Johann Gottfried Müthel was the last pupil of the great Johann Sebastian Bach. He was present at the master’s deathbed, and he performed the funeral services, taking over the duties of the deceased Cantor.

Mühtel’s music (“full of novelty, taste and grace” according to the great art historian and traveller Charles Burney) is of a wide variety: his Organ Fantasias are imposing, monumental and substantial, his chorale preludes offer intimate meditations on the chorale texts, and all of his music is written in a highly original, dynamic musical language full of contrasts and instrumental virtuosity.

Italian organist Matteo Venturini chose three organs for this recording, all of them inspired by the North German Baroque tradition. Venturini, a winner of 8 international competitions, has already recorded a CD with organ works by Gronau for Brilliant Classics (BC94843), which received excellent reviews, among others a 'Record of the Month' on Musicweb International.