Praeludium in G minor, BuxWV 149

Buxtehude's Praeludium BuxWV 149 is one of the finest examples of the north-German organ fantasia tradition. Composed for the Marienkirche in Lübeck, where Buxtehude served as organist from 1668 to 1707, the work alternates virtuosic free toccata passages with tightly constructed fugal sections — a structural model that deeply influenced the young J.S. Bach, who famously walked 400 km to hear Buxtehude play. The G minor tonality frames episodes of dramatic brilliance and contrapuntal mastery, all within a relatively compact duration that remains a favourite of both performers and audiences.