THIERRY ESCAICH, COMPOSER AND ORGANIST

Internationally renowned composer, organist and improviser, Thierry Escaich is a major figure on the contemporary musical scene and one of the most original. He considers the three aspects of his art indissociable elements, working with the same vigour to translate a luxuriant inner universe, an irrepressible need for expression.
Born in 1965, Thierry Escaich has been organist at Saint-Étienne-du-Mont in Paris since 1997, having succeeded Maurice Duruflé. He appears in recitals the world over and everywhere he fills the audience with enthusiasm, combining repertoire pieces with his own compositions and improvisations; he also excels in the accompaniment of silent films on the organ or piano.
Amongst recent engagements, let us mention Philadelphia (in recital and as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Christoph Eschenbach), Vienna (recital at the Konzerthaus, soloist with the Orchestre de Paris and Paavo Järvi at the Musikverein), Saint Petersburg (recital at the Mariinsky Théâtre, soloist with the Mariinsky Orchestra and Valery Gergiev), London (recital at the Proms), Berlin (recital at the cathedral, soloist with the Konzerthausorchester and Lothar Zagrosek), and concerts in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, Vancouver, Tokyo, Budapest, Bucharest, and Gdansk, in the principal Paris venues and at numerous festivals both in France and abroad.
After having been composer-in-residence with the Orchestre National de Lille, the Orchestre de Bretagne and the Orchestre National de Lyon, he is currently associate composer with the Paris Chamber Orchestra since September 2011. His catalogue boasts some hundred pieces, performed by the leading international orchestras and artists and honoured by three Victoires de la Musique awards as 'Composer of the Year' (2003, 2006 and 2011). In 2010 he composed a ballet premiered by the New York City Ballet and Benjamin Millepied, and, for the Lyons Opera, is currently preparing an opera on a libretto by Robert Badinter after Victor Hugo's story Claude Gueux, which will be premiered in March 2013.
Since 1992, Thierry Escaich has been teaching writing and improvisation at the Paris Conservatoire (CNSMD), where he himself obtained eight premiers prix. The different facets of his art are illustrated by an abundant discography, in particular on the Accord/Universal and Indésens labels, and critically acclaimed. His disc Les Nuits hallucinées (2011), which crowned his residence with the Orchestre National de Lyon, received numerous distinctions, including a 'Choc de l’année' from Classicamagazine, signalling one of the outstanding releases of the year.

(September 2012)

MONOGRAPHIC CD

Esquisses
Motet I, Motet II and Motet III, for 12 mixed voices and organ
Récit, for organ
Tanz-Fantaisie, for trumpet and organ
Thierry Escaich (organ), Eric Aubier (trumpet), Ensemble Soli-Tutti, Denis Gautheyrie, conducting
Calliope Records CAL 1205

Les Nuits hallucinées
Les Nuits hallucinées (1) – La Barque solaire (2) – Concerto pour violon et orchestre (3)
Nora Gubisch (mezzo-soprano), Thierry Escaich (organ), David Grimal (violin), Orchestre national de Lyon, Jun Märkl (direction : 1 et 2), Christian Arming (direction : 3)
Accord / Universal 476 4369 - 70

Lettres Mêlées
Scènes d’enfants au crépuscule – Lettres mêlées
Emmanuel Pahud (flute), François Leleux (oboe), Paul Meyer (clarinet), Trio Wanderer
Accord / Universal 480 1152 – 2009

Oeuvres orchestrales II
Miroir d’ombres [1] – Vertiges de la Croix [2] – Chaconne [3]
Renaud Capuçon (violin), Gautier Capuçon (cello), Orchestre national de Lille,
Paul Polivnik [1], Michiyoshi Inoue [2], Jean-Claude Casadesus [3] (direction)
Accord / Universal 442 9056 – 2007

Exultet
Trois Motets – Les Lamentations de Jérémie – Terra desolata – Exultet – Ad ultimas laudes – Dixit Dominus – In memoriam
Ensemble vocal Sequenza 9.3, Catherine Simonpietri (direction)
Accord / Universal 476 9074 – 2006

Chorus
La Ronde – Jeux de doubles – Nocturne – Chorus
Quatuor Ludwig, Bertrand Chamayou, Claire-Marie Le Guay et Thierry Escaich (piano), Xavier Phillips (cello), Florent Héau (clarinet)
Accord / Universal 476 1282 – 2003

Oeuvres orchestrales I
Fantaisie concertante pour piano et orchestre
Claire-Marie Le Guay (piano), Orchestre philharmonique de Liège, Pascal Rophé (direction)
Accord / Universal 472 2162 – 2002

