Two major composers powerfully embody this idea: Johann Sebastian Bach, notably in his famous ‘Actus tragicus’, in which the music truly transfigures the fear of death, and Felix Mendelssohn, in his impressive a cappella Psalms.

We often associate these 2 composers for historical and musicological reasons, given the devotion and musical filiation that link Mendelssohn to Bach. Here, the programme looks at their deeper, philosophical and spiritual links: it is not a simple juxtaposition of pieces but a weaving together of extracts from cantatas, great a cappella motets and organ pieces, forming a genuine conversation between Bach and Mendelssohn, 100 years apart. Each from his own era, with his own language and spiritual attachment, they address the same subject - the meaning of life and its inevitable outcome - by exploring the same texts: the psalms or their meditations, which speak, sing or cry out all our human emotions, which are still very relevant today. In this way, their works vividly illustrate the moments of suffering that we all experience; then, following the path inscribed in the psalms and their meditations, they open a luminous door to a beyond, a new place of exploration for the imagination and spirituality of each individual. The works for solo organ complete this journey towards the unspeakable.