To those who wonder what it is like to be in the loft when Mr. Latry unleashes something like this, let me assure you from personal experience that it is like the cathedral itself is singing, with everything solid in vibration, as if the atmosphere itself suddenly became a series of solid things, clashing, and rushing by. Under all that moving air, you feel as exhilarated as if you were crouched beneath a storm passing by just overhead. It is something like that.

I love how he hops off the organ like he just finished eating lunch. Completely unfazed by what he just did

This was a special mass for the Paris fire brigade, and Latry based this improvisation on the sound of a fire engine’s siren. Fast forward a few years, and here we are: the cathedral is on fire. Ironic to say the least, but hopefully all is not lost and the organ is saved… EDIT: The organ is miraculously untouched after the fire!

Praying for Olivier Latry and the people of Notre Dame and Paris.

RIP Notre Dame De Paris. You will rise again and your music will thunder once more!

Listening to his improvisation, I would find it impossible to want to leave the building (which is the whole purpose of the Recessional). French improvisation is very unique and rich in tradition and has created a large quantity of amazing performances. Bravo! I wish success for the New Organ Project.

Just awesome, he just takes all of the BREATH out of the organ.... he cleans the air in the church with his music...when you finish listening to Lantry you are tired and worn out....

I keep coming back to this one. As others have commented, not a lot of counterpoint, subtlety, and what-not, but Latry is a top-shelf organist -- as demonstrated in his new recording of the complete works of Messiaen. Here, he just puts his foot to the floor and rocks the house. It's not always what you want to hear at the end of a Sunday service, but to get some from time to time... makes me want to move to Paris!

What an incalculably heartbreaking loss to the people of France and the world. May this wonderful music some day again reverberate around the walls of a restored Notre Dame.

I was filled with horror and great sadness as I watched Notre Dame burning yesterday. This particular improvisation comes with a lot of irony, given that it followed a Mass dedicated to the firefighters of Paris, its motif being based on the sound of fire-engine sirens.

THAT is organ music!! That's what the s-o-b was built to do!! And no one can do it like Latry. I'm just blown away speechless!

the man is not of this planet! He is awesome and unbelievable, a gift from God.

When I was in Paris many years ago, I visited Notre Dame. It so happened that there was a service starting as I was wandering around the church, sightseeing. Suddenly the most amazing sounds filled the church, I froze, listening, in awe of the master playing the organ. Afterwards I asked in the lady in the information booth if it was indeed M. Latry, and she confirmed that it was. I have been to many concerts, as audience and as a performer, but this is one of my finest memories.

Yup....you can hear the Cavaille-Coll in it again after the Cochereau era.

I can only hope for the sake of Latry, the French peoples, and all of the music world that the great pipes have been spared. My heart aches for Our Lady.

This piece brings me to tears with it's power ❤

If anyone where to accurately transcribe this as an orchestral piece, finding in an orchestra the exact timbres Latry creates, they would compose one of the great symphonic preludes of their century, they’d be master orchestrators. And all that was just in a bit of improvised music that just fell from Latry’s fingers.

Those Parisian improvisers! A better improviser than this you'll never be...

Utterly Mind Blowing. WOW

An absolute joy to my ears. Full of hope, inspiration and grandeur.

If you ever make it to the pearly gates and enter within, THIS has to be sound which will greet you. Just amazingly wonderful.

I love it! This is what you expect when you attend mass in Notre Dame de Paris. Big organ!

One of the most uplifting things I've heard!

If I remember rightly, I believe I was once told that this was a special service in celebration of the Fire Brigade and that Latry's improvisation was based on the 'nee-naw' of a fire engine.

some people really do not know how to appreciate fantastic art which comes just from the finger tips of a simple human being!!! He is flesh and bones like all of us! he's just different in a way that he's one of the few privileged persons on earth who really enjoy what he does and that's why he is so successful!!! Your Kultur Banat - R.R.A.

J'ai une pensée pour Olivier latri ce soir, qui doit être fort triste de voir la cathédrale en feu et par ailleurs l instrument dont il est titulaire, les grands orgues de notre Dame de Paris 😢😢

I hope that he will decide, as soon as possible to compose great symphonies.

Just overwhelming and phantastic........Im only a violinist in orchestra. In my next life I will become an organist and rock the church like this.

