Midnight at Notre-Dame Olivier Latry

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750):
• 11. Sinfonia (Transcr. Dupré for Organ)04:29
• 21. Réjouis-toi mon ame (Transcr. for Organ by M. Duruflé)04:18
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791):
• 31. Adagio (Transcr. Guillou for Organ)03:37
• 42. Fugue (Transcr. Guillou for Organ)04:50
• Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883):
• 5Pilgrim's Chorus (Transcr. for Organ by F. Liszt)08:51
• Hector Berlioz (1803 - 1869):
• 6Marche hongroise (Transcr. for Organ by H. Büsser)05:32
• Sergey Vasil'yevich Rachmaninov (1873 - 1943):
• 7Prélude in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 3 No. 2 (Transcr. Vierne for Organ)04:57
• Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953):
• 8Toccata, Op.11 (Transcr. for Organ by J. Guillou)04:41
• Johann Sebastian Bach:
• 91. Mortifie-nous par ton bonté (Transcr. for Organ by M. Duruflé)03:54
• 105. Chaconne (Transcr. for Organ by H. Messerer)15:42
• Total Runtime01:00:51

Info for Midnight at Notre-Dame

While Paris slept, Notre-Dame's organist Olivier Latry recorded this musical celebration of well-known classics. An extraordinary sonic experience for the first time on HighResAudio.

The famous organ of Notre-Dame de Paris is a brilliantly colourful instrument which in the course of numerous overhauls has acquired a versatility allowing it to encompass every style. It was completely rebuilt between 1863 and 1868 by the visionary organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, who installed five manuals and 86 stops, and in 1932 a rich palette of neo-classical colours was added. Between 1963 and 1971 Pierre Cochereau further extended the instrument's possibilities and replaced the old mechanical action with a faster electro-pneumatic action. Finally, in 1992, computer technology increased yet further the organ's resources by making its 110 stops completely independent.

None of these changes, however, affected the instrument's soul, which is still essentially that of a Romantic, symphonic organ reflecting an aesthetic in which the spirit precedes the letter. And the spirit blows where it wishes, especially the spirit of creativity. Although the present programme is given over exclusively to transcriptions, these are not mere adaptations intended for virtuosos. Rather they are arrangements of vocal, orchestral or piano pieces by true creative artists who, while also being performers, are composers in their own right - composers whose experience has been illuminated by their contact with these works on which they have lavished their creative imagination.

Every organ transcription requires the arranger to rethink the original score. Even though listeners may have the impression that the organ can play anything, each of its manuals has a compass of only four and a half octaves (the piano by contrast has more than seven octaves at its disposal). As a result the pedal-board has to be used for the lower register and, more generally, the possibilities of registration have to be explored, in other words, the mixture of different stops distributed over the various manuals. Although no two organs are alike, the transcriptions that are heard here are in principle conceived for an instrument with three manuals and pedal-board, the few indications concerning nuance and registration remaining essentially no more than suggestions. It is left to the organist and the means at his disposal to rediscover what the arranger wanted to achieve and, above all, to establish this through the details of the transcription. One could say that all that remains of the original composition are the idea and form. The arranger has fixed these in black and white within a new perspective, and it is now up to the interpreter to breathe new life into them by means of colour and movement.

"Sizzling sounds abound, too, in Berlioz’s ebullient Hungarian March, though Latry applies a tad too much rubato at times (a complaint levelled at organists the world over) and the requisite rhythmic spring suffers. The two remaining tracks are of Duruflé’s nondescript transcriptions of Bach’s Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring and Mortify Us. The former is taken too slowly and Latry makes a slightly labourious job of the latter.

These criticisms apart, the engineers have done a magnificent job in capturing the soul of this Romantic, symphonic organ. Latry’s mastery of both instrument and repertoire is undeniable. I recommend it to even those who have an aversion to organ discs or transcriptions." (Gramophone)

"And if that's not enough, try Latry's phenomenal rendition of Jean Guillou's transcription of Prokofiev's Toccata Op. 11: how does a human play such a thing on the organ? It's just not possible! And for good measure, Latry dispatches Berlioz's Hungarian march from La Damnation de Faust with dazzling style--and effortless technique. And the sound--from brilliant, refulgent upper reeds, trumpets, and winds to the great, resounding lower registers--is ideal, placing us in the very middle of that incomparably huge, timeless Gothic-cathedral space. And you don't even have to turn this one up to get room-filling effect. Organ fans will already have this--and if you're not one already, try it and believe. Outstanding!" (David Vernier, ClassicsToday)

Oliver Latry, organ

Olivier Latry
Established as the leading worldwide ambassador for his instrument, French organist Olivier Latry has performed the world’s most prestigious venues, been the guest of leading orchestras under renowned conductors, recorded for major labels and premiered an impressive number of works. Named titular organist at Notre-Dame in Paris at the age of 23 and organist Emeritus at the Orchestre National de Montréal since 2012, Olivier Latry is first and foremost an accomplished, thoughtful and adventurous musician exploring all possible fields of the organ music, with an exceptional talent as an improviser.

Olivier Latry regularly appears in venues like the Philharmonie de Paris, Disney Hall, San Francisco’s Davies Hall, Concertgebouw, Philadelphia’s Verizon Hall, Gewandhaus, Vienna’s Musikverein and Konzerthaus, Budapest’s Palace of Arts, Royal Festival Hall, KKL Lucerne, Royal Albert Hall, Suntory Hall, Mariinsky, Rotterdam’s de Doelen and as a soloist with leading orchestras such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Philharmonia Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony, RSO Wien, Hong-Kong Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Orchestre National de France, under conductors like Myung-Whun Chung, Andris Nelsons, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Stéphane Denève, Fabien Gabel, Christoph Eschenbach, Kent Nagano, Edo de Waart, Jukka-Pekka Saraste.

Recent highlights include the premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s Maan Varjot for organ and orchestra with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Orchestre National de Lyon and Philharmonia Orchestra in 2014, the premiere of Michael Gandolfi’s concerto with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2015. He will premiere Benoît Mernier’s organ concerto for the inauguration of Brussels’ Palais des Beaux-Arts’s new organ in 2017. In 2016 he will record a recital program for Warner Music at the Philharmonie de Paris’s magnificent Rieger organ which he inaugurated earlier in the year. He took a major part in the inauguration of the Radio France Auditorium’s Grenzing organ in May 2016 too. In the 2017/2018 season he will be artist in residence with the Dresdner Philharmonie.

His strong attachment to the French organ repertoire led him to record Olivier Messiaen’s complete works for organ for Deutsche Grammophon which he also performed in recitals in Paris, London and New York. In 2005, he recorded a César Franck album also for Deutsche Grammophon. Among several other recordings, Olivier also recorded Saint-Saëns organ concerto with Christoph Eschenbach and the Philadelphia Orchestra for Ondine. His most recent recording on the Naïve label is entitled “Trois Siècles d’Orgue Notre-Dame de Paris” which features music composed by past and current organists of Notre-Dame Cathedral.

A former student of Gaston Litaize, Olivier Latry now teaches at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris and is a recipient of numerous international distinctions and awards worldwide including the Prix de la Fondation Cino et Simone Del Duca (Institut de France–Académie des Beaux-Arts) in 2000, and “Honoris Causa” Fellowships from the North and Midlands School of Music (UK) in 2006, and from the Royal College of Organists (UK) in 2007. He was also named International Performer of the Year by the American Guild of Organists in April 2009, and received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from McGill University in Montreal Canada in 2010.

This album contains no booklet.