Notre Dame organist to recreate classical pieces
French organist Olivier Latry, will be performing in Seoul as part of the pipe organ series organized by the Lotte Concert Hall.
Latry was dubbed the “youngest organist” for the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris when he was appointed to the “titulaires des grands orgues of Notre-Dame, Paris” at the age of 23 in 1985. At the time, he drew much media attention, as usually organists were older and more experienced. He was among one of four appointees alongside Yves Devernay, Philippe Lefebvre and Jean-Pierre Leguay, following the death of Pierre Cochereau.
Latry will be offering a one-day performance at the concert hall on Aug. 3. He is the third organist invited for the performance series, following Wayne Marshall on March 15 and Shin Dong-il on May 20. The pipe organ series invites four organists, two from abroad and two from Korea, to perform as part of the program.
Some of the pieces in the program list include Bach’s Sinfonia from Cantata 29 (Transcription Marcel Dupre), and Choral Schuebler “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme” BWV 645, Mendelssohn’s Variations serieuses (Transcription Reitze Smits), Gabriel Faure’s Pelleas et Melisande Op. 80 (Transcription Louis Robilliard) as well as some by Saint-Saens and Debussy. He will also feature an improvisation section.
In a self-written program note, Latry said, “All pieces can be recreated. Wouldn’t this be the essence of organ music? Instruments all have different sounds so every performance is a new challenge. In the process, the organist tries to deliver the intent of the original composer and thus create the best harmony out of the instrument, location and sound. This program will be exploring the interpretations and ingredients of the renowned pieces by classical composers.”
Since 1995, Latry serves as the professor of Organ in the Conservatoire de Paris. He was awarded the Best player of the Year in 2009 by the American Organist Association. He was invited to Korea three times previously by the Korean Organist Association in 2002, 2004, and 2008 and held performances and master classes.
Ticket prices are from 20,000 won to 50,000 won. For more information, call 1544-7744.