I am on my knees...!!! That is the queen of instruments!...and a master makes her shine!

Jarringly photographed by overwhelmed camera operator, but a splendid capture of this Latry spectacular improvisation before that dreadful fire.

I am so happy I heard Latry in a concert in NYC some years ago.

A remarkable talent for improvising this organist has! (It will take me a year just to learn the use of all of those stops!! )

He is phenomenal. You may argue about this or quibble about that but Latry gets it done. The combination of organist, organ and that space is unforgettable.

People...after a bottle of Bordeaux Wine & bit of Camembert cheese I decided to post also a comment, maybe because I went through most of the comments or maybe because it is time to do so... anyway I just want to make some clarifications...undoubtedly it was my best organ life experience ever...O.L. is one of the kindest persons you can really imagine...the stunning sound of his playing and of course the result of Cavaille Coll's work

Love the chamades

This fellow could be the Phantom at my Opera any day of the week. WOW! What incredible talent! 😊

A true master in organ music truly wonderful to listen to!

Great impro. As mentioned by one commentator, this concludes a service dedicated to the Paris fire brigade, hence the opening theme - the fire truck siren.

One of the best performances in my preferences skilled proficiently. 👏👏👏👏👏👏 BRAVO INDEED ! 😀

So heart breaking! Today the fire and all that is left is memories, I pray that the towers don't burn. so that Paris will still have some of Notre Dam's voices to continue to enrich the city with the sound of bells which seemed to have been ringing since the dawn of man

Grandi doti esecutive, grande strumento ma, per me, musica insignificante !

For the record, I enjoyed this improvisation very much! It boggles the mind... I hope to hear mr. Latry some time, in a church or a concert hall.

top top !!

It's musical logic on fire!!!!!

That was absolutely incredible

I learned how to improvise by listening to Latry. I could care less about the theory. Improvisation mostly has to deal with listening and experimentation as far as I'm concerned.

La virtuosité très élevée de l'artiste est indiscutable et bien prouvée, l'orgue a des qualités bien connues, mais est-ce que les fidèles présents dans l'église apprécient cela, surtout ceux qui ne sont pas familiers de la musique de ce type, on peut en douter.

It doesn't stink, not at all boring - just awesome! Forget normality, all the fucking lies. And listen.

Just, and simple: Thank you, Olivier.

What, no applause at the end? How reserved the French are!

Tearing it up

fantastic to hear!! some textures, rhythms and harmonies seemed to remind me of a piece called "fluorescence" (sadly the name of the composer escapes me) but it's just phenomenal how he plays!!

Really amazing. Must go to Paris!!!

EXCELLENT AND EXCITING EXPOSITION OF WELL ORGANIZED HARMONIES AND RHYTHMS. AND IMPROVISION VERY WELL DONE, UNLIKE SO MANY OTHERS. FELICATICIONS.

Woah..... Absolutely amazing.. !

(even though some things were changed during the restoration from 1991 ) cannot be portrayed by any video recording!!!And that's a fact! I didn't put the recording just to show that I was there, I've put it just because I wanted to share a glimpse of what really is THE crème de la crème of pipe organ business. I wanted to put other recordings with Monsieur Latry but I've decided that it's better to keep these memories just for my self because

No wonder churches are always fundraising for roof-repairs...lol.... Just spectacular.... :D

That’s insane!

I admire him!!!!!!!!

Definitely a master of his craft! I really enjoyed watching this! He makes it look so easy, lol.

Molto bravo, bellissimo brano.

About all I can say is WoW!! My cousin just heard him in TX in concert, first I've known of him.

This is Special, thank you Olivier, such passion a true master.

Simplement, j'aime beaucoup.....

This is all we have now to remember this magnificent instrument. The fire must be the work of Satan.

As usual, MAGNIFICENT!!!!

Absolutely fabulous!!

He is the best improviser

sophelet: The improvisation Olivier Latry is doing in this video is at the very end of Mass, the when the people are dismissed and the clergy process out of the sanctuary. Latry is invoking a cataclysmic sending forth, coupled with the elation of being filled with the invigorating presence of Jesus Christ after Holy Communion. The pieces organists do are keyed to what is happening liturgically at any given time, and some of those are indeed hushed and intimate, but this isn't one of them. :)

Incredible virtuosity!

