# R.I.P. Wim van Beek (1930-2017), Dutch organist



## Marc

Last Saturday, Wim van Beek, Dutch organist, died at the age of 87.

Van Beek already stopped giving concerts about 5 years ago, but I had the privilige to attend some concerts of him, and they were always extraordinarily impressive.
His recordings are excellent, too.

http://www.helior.nl/cds/

He was one of the great personalities in the Dutch (and abroad) organ world, and he will be sorely missed.

Rest In Peace, mr. Van Beek.

_Here are some soundclips:_

Georg Böhm, Praeludium, Fuge und Postludium in G Major:






Böhm's Choralvorspiel _Vater unser im Himmelreich_:






Bach, Fantasia in G Major BWV 572 "Pièce d'Orgue":






Widor, Toccata from Symphony no. 5:


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## Chatellerault

Sad to know. I just discovered an amazing album where he plays Bach at the 17th-18th century organ from Groningen, where he has played since 1956. Really nice sounding instrument and an organist with a lifelong experience of it.


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## daktari1

Wim van Beek was the most able (in the sense of technically and with regard to the breadth of his repertoire) organist of his generation, and his intuitive musicality makes his style and interpretation timeless, unlike many of his peers'. His long association with the Martinikerk Schnitger organ is amazing: when he was appointed there as organist in 1956 the organ (with an electro-pneumatic console on a gallery) was almost unrecognisable from its current, reconstructed glory. Thankfully towards the end of his life his art was recorded on many cds (by Helior and also marketed by Fugue State Records, although they seemed to have disappeared from their webshop) and these are some of my most treasured recordings, in particular a JS Bach programme recorded at Domkirk Roskilde.


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