Thierry Joseph-Louis Escaich (born 8 May 1965) is a French
organist and
composer.
Life
Born in
Nogent-sur-Marne, Escaich studied organ, improvisation and composition at the
Conservatoire de Paris (CNSMDP), where he won eight
First Prizes and where he has taught improvisation and composition since 1992.
His passion for the cinema has led him to improvise on the piano and the organ; he composed music for
Frank Borzage's silent film Seventh Heaven, commissioned by the
Louvre in 1999.
He has written more than a hundred works, awarded with the Prix des Lycéens (2002), the Grand Prix de la Musique symphonique from the
SACEM in 2004, and on three occasions, in 2003, 2006 and 2011, the French
Victoires de la Musique Composer of the Year award.
Although he composes for the organ (solo pieces, chamber music, two concertos, La Barque solaire [The Sun Boat] for organ and orchestra), Escaich is open to all genres, forms and instruments (
piano,
saxophone[1]...).[2]
In 2024, he was appointed as one of the head organists at
Notre-Dame de Paris upon its reopening.[4]
Discography
"Orgues d'Ile-de-France/Volume 1 Marie-Claire Alain at Saint-Germain-en-Laye Toccata (A. Alain) Deuils, Variations on a theme of C.J, Litanies (J.Alain) – Thierry Escaich at Mantes-la-Jolie Symphonie Improvisee sur le nom d'ALAIN (Prelude, Scherzo, Adgietto, Final), Laudes part 4 (Eben) Cinq versets sur Victimae Paschali (Escaich) Chamade CHCD5620 (19950
Le Chemin de la Croix, improvisations (texts by
Paul Claudel), Thierry Escaich (organ),
Georges Wilson (speaker), recorded at
Laon cathedral, Calliope, 2000.
Œuvres pour orgue et voix, Thierry Escaich (organ), Ensemble vocal Soli Tutti, Éric Aubier (trumpet), recorded at Saint-Étienne-du-Mont Church, Paris, Calliope, 2001.
Concerto pour orgue – Première Symphonie – Fantaisie concertante,
Olivier Latry (organ), Claire-Marie Le Guay (piano), Orchestre philharmonique de Liège, cond.
Pascal Rophé. Accord/Universal, 2002.
Diapason d'Or of the Year award.
Le Dernier Evangile – Trois danses improvisées, Ensemble orchestral de Paris, Maîtrise de Notre-Dame de Paris, Choeur Britten, Olivier Latry (organ), cond. John Nelson, recorded at Notre-Dame de Paris.
Éditions Hortus, 2002.
Concerts au grand orgue de Saint-Étienne-du-Mont" Including live performances by Daniel Roth, Vincent Warnier and Marie-Claire Alain. Intrada 2004 (Mendelssohn Sonata No. 3, Andante & Scherzo Improvisés, Naïades (
Louis Vierne) Improvisation sur un theme donné All performed by Thierry Escaich)
Concerts au grand orgue de Saint-Étienne-du-Mont 2eme édition 2004–2005 Including live performances by Yves Castagnet, Marie-Claire Alain and Vincent Warnier. Thierry Escaich: Ouverture-Improvisation and Improvisation
Miroir d'ombres, for violin, cello and orchestra [1] – Vertiges de la Croix [2] – Chaconne [3], Renaud Capuçon (violin), Gautier Capuçon (cello), Orchestre national de Lille, cond. Paul Polivnik [1], Michiyoshi Inoue [2], Jean-Claude Casadesus [3]. Label: Accord/Universal, 2007. Monde de la Musique magazine's Choc de l'année award.
Organ Spectacular, improvisations à l'orgue (concert recordings), 2 CD Accord, 2008.
Lettres mêlées autour de Thierry Escaich, chamber music: Bartók, Debussy, Martinu, Escaich (Lettres mêlées + Scènes d'enfants au crépuscule).
Emmanuel Pahud (flute) –
François Leleux (oboe) –
Paul Meyer (clarinet) –
Trio Wanderer. Label: Accord/Universal, 2009.
Musique française pour instruments à vent, Quintette Aquilon: Escaich (Instants fugitifs), Tomasi, Ibert, Françaix. Label Premiers Horizons (distr. Codaex), 2009.
Étranges étrangers – Guidoni chante Prévert, songs on poems by
Jacques Prévert, sung by
Jean Guidoni. Two songs by Thierry Escaich: Maintenant j'ai grandi and Elle disait. Label: Edito Musique, 2009.
Tanz-Fantasie, French music for organ and trmpet. Eric Aubier (trumpet) and Thierry Escaich (organ, Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, Paris) – Escaich, Bacri, Tomasi, Jolivet, + 5 improvisations. Label Indésens (distr. Codaex) INDE012, 2009.
Les Nuits hallucinées. La Barque solaire, Les Nuits hallucinées, Violin Concerto. Thierry Escaich (organ), Nora Gubisch (mezzo-soprano), David Grimal (violin), Orchestre national de Lyon, cond.
Jun Märkl,
Christian Arming. Accord/Universal, 2011. Classica magazine's Choc award.
Concertos for Orchestra by Zhou Tian, Thierry Escaich & Sebastian Currier. Includes Escaich's Concerto for Orchestra (Symphony 2), recorded live, May 2016. Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, cond. Louis Langrée. CSO Fanfare Cincinnati, 2016.
Baroque Song. Baroque Song pour orchestre, Concerto pour clarinette et orchestre, Erinnerung, pour orchestre a cordes, Suite symphonique de "Claude". Paul Meyer (clarinet), Orchestre De L'Opera National de Lyon, cond. Alexandre Bloch. Sony Classical, 2017.
Camille Saint-Saëns,
Organ Symphony No. 3, Thierry Escaich, organ, Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, conducted by Jean-Jacques Kantorow. SACD Bis 2021. Diapason d'or
Compositions
Symphonic music
Symphony No. 1 (« Kyrie d'une messe imaginaire ») (1992)