Bach goes continental

Experience the majestic sounds of the organ in a landmark building that has fascinated visitors for 700 years. Let yourself be uplifted by the timeless works of Johann Sebastian Bach, performed alongside masterpieces by other great composers, in the awe-inspiring setting of Storkyrkan, Stockholm.
Axel Gryspeert (Stockholm/Köpenhamn)
Program
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) Bearbetning Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Concerto a moll op. 3 nr 8 BWV 593
Louis Marchand (1669-1732)
Grande dialogue en Ut majeur
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
ur Fransk svit nr 5 BWV 816
Gavotte
Sarabande
Gigue
Louis Vierne (1870-1937)
Troisième symphonie op. 28
i. Allegro Maëstoso
ii. Cantilène
iii. Intermezzo
iv. Adagio
v. Final
Johann Sebastian Bach is undoubtedly one of the greatest sources of inspiration in music history for organists and composers alike. Yet Bach himself also had his own role models and influences.
In this concert, Axel Gryspeert explores Johann Sebastian Bach’s continental influences. Although Bach never left Germany, he was deeply influenced by the European music that reached him through manuscripts and musical contacts. He performed and encouraged his students to play the music of his contemporary composers.
The programme includes Bach’s arrangements of music by Antonio Vivaldi, French music by the contemporary organ virtuoso Louis Marchand, Bach’s own compositions in the French style, and finally Louis Vierne’s Third Organ Symphony, where the French late-Romantic style meets Bach’s musical legacy: contrapuntal clarity, grand forms, and a virtuosic treatment of the organ as both orchestra and solo instrument.