RECONCILIATION FESTIVAL: ORGELMØTE – THIERRY ESCAICH VS. NILS HENRIK ASHEIM

The organ is not only the cornerstone of European music but has also helped shape our shared history. It was therefore entirely natural that the Reconciliation Festival wished to honor the “king of instruments” in its program. This concert is extraordinary in that it brings together two of the most significant composers and organists of our time: Nils Henrik Asheim, based at the Stavanger Concert Hall, and his colleague Thierry Escaich, organist at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Ahead of the Norwegian Organ Festival, this rare encounter promises an unforgettable musical experience. For this historic concert, both artists have been given carte blanche.

The full festival program is available at:
Home – Reconciliation Festival (www.reconciliation-festival.com)

Composer, organist, and improviser Thierry Escaich is a unique figure in contemporary music and one of the most important French composers of his generation. The three elements of Escaich’s artistry—composer, performer, and improviser—are inseparable, enabling him to express himself as a virtuoso performer, interpreter, and creator at the highest level. In 2024, Escaich was appointed titular organist at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. He composes works in many genres and forms, including opera, symphonic, and chamber music. His catalog includes over 100 works which, with their lyrical character, rich harmonies, and rhythmic energy, have attracted a wide audience. Drawing inspiration from the French compositional tradition after Ravel, Messiaen, and Dutilleux, and referencing contemporary music, jazz, popular music, and spiritual music, Escaich’s distinctive sound world is anchored in an obsessive rhythmic drive and a strong architectural structure. His works are performed by leading orchestras in Europe and North America, and by musicians such as Lisa Batiashvili, François Leleux, Andris Nelsons, Alain Altinoglu, Louis Langrée, Semyon Bychkov, Paavo Järvi, Alan Gilbert, Emmanuelle Bertrand, and Paul Meyer.

Nils Henrik Asheim, composer and organist, pianist and curator, is known for his personal improvisation style and for incorporating the organ into a wide range of artistic contexts. He is currently the principal organist at Stavanger Concert Hall. His compositions include orchestral works, chamber music, and choral works, along with a number of projects that explore space, situations, and collaboration in innovative ways. As an organist, Asheim is widely recognized for his distinctive improvisational style. Inspired by jazz, avant-garde, electronic music, folk music, and noise art, he takes the organ into soundscapes rarely associated with the instrument. Since the 1990s, Asheim has been deeply involved in Stavanger’s cultural life, having led key institutions such as the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra’s program committee, where he also led various projects and served on the board. He was also the head of NyMusikk Stavanger, presenting over 200 concerts over 20 years. From 2001 to 2011, he was the initiator, chairman, and project developer for Tou Scene—a cultural factory in a former brewery in the eastern district—which is now one of Norway’s largest independent cultural institutions. Among his many awards, he received Work of the Year 2023, the Lindeman Prize 2011, the Spellemann Prize 2010 as Contemporary Composer of the Year, and was appointed Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) in 2023 by the French Republic, and Knight 1st Class of the Order of St. Olav in 2018.

Photo credits: Thierry Escaich by Marie Rolland, Nils Henrik Asheim by Linn Owren

Free admission for children and youth under 16 accompanied by an adult. Free admission for refugees. Tickets must be picked up in advance.

Duration:
1 hour and 30 minutes

Promoter:
Reconciliation Festival / Den Gjenfundne Tid