The star of this album is the instrument used – the legendary organ of the Notre-Dame de Paris. This gigantic organ, built and rebuilt for centuries, luckily survived the big fire that hit the church this April (2019), though reports are still conflicted on the amount of damage sustained to the pipes and other materials of the instrument. This is, for now at least, an important document.
Organist Olivier Latry holds the position of a “holder” of the Notre-Dame organ since 1985. His acquaintance with the instrument is intimate, as his choice of repertoire shows. The pieces selected for this 77 minutes recital are generally on the large scale and, as he admits in the interesting booklet, not ones that incorporate Bach’s most sophisticated polyphonic writing. This is immediately recognizable in the first track, the Ricercare a 6 BWV 1079 from Musikalisches Opfer. Latry’s clever usage of the five keyboards and pedal makes for a slow crescendo, coming to a climax as the piece approaches its end.
The famous “Toccata und Fugue (BWV 565) gives Latry an opportunity to show the organ’s full strength, quite literally. In fact, you may want to be cautious with your volume, both for your ears and your loudspeakers’ sake. The engineering team of “La Dolce Volta” record label has met the task with a full-bodied recording that shows the grandiose of the organ (and the music), without losing important details.
In the chorale “Erbarm’ dich mein, o Herre Gott”, BWV 721 (track 4) Latry also shows lovely refinement, and a celebratory rejoice in “In dir ist Freude” (BWV 617), where he uses the chimes of the instrument to create a bell effect. It’s worth noting that the order of pieces is cleverly chosen – with large, almost bombastic and long pieces followed by more tender, shorter pieces. And so a heart-warming piece like the choral “Herzlich tut mich verlangen”, BWV 727 (track 8) is followed by the cheerful “Organ Piece” (BWV 572) and the longest (perhaps the most impressive here), the Passacaglia and Fugue, BWV 582.
Hopefully, the historic organ will prove to be able to survive not only time, but also disasters. In the meantime, there can not be a better testament to it, and to the talent of its dedicated player.
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“Bach to the Future”
Bach – Ricercare a 6 BWV 1079; Fugue in G Minor BWV 578; Toccata and fugue in D Minor BWV 565; Choral Erbarm’ dich mein, o Herre Gott BWV 721; Fantaisie in G Minor BWV 542; Fugue in G minor BWV 542; In dir ist Freude BWV 617; Choral Herzlich tut mich verlangen BWV 727; Piece for Organ BWV 572; Passacaille and fugue in C minor BWV 582
Olivier Latry – Organ
La Dolve Volta, CD LDV69
