OLIVIER LATRY
Press Notices
AMERICAN REVIEWS
HOUSTON – (National Convention of The American Guild of Organists) – “The young
The
American Organist
HOUSTON – “[Latry] played with
plenty of virtuosic flash, yet he always subordinated his technical wizardry to
the music. He projected a beguiling calm
that added quiet authority to his interpretations … elegant virtuosity.”
The Houston Chronicle
LOS ANGELES – “brilliant, rapturously received recital …
culminated with enough razzle-dazzle to bring the audience – consisting of many
admiring organists as well as organ aficionados – to its feet. … consummate artistry … a superb colorist.”
The Los Angeles Times
SEATTLE, Benaroya Concert
Hall – “Latry is a master of the organ. Technically impeccable, his playing is notable
for expressiveness, dynamic range, the seamlessness of his transitions, and the
huge range of tonal color he finds and exploits in the instrument … an evening
in a class of its own.”
Crosscut.com, October 2010
BOSTON – “ORGANIST LATRY’S
BOSTON DEBUT IS A TRIUMPH” “No organist
comes with more impressive credentials than Olivier Latry.”
The Boston Globe
The
New York Times
NEW YORK CITY – “... brilliant instrumentalist ... splendidly clear, steady and
buoyant .... Mr. Latry is clearly a superior organist.”
The
New York Times
CLEVELAND – “Music, musician and instrument merged harmoniously … Commanding the console like a magician, [Latry] smoothly blends orchestral colors and shades a wide range of dynamics. So skillful is his registration that the instrument’s 4,041 pipes sing, breathe, phrase and articulate like a magnificent choir. … He performs with calm control, and from memory. … The audience was thrilled.”
The Plain Dealer
ATLANTA – “Organists and lovers of organ music flocked in droves to The
Cathedral of St. Philip on Tuesday to hear a recital by … Olivier Latry. The reasons for Latry’s
meteoric rise were made clear ... He displayed brilliant technique, allowing
him to negotiate obstacles that would send paroxysms of terror through lesser
organists.”
The
Atlanta Constitution
PORTLAND, ME – “Latry is, quite simply, the finest organist I have ever heard. … What makes him so special is his clarity. There is no fog of sound. Every note is perfectly clear and released so rapidly that Latry can play Rachmaninoff-like two-hand chord progressions as rapidly as a virtuoso on the piano. He also knows his way around the organ, using stops that are not only unusual, but satisfying and perfectly suited to the music. He has a way of building a crescendo that is inimitable, while his fortissimos shake the foundations of City Hall. … Latry demonstrated his mastery of improvisation with variations of “Now Thank We All Our God,” which earned a standing ovation from a larger than usual audience.”
Portland Press Herald
The
Kansas City Star
OBERLIN, OH – “Mr. Latry is a master. This concert was organ playing at the highest
level one could hear anywhere.”
ClevelandClassical.com, 2010
GREENSBORO, NC – “... brilliant playing … a remarkable
ability to breathe life into his phrases … Witnessing this creation unfold was
an astounding and exhilarating experience.”
Greensboro News & Record
BIRMINGHAM – “… Olivier Latry will be a force in music for a long time to
come.”
Birmingham
News
LAWRENCE, KS – “Rarely does one hear such effortless technical assurance as that
demonstrated … by Olivier Latry … But his performances … also evinced a fine
sense of musical shape and an engaging urgency.”
The
Kansas City Star
RICHMOND – “Superb, refined playing ... there cannot be any question about
this musician’s mastery of the organ.”
Richmond
Times-Dispatch
RICHMOND, 1995 Regional Convention, The American
Guild of Organists –
“... a stellar performance. After demanding an encore, the audience
rewarded this virtuosic performance with a standing ovation.”
Richmond
Times-Dispatch
EUROPEAN REVIEWS
“The
applause broke out starting from the first chord, with a
warmth which speaks volumes about the joy and satisfaction of the
public. Olivier Latry ... is truly one
of the great hopes of the French contemporary organ.”
La
Voix du Nord
“...
the interpretation of the young Olivier Latry [was]
full of poetry, of leaps, and pungency.”
Le
Monde
“...
he already possesses an irreproachable technique and
gifts of interpretation worthy of a great master of the organ. But above all, he is a totally phenomenal improvisationalist, with unbelievable superior talent and
imagination.”
Lahti
Organ Festival
RECORDING REVIEWS
The Philadelphia Orchestra, Christoph Eschenbach, conductor, Olivier Latry, organ
Camille Saint-Säens Symphony No. 3 “Organ”, Francis Poulenc Organ
Concerto, Samuel Barber Toccata Festiva (ONDINE CDE-1094-5)
“…everything is first-rate: the
instrument, the orchestra, the hall, the performer, the conductor, and the
recording. … It is as if the Barber has
never before been adequately heard. Latry’s performance is stellar; every nuance Dobson has
provided is there in his registration and tempos, and it makes clear what
Barber had intended. … It is difficult
to praise this lavish production enough; one simply must hear it, and to hear
it is to have it. Five
of five stars!”
The American Organist
In Spiritum (DG 477
5418GSA) – Organ music of César Franck
“Definitive,
informative, persuasive, engaging, intensely musical, flawless … Words simply
cannot begin to do justice to M. Latry’s consummate
artistry. He is in the music and the
music in him. Every organist and organ
enthusiast needs to have this disc to know these works for the first time. Buy it now.”
Organists’
Review, February 2006
“This spiritual
journey could not be piloted by a more sympathetic guide than Olivier Latry, titulaire at Notre-Dame, Paris. He brings the full splendour
of the cathedral’s romantically voiced organ to bear on a satisfying programme
of Franck’s large-scale organ music.”
Gramophone
Midnight
at Notre Dame (DG 474 8162)
“Sizzling sounds abound.
… Latry’s mastery of both instrument and repertoire is undeniable. I recommend [“
Gramophone
Oliver
Messiaen Complete Organ Works (DG 471
480-2)
“… Olivier Latry
plays [the organ of Notre Dame, Paris] as it were a living thing, coloring
every nuance, conjuring up every combination requested by Messiaen, enhancing
and bringing to life each harmonic and rhythmic twist. Just perfect.”
Organists’
Review
“… Latry once
received the considerable accolade of being described as ‘the new Marcel Dupré’
by ... Messiaen. … finely
judged … thrilling. Completely committed
and inspiring performances …”
Choir
& Organ
“… his playing
has a contained quality, meticulously phrased and scrupulously graded in
attention to details of registration and articulation … sense of reverence for
the music …”
Gramophone
“… Latry sets the new standard.”
“Oliver Latry also seems completely in synch with the composer’s
evolving rhetoric over nearly 60 years’ worth of music.”
Fanfare
“… one is aware of his ability to communicate effortlessly all
the nuances of Messiaen’s writing with apparently uncontrived ease.”
Choir and Organ
“Even those of us fortunate enough to
have observed Latry at work and to have heard him speak — wondrously impressive
in the power of his musicianship though he is — will be freshly awed by this
achievement.”
Organists’ Review