Organ recital: Thierry Escaich

Tuesday, August 25, 2026, 8:30 PM

Estimated Run Time: 1 hour

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

This program begins with one of Bach's major works, the Dorian Toccata and Fugue, which takes the form of a baroque effusion in its first part, giving way, in the particularly expressive fugue, to one of the most dense and structured pieces by the Cantor of Leipzig. This duality is also found in Brahms' Prelude and Fugue, which also foreshadows the profound and tenderly nostalgic lyricism of the composer of the German Requiem much later.
However, there is no question of measured lyricism in Tchaikovsky, whose Fantasy Overture is one of his most incandescent pieces. An operatic dramaturgy takes shape, alternating between fury, excessive emotions, anxiety, and the suspension of time: in short, it is a condensed exploration of the Russian soul.
At the end of the concert, we will remain in the fullness of this orchestral organ, which will musically recreate four major pictorial works inspired by four different painters.

Photo by ©Marie Rolland

Program

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 538

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Herzlich tut mich verlangen, excerpt from Elf Choralvorspiele op.122
Prelude and Fugue in G minor, WoO 10
Herzliebster Jesu, excerpt from Elf Choralvorspiele op.122

Thierry Escaich (*1965)
Trois esquisses pour orgue

Sergueï Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Vocalise op. 34 n° 14 transcription by Thierry Escaich

Piotr Ilitch Tchaïkovski (1840-1893)
Fantasy overture on “Romeo and Juliet” transcription by Thierry Escaich

Thierry Escaich
Tableaux symphoniques improvisés

Cast

Thierry Escaich, grand organ

Other performances

Tuesday, April 28, 2026 - 8:30 PM - Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris