Various Composers - Organ Music from the Low Countries (Bernard Foccroulle)

Information

1. John Bull - Salve Regina: I. Salve Regina
2. John Bull - Salve Regina: II. Ad te clamamus
3. John Bull - Salve Regina: III. Eia ergo
4. John Bull - Salve Regina: IV. O clemens
5. John Bull - Salve Regina: V. Pro fine
6. John Bull - Prelude and Carol "Laet ons met herten reijne", MB 56
7. John Bull - Fantasia on a Theme from La Guamina
8. Peter Philips - Veni sancte spiritus
9. Abraham van den Kerckhoven - Fantasia "Pro Duplici Organo" in D major, W. 130
10. Peter Philips - Fantaisie de Petro Philippi
11. Peeter Cornet - Regina caeli: I. Regina caeli
12. Peeter Cornet - Regina caeli: II. Quia quem meruisit
13. Peeter Cornet - Regina caeli: III. Ressurexit sicut dixit
14. Peeter Cornet - Regina caeli: IV. Ora pro nobis
15. Anonyme - Fantasia
16. Anonyme - Toccata
17. Peeter Cornet - Tantum ergo
18. Peeter Cornet - Fantasia ottavi toni [Canzona]
19. Peeter Cornet - Fantasia ottavi toni
20. John Bull - Een Kindeken is ons geboren, MB 53
21. John Bull - Fantasia on a Theme by Sweelinck
22. Abraham van den Kerckhoven - Fantasia in D Minor, W. 133

Bernard Foccroulle, organ

Date: 2026

Label: Ricercar

_____________________

At the beginning of the seventeenth century, the Brussels court became an important musical center that attracted distinguished composers and organists such as Peter Philips, Peeter Cornet, John Bull, and later Abraham van den Kerckhoven. These musicians contributed significantly to the development of innovative organ techniques and sonorities, expanding the expressive possibilities of the instrument. At the same time, Flemish and Walloon organ builders were constructing influential instruments across Europe, particularly in Spain and France. Their craftsmanship and technical innovations had a lasting impact on the evolution of organ building traditions, shaping the sound and design of organs in many European musical centers for generations.

Bernard Foccroulle, born in Liège in 1953, is an internationally renowned organist, composer, and cultural leader celebrated for his interpretations of repertoire ranging from Renaissance music to contemporary works. Beginning his international career in the 1970s, he premiered compositions by major modern composers while also recording landmark organ works by figures such as Johann Sebastian Bach and Dietrich Buxtehude. A founding member of the Ricercar Consort, he became especially associated with the Northern German organ tradition. Beyond performance, Foccroulle served as director of La Monnaie and later the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, earning international recognition for his artistic leadership. He is also active as a composer, author, educator, and advocate for cultural participation.