Le Dernier Evangile
Le Dernier Évangile
Ensemble orchestral de Paris, Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris, Choeur Britten, Olivier Latry (organ), John Nelson (direction)
Hortus 024 – 2002

Escaich joue Escaich (works for voice and organ)
Trois Motets – Tanz-Fantasie
Thierry Escaich (orgue), Ensemble vocal Soli Tutti
Calliope 9937 – 2001

Le Chant des Ténèbres
Le Chant des ténèbres – Antiennes oubliées – Ad ultimas laudes
Claude Delangle (saxophone), Ensemble Erwartung, A Sei Voci...
Chamade 5638 – 1996

THIERRY ESCAICH'S WORKS

Alléluia
Denis Comtet (choir organ), Le Madrigal de Paris, Pierre Calmelet (direction)
" TU ES PETRUS " / Studio SM 62 – 2004

Le Bal
Saxophone quartet Jean-Yves Fourmeau
" LEBAL " / Airophonic 5411499 80062 – 2005

Choral’s Dream
Thierry Escaich (organ)
" CONFLUENCE " / Accord - Universal 476 0967 – 2003

Dixit Dominus
Choeur Arsys Bourgogne, dir. Pierre Cao – Schola Gregoriana Pragensis, dir. David Eben
" VÊPRES POUR SAINTE MARIE-MADELEINE " / Accord - Universal 476 9939 – 2006

Élégie
Éric Aubier (trompet), Orchestre de Bretagne, François- Xavier Bilger (direction)
" LA TROMPETTE FRANÇAISE, VOL. 1 " / Pierre Vérany PV 798011 – 1998

Grande Messe solennelle
The Choir of Sheffield Cathedral, Antony Gowing (organ), Neil Taylor (direction)
" TU ES PETRUS " / Regent Records REGCD 360 – 2010

Vincent Dubois (organ), Denis Comtet (choir organ), Le Madrigal de Paris, Pierre Calmelet (direction)
" TU ES PETRUS " / Studio SM 62 – 2004

Ground II
Emmanuel Curt (percussions), Thierry Escaich (organ)
" A LA SEIS DE LA TARDE " / Indésens – à paraître en 2011

Ground IV, for clarinet quartet
Quatuor Vendôme
Indesens Records / Inde044

In memoriam
Cambridge Voices, Ian de Massini (direction), Thierry Escaich (organ)
" HOMMAGE À DURUFLÉ " / Calliope 9939 – 2002

Jeux de doubles
Dana Ciocarlie (piano)
" DEBUSSY EN MIROIR " / Triton TRI 331143 – 2006

Phantasia antiqua, for alto saxophone, tenor (and barytone) saxophone and piano
Anne Lecapelain, saxophone alto saxophone
Nicolas Prost, tenor and barytone saxophone
Laurent Wagschal, piano
"TRIO SAXANA" / Saphir LVC 1123

Poèmes pour orgue I et III
Vincent Warnier (organ)
" RÉCITAL DE VINCENT WARNIER " / Hortus 024 – 2002

Poèmes (1er livre), pour orgue
"Vers l'espérance" et "Eaux natales"
Erwin Wiersinga, organ
"L'ART DE LA TRANSCRIPTION" - Orgelparkrecords 005-2009

Résurgences
Éric Aubier (trompet), Orchestre de Bretagne, Jean-Jacques Kantorow (direction)
" RÉSURGENCES " / Pierre Vérany PV 703021 – 2003

Tanz-Fantasie
" RÉCITAL ROMAIN LELEU " / Indésens INDE008 – 2008
Thierry Escaich (organ)
" UNLIMITED ! " / Indésens 025 – 2010
Thierry Escaich (organ)
" TANZ-FANTASIE " / Indésens 00012 – 2009

Trio américain (Suppliques)
Jean-Marc Fessard (clarinet), Arnaud Thorette (viola), Johan Farjot (piano)
" TENEBRÆ " / Accord - Universal 442 8464 – 2006

OEUVRES PÉDAGOGIQUES

CHORAL VARIÉ
Choral varié
Orchestre de jeunes du Conservatoire à rayonnement régional de Paris, Xavier Delette (direction)
Billaudot G8956B (partition + CD) – 2010

CLAVIER D’AVENIR
Étude-Passacaille
Aurélien Pascal (piano)
Thierry Escaich improvisation (piano)
With works of K. Beffa, N. Bacri, A. Girard, J.-J. Di Tucci
Billaudot G8429B (partition + CD) – 2009

SAX TRIP
Sax Trip
Orchestre de jeunes du Conservatoire à rayonnement régional de Paris, Xavier Delette (direction)
Billaudot G8175B (partition + CD) – 2010