Course 18

Organ repertoire by Olivier Messiaen by Prof. Thomas Lacôte

Dates: July 27-31 (2nd week)

Description
Messiaen’s organ work is widely considered as the cornerstone of twentieth century organ repertoire. Moreover, it connects the organ with the world of modernity and with numerous musical, artistic, intellectual innovations of this time. Recent academic research about Messiaen’s music has deeply modified our perception of his work and his creative process. Analytical insights into his musical language brings a strong background for the performance. But the better knowledge of his musical world as a whole, including his own instrument at la Trinité in Paris, can also open new doors for performers today, combining precision and freedom, respect for the score and imagination.

Repertoire List
Complete Organ Works by Olivier Messiaen

Choose which pieces you want to prepare and let us know by sending an email to office@organfestival.nl. Please note that the playing time per student is limited and that we cannot guarantee that you can play all your preferred pieces. Nevertheless, choose approximately 3-5 pieces so that the professor can compile an attractive course program.
If we do not receive notification of your prepared pieces, your registration will be changed to passive.

This course can not be combined with:
[2a] Organ repertoire by Johann Sebastian Bach (Zerer)
[2c] Organ repertoire by Sigfrid Karg-Elert & Max Reger (Engels)

(2b)

About Thomas Lacôte
Thomas Lacôte is a French composer and organist born in 1982. Organiste titulaire of the great organ at La Trinité church in Paris, he is professor of musical analysis at Paris Conservatoire (CNSMDP), where he studied himself. His music for and with organ, opening new doors for the instrument’s sound, is championed by numerous performers around the world. In 2024-2025, he published on digital platforms a collection of improvisations called Streams, recorded on La Trinité and Ratingen (D) organs. He is invited by many institutions as performer, teacher and scholar, like Cambridge University, Eastman School of Music, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Conservatorio di Bologna and Haarlem Organ Festival. He is the author of numerous articles and of the book La modèle et l’invention, Olivier Messiaen et la technique de l’emprunt (with Y. Balmer and C. Murray). His works are published by Henry Lemoine.