Organist Olivier Latry was invited by the Nanovic Institute for European Studies to play an organ recital in the Chris and Anne Reyes Organ and Choral Hall in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Notre Dame on February 25, 2014. The recital was played twice to accommodate the great number of people who wanted to hear Mr. Latry play.

The hall’s size, dimensions and acoustics were modeled after a village church from the time of Bach and can only seat around 90 people. Mr. Latry and his wife flew from Paris to Chicago on Monday February 24 and arrived on Notre Dame’s campus at about 6pm that evening. I happened upon them in the restaurant in the Morris Inn having a light dinner before going to practice across the street. I was utterly amazed that Mr. Latry had just gotten off a flight from Paris and was about to sit down for hours and practice a complicated program on a pipe organ that has no combination action. I walked over with him and listen to him practice for a little bit, before I walked back to the hotel to get some sleep. I left the hall amazed by his musicianship as he improvised on the different stops and groups of stops as he got to know this Paul Fritts Pipe Organ.

The next day I setup my video cameras and microphones and worked with the University Photographer and old friend Matt Cashore to make an excellent video documentation of this recital.

Mr. Latry’s program was ingenious. A combination of new and old – Bach & Leguay, Matter & Muffat but the opening work by Ligeti stole the show and I am not one for modern music. There was a different improvisation at the end of each performance and the first improvisation was on the Notre Dame Victory March. As Mr. Latry past me at the end of the recital he told me that improvisation was for me. Thank you Knute I mean Olivier!

In this video Olivier Latry is presented playing Johann Sebastian Bach Piece d’ orgue, BWV 572 on the Paul Fritts Pipe Organ in the Chris and Anne Reyes Organ and Choral Hall in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Notre Dame.

Help support these free videos by doing some shopping in our new webstore devoted to “Everything Pipe Organ”. Click here for details of our recording of Olivier Latry playing Vierne Symphony No. 6 at Washington National Cathedral. Download this recording instantly by clicking here.

What do you think of Mr. Latry’s performance? please leave your comments below. If you like it please like it and share it on Facebook.

Photos by Joe Vitacco and University Photograher – Matt Cashore. 

Johann Sebastian Bach Piece d’ orgue, BWV 572 played by Organist Olivier Latry at the University of Notre Dame from Joe Vitacco on Vimeo.