Voyages is the first album to be recorded on the spectacular new organ of the Paris Philharmonie. Comprising Voyages of 11 famous pieces – ranging from Bach to Khachaturian by way of Mendelssohn, Chopin, Liszt, Wagner, Saint-Saëns, Rimsky-Korsakov, Fauré, Debussy and Falla – it showcases b
Voyages is the first album to be recorded on the spectacular new organ of the Paris Philharmonie. Comprising Voyages of 11 famous pieces – ranging from Bach to Khachaturian by way of Mendelssohn, Chopin, Liszt, Wagner, Saint-Saëns, Rimsky-Korsakov, Fauré, Debussy and Falla – it showcases both the ‘symphonic’ capacities of the new organ and the phenomenal artistry of leading French organist Olivier Latry.
Paris’s magnificent new concert hall, the Philharmonie, opened in January 2015, but its monumental organ – which has over 6000 pipes and 91 different stops and weighs more than 25 tonnes – was not inaugurated until early 2016. This album, Voyages, comprising famous short pieces transcribed for organ, is the first to be recorded on the instrument.
The organist is Olivier Latry. A native of northern France, he is closely associated with a far older Parisian landmark, the Cathedral of Notre- Dame, where he has held the position of Titular Organist for more than 30 years. He is also Professor of Organ at the Paris Conservatoire and a celebrated international performer who has appeared in 50 countries across five continents. As the Boston Globe has said: “No organist comes with more impressive credentials than Olivier Latry,” while the New York Times has described him as “a brilliant instrumentalist” and Gramophone has judged that “Latry’s mastery of both instrument and repertoire is undeniable.”