THIERRY ESCAICH, Concerto pour Orgue et Orchestre. Leduc 29021 (Organ part), Leduc 29020 (Orchestra score) (Theodore Presser Co., dist.). To date, this work has been presented not only by the composer himself, but also by Olivier Latry, and Stephen Tharp, both of whom have come to regard it as one of the foremost examples of its genre. It is more in the tradition of the symphony for solo instrument and orchestra than that of soloistic showpiece with orchestral “accompaniment,” and is scored for pairs of winds, horns, trumpets, trombones, two percussionists, organ, and a good complement of strings. The organ part is challenging not so much in the inherent difficulty of the part itself, but rather, in the implacably precise ensemble playing that is required. In the opening movement this is facilitated to some extent by the presence of rhythmic, repeated eighth-notes that, hopefully, would almost always be audible to the soloist in one part or another––as for example in mm. 1–49, where the violas set the pace on the low C string, long before the violins have entered. The absence of any of the “brighter” instruments at this outset equates with the gloomy, foreboding atmosphere of the movement. The frequent interjectory character of the organ is not tied to any particular thematic formulation, but later, a climax occurs when the rhythmic, repeated eighth-notes are treated thematically for the first time, first in the organ and then in the strings. In all three movements, there is a recurring motif (derived, remotely, from the Te Deum) consisting of root, minor third, and major third, in which, characteristically, no note ever seems to fall on a strong downbeat.

The heart of the concerto, by the composer’s own account, is the second movement. Here, the opening sonority is even darker than before (second clarinet and bassoon change to bass clarinet and contrabassoon), and within this dismal, friendless environment the organ acts as protagonist for a freely-declaimed, root-centered cantilena. After five increasingly impassioned attempts (interspersed, alternatively, with repeated chords, arpeggios, and a scintillating but distant 8' 1' combination) the soloist successfully draws, in turn, the brass, the winds, and finally, the full orchestra into its incantation. As an apotheosis to this hard-won, emotionally-charged process, a cello soloist emerges as a kind of alter-ego to the principal soloist, in a setting of the cantilena lushly scored for cello and muted strings alone.

The finale, with its continuous triplet whirl, emerges quickly from out of the low-register instruments into a purely orchestral ritornello. This unexpectedly becomes a metamorphosis (in the same whirling style) of some of the original first movement material, but with the organ solo now entering as a regular participant rather than in an interjectory role. The organ then takes up the ritornello idea, and its return in the orchestra leads to a combat between winds and brass. This resolves into a series of tremolando scale figures, and to two broad statements (first in the organ, then in the violins) of the second-movement cantilena, in which the woodwinds keep-up the whirling triplet motion. The entire middle section (mm. 193–307) is marked by a constant, almost indifferent clanging of the cymbal in regular quarter-notes, sempre piano; by a relaxing of some of the triplet motion; and by a series of instrumental solos––bassoon, English horn (taken by the second oboe), viola, and flute––that join with the organ. The conclusion (mm. 307–447) features two sweeping solos for the organ, in the first of which the orchestra joins gradually, and the second of which it punctuates in fff and ffff.

This work received a spellbinding U.S. premiere in 2003 by Olivier Latry and the 40-member orchestra of the church of St. Ignatius Loyola, New York, conducted by Kent Tritle, and Mr. Tritle’s rapport with orchestra, soloist, and composer was nothing short of miraculous. A CD by Olivier Latry at Notre-Dame and the Liège Philharmonic conducted by Pascal Rophé was not made available to this reviewer, but has reportedly troubled the purists by defying conventional recording procedures.

Organists who wish to study this work should be aware that the organ part alone does not substantially convey the orchestral content, and that American inquiries for perusal of the orchestral score need to be addressed to the rental offices of the distributor.

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