For this season the acclaimed French organist will be a guest: Thierry Escaich, a virtuoso and creative, famous for his extraordinary improvisational skills.
The concert opens with the Chorale–Improvisation on “Victimae Paschali” by Charles Tournemire, in the refined transcription by Maurice Duruflé. This piece combines the Easter Gregorian chant with a free and mystical writing, typical of Tournemire's style: a dialogue between liturgical tradition and improvisation.
Next, Thierry Escaich will perform the Five Versets on “Victimae Paschali” (1992), which take up the same Gregorian theme but with a contemporary language. The verses alternate between meditative moments and virtuosic bursts, demonstrating the author’s ability to renew the French organ tradition.
With Naïades by Louis Vierne (from the Pièces de fantaisie), the atmosphere changes: the piece evokes mythical aquatic figures through light, fluid, and sparkling sounds, almost impressionistic.
The Chorale No. 2 by César Franck represents one of the peaks of the Romantic organ repertoire: a grand musical architecture that alternates introspection, dramatic tension, and a bright, solemn finale.
The famous Toccata (from the Suite op. 5) by Maurice Duruflé brings energy and brilliance, with incisive rhythms and overwhelming virtuosity that highlights all the timbral potential of the organ.
The concert concludes with an Improvisation on a given theme by Thierry Escaich: a unique and unrepeatable moment in which the performer creates a musical triptych in real time, showcasing one of the most fascinating traditions of the French organ school.
Admission to the concert is free.
