Olivier Latry, organ

Programme
Louis Vierne, Organ Symphony No. 3 in F-sharp minor, Op. 28 
*
Alexandre Guilmant, Final from Organ Sonata No. 1, Op. 42 
Pierre Cochereau, Berceuse a la mémoire de Louis Vierne (Lullaby in memory of Louis Vierne)
Jean-Pierre Leguay, Final from Organ Sonata No. 1 
Improvisation

Greatly admired among his fellow organists and a respected keeper of the distinguished tradition of French organ music, Olivier Latry was appointed titular organist of the Great Organ of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in 1985, when he was just twenty-three. A brilliant and audacious all-round musician, exploring every possible aspect of his instrument, Olivier Latry is endowed with an exceptional talent as an improviser of boundless imagination. Pushing the technical boundaries of contemporary performance practice, he has elevated improvisation to the highest levels of mastery.

Acknowledged as one of the world’s most eminent ambassadors of organ music, Latry has been inspiring composers around the world for decades, as well as re-examining the repertoire of bygone eras – with a special dedication to the French musical heritage. This commitment is reflected in the evening’s programme that gives prominence to distinguished musicians who served as organists of the famous Paris cathedral over the last century: the mysterious and dark Vierne, the romantic Guilmant, the here lyrical Cochereau, and Leguay, whose work was influenced by modernist aesthetics. Needless to say, the evening includes the guest virtuoso’s much-anticipated improvisations.