The Voyage: Thibaudet Plays "Egyptian"

Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D minor
Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 5, "Egyptian"
Nielsen: Symphony No. 4, "The Inextinguishable"

Often used to depict hauntings and Halloween, Bach’s famous Toccata and Fugue in D minor opens the program, followed by Saint-Saëns’ glorified travelogue in his “Egyptian” piano concerto. Hear sounds of the Nile and other nods to the Middle East, played by the glamorously virtuosic Jean-Yves Thibaudet.

“Music is life, and like it inextinguishable.” Nielsen’s words highlight a deep connection to the beauty of life and music through this existential symphony. Through this piece, he depicts “what make[s] the birds cry, the animals roar, bleat, run and fight, and humans moan, groan exult and shout...”, uncovering the root of what life is at its core.