On 27 May 27 2014, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and organist Jean-Willy Kunz under the direction of Kent Nagano will premiered A Globe Itself Infolding a concerto for organ and orchestra by Samy Moussa.

The composer admitted that writing a short work for organ and orchestra turned out to be a real challenge, even if the question of the balance between the instrument and the orchestral force was not an issue here (unlike a concerto for cello or an accompanied lied, for example). In A Globe itself infolding, the organ is first treated as an independent force, until, after a short cadenza, it gradually finds itself pulled into the orchestra and becomes enmeshed until the end. Though the writing appears to be idiomatic, Samy Moussa admits to having approached the work more like a piano concerto movement. The organ gives all the impulses of the piece, but the composer has added a certain sense of ambiguity to its palette: one wonders at times if the colour of the organ blends with that of the orchestra or if it is instead the orchestra that colours the organ, as the title of the work, a quote from Wiliam Blake and Tanakh, takes on its full meaning.

Samy Moussa - A Globe Itself Infolding
for organ and orchestra
World premiere: 27 May 2014
Maison symphonique de Montréal, Canada
Orchestre symphonique de Montréal
Jean-Willy Kunz, organ
Kent Nagano, conductor

English premiere: 6 September 2021
Royal Albert Hall, London
BBC Concert Orchestra
James McVinnie, organ
Anna-Maria Helsing, conductor
More information...

Swiss premiere: October 20, 2022
Tonhalle Zürich
Musikkollegium Winterthur
Johannes Zeinler, organ
Kalena Bovell, conductor
More information...

Consult the score on ISSUU :