Organ recital: Zuzana Ferjenčíková

Tuesday, January 13, 2026, 8:30 PM

Estimated Run Time: 1 hour

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

Franz Liszt's music is moving because it is rooted in life, in suffering as much as in hope. Thus, after the death of two of his children, in the Variations on Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, the theme of sorrow taken from Bach symbolically opens onto the chorale Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan. It evokes Christ on the cross, proclaiming in the aria Tristis est anima mea: “Thy will be done, not mine.” It is worth noting that these two pieces date from 1862-63, exactly seven centuries after the first stone of Notre-Dame was laid.
The rest of the program has a more direct connection to the cathedral. Also written in 1863, the Fantaisie in C major, Op. 16, was performed by César Franck at the inauguration of the Notre Dame organ. As for Jean Guillou, Zuzana Ferjenčíková's teacher, his funeral was held there. But his Toccata, Op. 9, composed in 1963, is a fierce hymn to life.
The last piece in the program, which will be premiered at the concert, contemplates the mystery of the Crown of Thorns, a relic preserved at Notre Dame. Also in the form of a toccata, it explores, like Liszt's approach, the ambivalence expressed in Gregorian chants between the instrument of the Passion and the golden crown, symbol of the royal majesty of the Savior.

Photo by ©Britt Schier

Program

Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Variations sur "Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen" S. 180, transcription by Marcel Dupré

César Franck (1822-1890)
Fantaisie en ut majeur op. 16

Jean Guillou (1930-2019)
Toccata op. 9

Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Tristis est anima mea, excerpt form Christus, transcription by Zuzana Ferjenčíková

Zuzana Ferjenčíková (*1978)
Corona aurean, Toccata pour grand orgue sur le mystère de la Couronne d'épines op. 30 - WORLD PREMIERE

Cast

Zuzana Ferjenčíková, grand organ