Organist, pianist and conductor – Aurel Dawidiuk is rapidly making a name for himself in all three fields. As a child growing up in Hanover, sitting at the organ console was already a great dream of his: »For others, it was a seat in an aircraft cockpit. For me, it was the organ.« At the Elbphilharmonie, he now takes his place in the »organ cockpit« to perform a programme rich in variety and contrast.
Dawidiuk begins with what is perhaps the most famous organ work of all time: Johann Sebastian Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor. The iconic opening long ago escaped the confines of the church and entered popular culture, yet it has lost none of its hypnotic power. The young organist is far from alone in his admiration for Bach. Many composers have paid tribute to the master in their own music – one of the most direct ways being through the note sequence B-A-C-H, Bach’s musical signature, as demonstrated in works by Zsigmond Szathmáry and Franz Liszt.
The second half centres on Maurice Duruflé, although none of his original compositions will be heard. Instead, Aurel Dawidiuk performs Duruflé’s masterful arrangements of two famous Bach cantatas, including the ever-popular »Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring«, alongside transcriptions of two improvisations by Duruflé’s teacher Charles Tournemire. Tournemire is regarded as the father of an entire generation of celebrated French organists and was renowned for the brilliance of his improvisations.
PERFORMERS
Aurel Dawidiuk organ
PROGRAM
Johann Sebastian Bach
Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565
Zsigmond Szathmáry
B-A-C-H »Hommage à ...«
Franz Liszt
Fantasy and Fugue on the Theme B-A-C-H, S 260
- Interval -
Charles Tournemire / Maurice Duruflé
Improvisation on »Te Deum«
Johann Sebastian Bach / Maurice Duruflé
Ertöt uns durch dein’ Güte
César Franck
Chorale No. 3 in A minor, FWV 40
Johann Sebastian Bach / Maurice Duruflé
Jesus bleibet meine Freude
Charles Tournemire / Maurice Duruflé
Improvisation on »Victimae Paschali Laudes«
