These 15 works constitute some of the finest and most important music ever written for the organ. They are such mainstays of the repertory that no serious lover of organ music could consider a world without these matchless manifestations of supreme genius. Herrick has already given us recordings of the trio sonatas (11/90), the canonic variations (5/92) and the great toccatas (4/91) which are the equal of anything yet available on disc, but in tackling these works he is reaching into the very heart of Bach's organ oeuvre and treading on ground which is so well trodden that few listeners would be able to approach it without preconceived notions of interpretation. It would be a very stuffy and soulless creature indeed who could fail to be won over by Herrick's beguiling playing.
It must be said straight away that these are authoritative, scholarly and perceptive performances, appealing to the most austerely academic of minds in their intensity and stylistic empathy. But if that were all it would merely be putting Bach on a pedestal, making him accessible only to those who already possess the key to the door. Herrick's genius is in bringing the music vividly to life, injecting it with a sense of fun and a directness of appeal without for a moment compromising artistic integrity. Few could fail to be captivated by the wonderfully vibrant and smiling countenance of the great E flat Prelude (and what an invigorating burst of energy for the Fugue's final section—bar 82, 4'24'') or the two sparkling G major works (I'm not so sure I like such generous ornamentation for the Grave of BWV572), while those of us who have laboured long and hard just to get our feet round that most ankle-twisting of all fugue subjects must surely surrender in the face of Herrick's effortless fluency in BWV542. These are compelling, wonderfully communicative performances: playing which just refuses to be ignored.
Towards the end of the D major Fugue the organ's pedal action seems a little grudging, but otherwise this glorious Swiss instrument proves ideal. Once again it has been brilliantly recorded by Paul Niederberger, who is always so sensitive in portraying not just the instrument itself but its sumptuous aural setting. Robin Langley again provides perceptive and eminently readable notes, making yet another yardstick release from what seems an unbeatable team. Here we are, barely into 1994, and I suspect I have already found my record of the year.'