James Kennerley plays J.S. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 538 (the "Dorian")

The Toccata and Fugue in D minor (nicknamed the "Dorian”) by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). Performed live in concert in March 2023 by James Kennerley, Municipal Organist for the City of Portland, Maine.
Played on the mighty Kotzschmar Memorial Organ at Merrill Auditorium in Portland, first built in 1912 by Austin, enlarged in 1928, and most recently renovated by Foley-Baker in 2012-14.
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The Toccata and Fugue in D minor, nicknamed “The Dorian” because of the fact that its D-minor key lacks a B-flat in the key signature (harking back to Renaissance modal practice), is a veritable moto perpetuo for the hands and feet. While it recalls the North German praeludium tradition in which Bach was raised, it also bears influence from the trendy Italian concerto form that Bach was busy incorporating into his solo keyboard works. Uniquely for an organ work by Bach, it provides instructions for which keyboard to play on. As is the case with works like Beethoven’s so-called "Moonlight" Sonata, Bach did not provide the characteristic nickname "Dorian". Instead, it were acquired during the nineteenth century, probably as a way to distinguish it from other works in the same style and key.
Although we know that Bach had access to instruments with multiple keyboards and many stops, he very rarely prescribes those details in his music. The Toccata is an exception since Bach specifically marks the keyboard passages for two separate manuals (keyboards). The fugue is a stunning example of the genre. Bach takes us on a journey, guided by the melody (the “subject”) heard at the opening, which is subjected to all sorts of musical wizardry and permutation.