Baptiste-Florian Marle-Ouvrard

Presented by Musique Sacrée Notre-Dame de Paris

Winner of several major international improvisation competitions, Baptiste-Florian Marle-Ouvrard explores the most audacious blends between the organ and other forms of artistic expression: dance, graphic works, cinema, electronic music. Titular organist of Saint-Eustache church in Paris, he also performs on major international stages in Europe, the United States, and Japan. Conceived as a grand sonic arch, his recital programme creates a dialogue between works from French, Germanic, and Russian traditions and the art of improvisation. Heir to a tradition deeply linked to Notre-Dame and the French organ school, improvisation here is not a mere interlude, but the true framework of the concert. An improvised French Suite will thus open the evening as an evocation of the great forms of the classical French repertoire. The programme will continue with the monumental Final from Brahms' Symphony No. 4, unfolding an impressive passacaglia where architectural rigour and dramatic power converge. Three improvised intermezzi will then punctuate the recital, serving as breaths and bridges to the different schools of the works surrounding them: Franck's Cantabile, an evocation of the birth of the great French romantic organ with Cavaillé-Coll, Debussy's La Cathédrale engloutie, inspired by the Breton legend of the city of Ys rising from the waves, followed by excerpts from Stravinsky's L'Oiseau de feu, the dramatic climax of the concert.