force in SACD sound from the Hamburg church Skt. Jacobi, where Buxtehude himself played
SACD 6.220514 (2006)
SACD recording from Stockholm, where the sources for most of Buxtehude’s works are preserved
CD 8.557248 (2006)
The imagination bubbles over in Buxtehude’s opus 1 for violin, cello and harpsichord
CD 8.557249 (2006)
Seven trio sonatas op. 2, embodying the whole world of the Baroque
CD 8.226023 (2005)
Buxtehude’s music on his home ground – his own church in Helsingborg
CD 8.226008 (2004)
New reference recording made in Buxtehude’s own church in Helsingør
CD 8.226002 (2003)
Bine Bryndorf launches her definitive series of Buxtehude works on his own organ in Helsingør
CD 8.224160 (2001)
Dufay Collective perform sacred cantatas in a concentrated, personal Baroque style
CD 8.224118 (1999)
CD 8.224117 (1999)
CD 8.224116 (1999)
CD 8.224062 (1997)
Emma Kirkby shines as the soloist in Buxtehude’s sacred music