Organist Jonas Karlsson Plays Bach – MIN SYN PÅ BACHSPEL (Video)

This video was recorded in 2016 at my home organ. I play different organ works by Bach, and I explain how I think, when I play theese works. I don’t try to make Bach’s music sound like it it did, when Bach himself played it. I am more like an entertainer. Hopefully with great taste. The organ is from 2014, and far away from the instruments Bach used.

The works I play are well known. Bach’s Chorale Partita on Sei gegrüsset, Jesu gütig, BWV 768, is a work that I used to play live, years ago. The Prelude in e minor, BWV 548, has the potential to sound like complex Rock ‘n’ Roll, if you play it rythmically. I have played it live, many times. The Fantasia in c minor, BWV 537, sounds lovely, if you play it in a Frensh romantic way. This is my approach. I play Bach’s organ music in the style that best suits the specific piece of music.

The video is in Swedish.

Gåxsjö – Organ Recital (Video)

This organ recital took place in Gåxsjö church, on July 1, 2023.

The weather was lovely, and it was beautiful outside the church. I was surprised to see so many people coming to this solo recital. Gåxsjö is a small village. The organ was a small powerful baroque style organ.

I mostly focused on improvisation on this concert. Improvising on well known music, and some short Heavy Metal themes by Iron Maiden, and other metal bands. I also played my own organ works . I played four of my most difficult organ compositions, so I was pretty exhausted at the end. The audience was stunned. At the end of the concert I played my own piano composition Variations in A Major, Opus 13. That is the perfect encore.

Here is a video from this recital. There is no heavy metal solo on this short video. Well – the song song ”Whiskey in the Jar”, has actually been played by Metallica. Enjoy the video!

Video with glimpses from the organ recital in Gåxsjö. July 1 – 2023.

Organist Jonas Karlsson – J.S. Bach – Alle Menschen müssen sterben – BWV 643 (Video)

This was the first video I made with my digital video camera. I am sitting at my own digital organ, and the organ sounds like a Schnitger baroque organ. I created this intonation myself, by programming the organ.

I play this organ chorale prelude louder and louder, and I use this strategy to make the music more interesting. I don’t have much focus on creative articulation, it sounds a bit like the way Dupré played Bach.

Organist Jonas Karlsson – Promotion – ORGAN SHOW (Video)

On this promotion video from 2015, I improvise on ”Twinkle, twinkle, little star”, and the old hit song ”All of me”. I also play some organ music by Johann Pachelbel. This video was recorded live in 2015.

This is one my favorite videos, that I have recorded and posted on YouTube. I love when my improvisations have logical strutcture and feeling at the same time.

Promotion for Organist Jonas Karlsson – VIRTUOS ORGELMUSIK (Video)

This is a promotion video I made in 2015. This was the first promotion video I ever made. It starts with an improvised fugue on ”Pippi Långstrump”. I also play two of own compostions on this video, and at the end I play Bachs huge Prelude in E Minor, BWV 548.

I wanted this video to show my rhythmic organ playing. It is also typical for me to play organ programs like this.

ON TOUR 2004 (Video)

This is a cute older video. ”ON TOUR 2004”.

Jonas Karlsson – On tour 2004

As you can see, this is video samples from a organ concert tour I made in 2004. I played many kinds of music on this concert tour. I improvised fugues on well known songs, I played Bach and my own compositions, etc. And Swedish television promoted this tour. It was 11 concerts in one month. In October 2004.

At this time I had a Video 8 camera, so I filmed my concerts. Of course, the Video 8 system did not have the same quality as the modern cameras. But please enjoy the young music spirit on this video. On this video you will find clips from five of theese concerts.

Concert poster from the 2004 tour

Swedish Organist Jonas Karlsson – Improvisation – Symphonic Tango (Video)

Organist Jonas Karlsson – Live. April 6, 2022.

On this video I improvise a ”Symphonic Tango” in A Minor. This video was recorded in Gamla kyrkan, Östersund in Sweden, on April 6, 2022. I did a lunch recital in that church.

As I often do live, I did not prepare this improvisation very much. Well, people say that improvisations are supposed to be unprepared, but that is not true. Improvisations are often more or less prepared. In my case I often prepare the opening 30 seconds of an improvisation. But the rest of the music comes spontaneoulsy.

Since this Tango sounds pretty orchestral, I decided to call it a ”Symphonic Tango”. Actually I am working hard to make a not so big organ to sound like a huge organ. This can done by playing big chords.

Swedish Organist Jonas Karlsson plays his own composition – TOCCATA IN B-FLAT MINOR, Opus 14 (Video)

Jonas Karlsson plays his own Toccata in Bb minor, Opus 14. Live concert in April, 2022.

This is an organ video I recorded just a few days ago. During a live concert in Östersund, I played my own composition, Toccata in Bb minor, Opus 14. I have never recorded this Toccata for YouTube, so I decided to do that now.

The recording was made in April 2022, and this organ is a typical baroque style organ. A very good organ for this kind of music. When I wrote this Toccata I was inspired by Iron Maiden.

The press was very excited when I started to play this Toccata live, about. 20 years ago. They said that it sounded like French romantic music, but this is not really true. It is more like heavy metal music.

Organist Jonas Karlsson on Swedish Television – Year 2004 (Video)

Swedish Organist Jonas Karlsson on Swedish television

This is a fun memory for me. I am playing the organ on Swedish television, before a concert tour. And I try to describe the music I play for the tv team. I am playing two of the my own compositions, and I improvise a fugue over a well known children song.

This was recorded in September 2004. I am playing on my own digital church organ, a Gem Plenum.

Organist Jonas Karlsson – Improvisation – Jag vill tacka livet (Video)

Swedish Organist Jonas Karlsson – Live

Here I am improvising on a popular song called ”Jag vill tacka livet”. This is recorded live, on June 12, 2016.

The organ is small, but lovely. I am making a kind of symphonic version of the song. The rythm is often in the pedals. I let the music grow slowly, during this improvisation.