Paul Jacobs: The Art of Fugue

Celebrating 25 years since he first made musical history at age 23 by performing Bach's complete organ works in an 18-hour marathon on the 250th anniversary of the composer’s death, organist Paul Jacobs, the only organist ever to have won a GRAMMY Award-in 2011 for Messiaen's towering Livre du Saint-Sacrament-is today considered one of the most sought-after artists in the world.

To mark this auspicious event, Mr. Jacobs will perform one of Bach’s final and most enigmatic works-"The Art of Fugue" at St. Peter's Church (619 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10022) Tuesday evening, September 9, 2025, 7:30 p.m.

"I think that Bach was, in a sense, 'out for blood' when composing The Art of Fugue," says Mr. Jacobs. "After all, musical tastes were changing dramatically in the mid-18th century. Bach's own sons were catalysts for displacing his preferred 'old' contrapuntal style for a lighter, simpler music. Possibly as an act of artistic defiance, Bach set out to prove that there was still much to express in writing intricate fugues. The jaw-dropping complexity of this uncompromising work, left unfinished on his deathbed, has proven a crowning achievement in the history of music. Bottomless rewards await those who engage with it."

One week later, on Tuesday evening, September 16, 2025, 7:30 p.m. Mr. Jacobs will recreate the legendary Bach program given by Felix Mendelssohn in 1840 at Leipzig’s Thomanerkirche, at New York’s Church of St. Mary the Virgin, (145 West 46th Street).

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Category: Live Music | Classical