We invite you to the first concert of the Organ Summer at the NFM series! During the recital, Józef Serafin will introduce us to the music of four composers representing different eras. We will hear masterpieces of Baroque and Romanticism as well as 20th-century pieces.

The evening will begin with Johann Sebastian Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in E flat major BWV 552. This wonderful, complex and lavish work is a testament to the composer’s openness and his ability to draw inspiration from different cultures. The Prelude contains episodes in which the characteristic dotted rhythm brings immediate associations with the French overture, as well as fragments reminiscent of Italian and German stylistics. All of them are combined in a coherent way, which proves the great craftsmanship and creative individuality of Bach.

Then we will listen to the monumental Fantasia in A major, a work very different from the work of the Leipzig cantor. Its author, César Franck, was one of the most respected organ virtuosos of the Romantic era. He became professionally involved in the Basilica of St. Clotilde in Paris, where he had at his disposal a wonderful instrument built by Aristide Cavaillé-Col. The works written by Franck are a proof of his sonic abilities.

Another artist whose works will be heard during the concert is Jehan Alain. The wonderfully developing career of this French composer and organist lasted only eleven years. After the outbreak of World War II, Alain was enlisted in the army and died during the Battle of Saumur. Before his death, however, he managed to shoot sixteenGerman soldiers, for which he was honoured by his countrymen with a Croix de Guerre (War Cross). As a composer, Alain was inspired by both impressionist works by Debussy, as well as the music of the Far East and jazz. The programme includes three works by this artist: Lamento, Deuxième fantaisie and Andante, the second movement of Suite monodique.

Serafin’s recital will end with pieces by Ferenc Liszt. This Hungarian composer went down in history as the creator of the genre of symphonic poem. One of thirteen works of this type of his authorship is the contemplative, gentle and lyrical Orpheus. The works collected under the joint title Consolations are similar in expression. These are intimate compositions reminiscent of the nocturne genre popular in Romanticism. The finale will include excerpts from the unique, unjustly forgotten, and very interesting and suggestive Dantesque Symphony.