Wayne Marshall, an excellent British organist, pianist and conductor, will perform a solo recital in the Main Hall of the National Forum of Music. During the concert, he will play both the 19th- century organ repertoire along works created by composers of contemporary music. The evening will be crowned by the Marshall’s improvisations, an artist of numerous merits, whose activity was appreciated by Queen Elizabeth II with and Order of the British Empire.

The first sounds will be the dynamic Toccata and Fugue of the extremely prolific Canadian composer Andrew Ager, created in 2009. Its first movement – a virtuoso toccata – precedes a fugue that contrasts with it in an expressive, yet equally extensive form. Georg C. Baker’s Deux Evocations, composed only five years ago, is a tribute to two eminent, late French organists. The two evocations it consists of are devoted to Louis Vierne and Pierre Cochereau. The composer included in them, inter alia, melodies of hymns performed during Easter and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It thus alludes to the structure of the Symphonie-Passion op. 23 by Marcel Dupré – a work in which the composer uses sounds known from the musical settings of Catholic celebrations.

The Organ Symphony No. 6 op. 42 no. 2 by Charles-Marie Widor is a composition in line with the organ symphonic movement begun in the 19th century by César Franck, in whose organ works the orchestral treatment of the monumental sound of the instrument and the use of its various technical possibilities was inherent. Widor is considered a continuator of symphonism, among others due to his ten organ symphonies – a relatively new genre at the time. The art of improvisation has been an inseparable element of playing the organ since the Baroque period. This practice is also used by Wayne Marshall – his unique improvisations will sound in the final concluding the concert.