Cédric Pescia & Bach: Exploring the ‘French Suites’ | La Dolce Volta

Vaudois pianist Cédric Pescia will open the fourth edition of the Les Musicales d’Épalinges festival on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, with a performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s six Suites françaises. The festival, running through March 1st, will also feature performances by Elisabeth Leonskaja, Tjasha Gafner, Elizaveta Ivanova, Nurit Stark, and Jean Rondeau, among others.

Pescia, who has dedicated significant portions of his career to interpreting Bach’s work – including recordings of the Variations Goldberg, the complete Clavier bien tempéré, and L’Art de la fugue – explained that the title “Suites françaises” is a misnomer applied by Bach’s publishers. “I think the editor was looking for a formulation to make them a little more attractive,” Pescia said, according to reporting in Le Temps. “You find dances typical of Baroque instrumental suites, such as the Gavotte, Menuet, Bourrée and Loure, but no more French dances than in the collections of English Suites or Partitas. In fact, it’s a mixture of pieces with very diverse origins, with also Italian influences in the Courantes or Irish influences for the Gigues that crown each suite.”

The festival, presented by the Association Ensemble enScène, aims to combine talented musicians with a program that balances established repertoire with novel discoveries, according to Jacques Poget. Poget emphasized the importance of the connection between the performers and the audience, noting the “almost palpable harmony” that exists between them.

Alongside Pescia’s opening performance, the festival program includes a performance by Elisabeth Leonskaja on February 25th, featuring works by Beethoven, Shostakovich, and Brahms. A February 26th concert will showcase the talents of Tjasha Gafner, Elizaveta Ivanova, Nurit Stark, and Pescia, performing works by Cui, Denisov, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov, and Gubaidulina. Further performances throughout the week will feature Stark and Pescia, Jean Rondeau, and Marc Perrenoud. The festival will conclude on March 1st with a performance by Pierre-Laurent Aimard.

Pescia is also releasing a new recording with La Dolce Volta in conjunction with the festival performances.