Toccata octophonica für Orgel

"...Ihnen gratuliere ich für Ihr sowohl intellektuell als auch technisch schwieriges Werk, das einen wichtigen und wertvollen Beitrag unter der - nicht immer qualitätvollen - Orgelmusik nach der Jahrtausendwende repräsentiert." (Helmut Deutsch, Professor für Orgel an der Staatlichen Hochschule für Musik Freiburg)   Bernd Richard Deutsch's Toccata octophonica is a demanding work for both player and listener. 'Octophonica' refers to the eight-note tone row around which the piece is tightly constructed. At the centre of the work lies a meditative aria where the composer slowly unravels what has thus far seemed a rather angular assortment of fourths and fifths. This is certainly not a conventional toccata, and in fact 'toccata' seems an odd label for a piece that is really quite rhapsodic. Most of the writing conjures up the impression of constant rubato with its free rhythms and constant changes of tempo. There are some strong passages and a few places with repeated chords more akin to a toccata, but the piece concludes with three pianissimo chords using our now familiar 'octophone'. (Rupert Gough, CHOIR & ORGAN Jan/Feb 2010)