Born in 1965, the organist and composer Thierry Escaich is one of the most respected virtuosos of this instrument. During the concert with the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic, the artist will perform one of his works. And after the break, under the baton of Christoph König, we will hear a very popular piece by the Austrian composer of the Romantic period – Anton Bruckner.
The concert will begin with Escaich’s performance of the serious, solemn Improvisation sur le “Te Deum”, an organ solo work by Charles Tournemire. This prolific artist worked as an organist at St Clothilde’s in Paris from1898–1939. Works written for this instrument constitute the core of his legacy. This will be followed by Escaich’s Organ Concerto No. 1 written in 1995. This work has a traditional structure – it consists of three movements. The first one is violent, full of motoric rhythms and anxiety. This mood is also continued in the slow second movement, which reaches a powerful climax. The composition is crowned with the virtuosic, dynamic and brilliant Vivacissimo.
Symphony No. 7 in E major by Anton Bruckner is one of the most popular and frequently performed pieces by the Austrian composer. It was written in 1881–1883, and its premiere in Leipzig conducted by Artur Nikisch was a great success for the composer. Bruckner claimed that the melody of the cellos opening the first movement had simply come to him in a dream, and he wrote it down as soon as possible after waking up. In the serious and austere slow section, the sounds of four Wagnerian tubas can be heard – an instrument designed by the author of Parsifal, but rarely used by other composers. Bruckner jokingly compared the main theme of the third movement, with a characteristic octave jump upwards in the trumpet part, to the crowing of a rooster. The finale ends with an ecstatic, solemn but joyful apotheosis.