Johannus Sampleset Amsterdam for Live III  

The Oude Kerk is the oldest building still in existence in Amsterdam, capital city of the Netherlands. The church, whose origin dates back to the 13th century, is inextricably linked to some of the country’s greatest composers and organists.

One of them is Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, organist at the Oude Kerk from 1577 to 1621. Talented organists from all corners of the world flocked to Amsterdam to study under the incredibly popular

Sweelinck. In Germany, this earned him the apt nickname of Der Organistenmacher, or the Organist-maker. After his death, Sweelinck was buried in the Oude Kerk.

Another Dutch organist who caused a sensa tion in the Oude Kerk was Feike Asma. Between 1939 and 1984 he gave around two hundred concerts on the Vater-Mu¨ller organ, which he called ‘the most impressive baroque organ in the world’. These many concerts, along with numerous radio broadcasts, recordings and the wonderful short film Toccata, ensured that Feike Asma’s name and playing style became unavoidably associated with the Oude Kerk and the Vater-Mu¨ller organ, and vice versa.

However, the majesty of the Vater-Mu¨ller organ is not only due to the illustrious organists who play on it. The imposing cathedral space of the Oude Kerk also contributes. The expansive volume and floor area, the balance between length and breadth, the wooden vault and the balanced combination of materials such as glass, wood, hard stone, plasterwork and semi-soft joints: all come together perfectly in the heart of Amsterdam.