This organ recital by Olivier Latry, titular organist of Notre-Dame de Paris, brings a wide-ranging program from Baroque to contemporary works. The concert also features improvisation, highlighting one of his defining strengths. It takes place on one of China’s largest pipe organs at Shanghai Oriental Art Center.

About the Performance

This recital presents a program spanning multiple periods, from Baroque composers such as Bach and Buxtehude to modern figures like Duruflé and Langlais. The repertoire includes both original organ works and transcriptions, alongside Latry’s own improvisation.

The performance takes place on the large pipe organ at Shanghai Oriental Art Center, built in 2005 with 6,303 pipes, 88 stops, and five manuals.

About the Artist

Olivier Latry

Olivier Latry is a French organist and titular organist of Notre-Dame de Paris, appointed at the age of 23. He is known for his command of the instrument and his improvisational ability.

He has performed at major venues worldwide, including Berlin Philharmonie, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, and Royal Albert Hall. As a soloist, he has collaborated with leading orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Vienna Symphony Orchestra.

Latry has recorded extensively and has received multiple international honors, including awards from the Académie des Beaux-Arts and honorary fellowships from UK music institutions.

Program

• Suzanne van Soldt | Sept Danses
• Bartók | Romanian Folk Dances (arr. André Isoir)
• Dietrich Buxtehude | Passacaglia in D minor, BuxWV 161
• Bach | Organ Concerto in A minor, BWV 593
• Guilmant | Finale from Sonata No. 1
• Gaston Litaize | Scherzo
• Jean Langlais | Dialogue sur les mixtures, from Suite brève
• Maurice Duruflé | Prélude et fugue sur le nom d’Alain
• Olivier Latry | Improvisations

Program subject to change

Why Go

Organ recitals don’t show up that often, and when they do, they’re usually niche. This one’s a bit different. Olivier Latry isn’t just any organist—he’s been holding down the bench at Notre-Dame for decades, and he plays the instrument in a way that feels almost orchestral. Between the scale of the organ at Shanghai Oriental Art Center and his reputation for improvisation, this is less about quietly sitting through a recital and more about seeing what the instrument can actually do when pushed.