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Thierry Escaich
Organist of St-Etienne-du-Mont in Paris
Professor of Music at the
Paris Conservatoire
november 21, 2014
at 7:30pm
olrbrooklyn.org/organ-recitals-in-new-york-city
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Chant: Te Deum laudamus * Mode III, Solemn Tone
charles tournemire
(1870–1939)
Cinq Improvisations pour Orgue, reconstructed by Maurice Duruflé
No. 3 Improvisation sur le “Te Deum”
thierry escaich
(b. 1965)
Improvised Choral Variations based on a Chorale in the Baroque Style
césar franck
(1822–1890)
Trois Chorales pour Grand Orgue
Choral No. 2 in b-minor thierry escaich
Improvisation of a Passacaglia and Fugue in the Romantic Style
intermission
Chant: Victimæ paschali laudes * Mode I
tournemire
Cinq Improvisations pour Orgue, reconstructed by Maurice Duruflé
Choral-Improvisation sur le “Victimæ paschali”
thierry escaich
Improvisation on a Gregorian paraphrase
maurice duruflé
from Prélude, adagio et choral varié sur le theme du “Veni Creator,” Op. 4
Choral Variations
Alternating verses of Veni Creator Spiritus chant, sung*
thierry escaich
Improvisation of a Theme and Variations based on a popular theme
*The Salvatones
Daniel Brondel, Artistic Director
(1902–1986)
thierry escaich
Thierry Escaich teaches improvisation and
composition at the Paris Conservatory,
and is organist at the church of St-Étiennedu-Mont in Paris, where he succeeded
Maurice Duruflé. He tours internationally
as a performing artist and composer,
and his concert programs feature a large
repertoire in addition to his own works and
improvisations, for which he is renowned.
As a composer he was first discovered in
1989, when he received the Blumenthal
Prize from the Fondation franco-américaine
Florence Blumenthal, and to date he has
written more than 100 works. Other awards
for his compositions include the Prix des
Lycéens (2002), the Grand Prix de la Musique
symphonique from the SACEM in 2004, and
on three occasions, in 2003, 2006 and 2011,
the Victoires de la Musique “Composer of the
Year” award.
Thierry Escaich, photos by Sébastien Erome
Although he mainly composes for the organ, Thierry Escaich is open to all types of genres and
forms, always exploring new sound horizons. Some recent compositions include a ballet written
for the New York City Ballet, and an opera based on Victor Hugo’s Claude Gueux, with libretto by
Robert Badinter, premiered by the Lyons Opera in March 2013. Since 2011 he has been associate
composer with the Paris Chamber Orchestra and previously held similar positions with the
Orchestre National de Lille, the Orchestre de Bretagne and the Orchestra National de Lyon.
M. Escaich has many recordings available on the Accord/Universal label featuring both solo
organ performances and recordings of his own compositions, which have received numerous
international awards and critical acclaim.
Thierry Escaich is represented in North America by Karen McFarlane Artists, Inc.
upcoming recital
Works of Widor, Dupré and Improvisations
April 24, 2015 at 7:30pm
Daniel Roth, Titular Organist of Saint-Sulpice, Paris
question & answer with thierry escaich
Mr. Escaich, how did you become interested in the pipe organ?
I discovered the organ when I was 7 years old while going to Mass with my parents. I would stay
after the service and then improvise on the harmonium, when one day, the Pastor noticed and
asked me if I would like to accompany services on the tribune organ. It was a small instrument
with one keyboard and six stops, but it seemed enormous in my child’s eyes. On this day I
became the “titular” organist of the church in Rosny-sous-Bois (where, incidentally, I still
live). Subsequently, I learned about music while improvising because, before this day, I had
taken neither piano nor organ lessons. Since this time, improvisation has remained the driving
force of my creativity. I feel that I can best speak directly to my audience through my written
compositions, even if the compositional language is scholarly. The only instrument that I studied
as a child was the accordion, at first glance, a very different world from the organ. Since age 5,
I listened to a variety of popular music (waltzes, tangos, etc.) and still today people say they can
hear this influence in my improvisations, the rhythm for example, which mixes with mystically
inspired music and all scholarly practices (counterpoint, theory, fugue, composition…) that I
studied as an adolescent at the Paris Conservatory. I was, essentially, a musician with two faces…
incidentally, when I play, I hear the orchestra and not only the organ, while constantly changing
the registers and making the orchestra more mobile. It is my way of feeling like an orchestra
conductor... (translation by Camille Haedt)
Our Lady of Refuge Church
Father Michael Perry, Pastor
Father Rony Mendes, Parochial Vicar
Joseph Vitacco, Chair of the Organ Committee
James Konzelman, Organ Curator
A RECITAL SPONSOR
ALL THINGS PIPE ORGAN
Organ Restoration Collaboration between A.R. Schopp’s Sons of
Alliance, Ohio & Quimby Pipe Organs of Warrensburg, Missouri
Questions or Suggestions? Email [email protected]
PIPE-ORGAN-RECORDINGS.COM
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Mail a Contribution: Make payable to Our Lady of Refuge Church; note on check 'Friends of Music'
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