Amazing, Pedal work was also very impressive.

It's the best. It doesn't get better than this. Trust me.

Madness, un vrai maître sur un instrument impressionnant! Super! Wahnsinn, ein wahrer Meister an einem beeindruckenden Instrument! Toll! Madness, a true master on an impressive instrument! Great!

tres beau

Pas si mal, Mssr. Latry.

It's Literally Like The Heavens Are In Full Affect When Listening To Maestro O. Latry On The GREAT Organ!!! Breathtaking Indeed!!!

When my dad used to do this, we called it "dweezling around on the organ". Dweezling is a simple method of improvising that involves quite a lot of rather aimless but pleasing effects, and movement simply for the sake of carrying on. I wonder if the people in the congregation felt they were slipping through a movie montage.

Dear God, would you ever keep the camera or phone still...

holy smoke, amazing

It takes a lot of imagination to grasp what this must have sounded like (mind blowing) in the nave. This video sounds like it was recorded not just on someone's phone, but OVER someone's phone - through the lousy, low res phone line. The sound is terrible. Not only that, but the worst place in the room to hear an organ like this is at the console. The instrument is simply not voiced to sound good at the console - it's voiced for that massive nave. So it really does take a lot of mental processing to imagine what this sounded like downstairs. But that's all beside the point. Someone in the organ loft had the wit to pull out their phone and grab this, an incredibly valuable record of an event, and of a musical genius at work. Regardless of the sound quality, thanks for posting.

Great!

Блестящий!

Im shocked the church is on fire😭😭😭

That's one way to start a nuclear atomic reaction... with grace, imagination and faith in the Presence of the Almighty. Thank you Olivier.

Imagine if he just burst into some Deep Purple haha. This is absolutely fantastic! Kind of reminded me of an epic sci fi film score.

Het orgel klinkt hier als een brulaap in het oerwoud. Het is zoals gewoonlijk met Latry.....veel geschreeuw maar weinig wol. Spelen kan hij zeker maar als improvisator hoor ik veel liever Daniel Roth. Jammer van al die moeite en het oorverdovende LAWAAI \ Harm Timmer

Very great chamades at 1:00

Olivier Latry is a Great , Extremelly Talented from the Triune God Organist and when playing the Organ the Whole Heaven United with the Earth !!!!! Amazing !!!!!!!!

Yes the balance of the instrument was changed in 1990-92 in the last overall where two further ranks of en chamade (horizontal) reeds were added, meaning five ranks in total. Used sparingly it's ok but invariably all are used and you may as well be in a cattery. Cats and more cats, and ear damage at the same time.

Holy Smokes my shoes and socks just flew off!!!!

Aquí hi ha tècnica, hi ha passió, els dits, el cor, les mans els peus i tot el cos van a una. La música esdevé vital. Llavors comunica directament amb el públic. Gràcies pel vostre art.

I take my hat off to M. Latry and others of his outstanding talent. Does anybody understand why it is that these enormous spaces seem to invite the style of improvisation such as that shown here It seems as if this sort of instant composition finds its roots in the late m Dupre of Saint Sulpice. Similarly the late M. Cochereau played many a final improvisation in this full organ approach topped off at the end with batteries of chamades and B-52' type 32' Bombardes!

Maitre Latry is a good "dweezler" then! All joking aside, i'm amazed at how relaxed he is while dweezling. I bet this organ must be incredible to hear live. Feels like i'm listening to power in 4D, and that's only on my headphones...

@organistpeter Na ja er hatte ein bisschen Glück gehabt und eine gute Erziehung von den besten der besten gekriegt Dazu ist er auch ein netter Mensch...

haha - how appropriate that theme of this improvisation is a fire engine siren!!

excellent!

Great improvisation! Does anybody know if somewhere exists a written course or a book on the theory behind this magnificent style of improvisation?

EXCITING AND MELODIC

Ite, missa est. Deo gratias.

Absolutely astounding. Is he improvising on a pre-existing melody or chant? It doesn't sound like it, but I don't know. Now that I have watched several videos of Latry, Roth, and other remarkable organists, I am curious how they would improvise when the occasion calls for something hushed and prayerful. Is the result always so dense, so busy? Does it have to be in that place in order to make an impression? Or is this just the prevailing French style?