Liszt A Tempo I

Possibly the most authoritative part of the A Tempo project has now been released: the recording of the monumental Fantasy and Fugue on “Ad nos, ad salutarem undam” for organ by Franz Liszt. The work has a unique tradition in terms of interpretation, reception, and tempo. It forms the basis for an enthralling quest into the field of interpretation and an exploration of Liszt’s aesthetics that is particularly new in its directness. We discover an original musical dramaturgy of gigantic dimensions. I recorded the Fantasy on the same organ on which Liszt rehearsed the work with one of his master students in 1855: the famous Ladegast organ at Merseburg Cathedral. Moreover the recording is combined with an appealing film footage from the over 1000-year-old church interior in Merseburg.

CD / DVD
“Ad Nos”-Film on Youtube
English Introduction 
Interview in Organists’ Review, September 2020 (PDF)

A fascinating and enlightening project.

Donald MacKenzie for Organists’ Review