Voyages – Olivier Latry

   in Choir & Organ (May, 2017)
This is the first recording of the large Rieger organ installed in Paris’s flamboyant new concert hall, La Philharmonie. It is telling that Olivier Latry has chosen to celebrate the organ transcription, returning us to the fashions of the early 20th century. Keen to showcase the instrument’s symphonic capabilities, Latry takes us from Bach to Khachaturian with some spectacular arrangements, including his own virtuosic rendition of Manuel de Falla’s Danse rituelle du feu. The organ is not necessarily symphonic in an American or English romantic sense, but the numerous sounds of this Austrian instrument speak with colour and integrity. Latry’s virtuosic talent is the real highlight of this well-produced recording. …