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These recordings of Bach's organ works are among Simon Preston's finest efforts for Deutsche Grammophon. The Toccata, Adagio & Fugue in C major opens the recording and serves as a suitable introduction to Preston's meticulous approach. Transparent registrations, proportioned phrasing, and sureness of touch bring out the finest details, and the tripartite work is rendered with the coherence of a sonata. The brooding Fantasia and Fugue in G minor is balanced between its free scalar passages and tightly bound chromatic counterpoint. Preston cleanly separates the fugue's voices to bring out each statement of the subject. Of the six "Schübler Chorales," the most famous is Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, performed here with clearly articulated phrasing and a penetrating reed-stop distinguishing the chorale melody. The remaining chorales are more subdued, though "Kommst du nun, Jesu, vom Himmel herunter" brings a jubilant conclusion to the set. The Toccata and Fugue in F major is full-bodied and resonant. Although the tempo is brisk in the Toccata, the Fugue is taken at a stately and measured pace. Preston's consistent tone and exceptional coloration in the Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor take Bach's invention to a sublime level that is seldom matched in other performances.