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Dear Mr "Pep Organ". Well what can I say. I have travelled to Europe constantly for 40 years. Played upon remarkable organs and learned much by doing so. I love my Country, BUT, if it is NOT SPORT....forget it. Friends who departed these shores have never come back, such was the romance of the organ for them. Sir George Thalben-Ball was one., Dame Gillian Weir was another, can you blame them ? Their future is NOT HERE. Regards Chris .

I know nothing about organs but that looked like hard work!

MERCIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII, en France oser le dire c'est du lèse république, un manque de gout

Dear Mr "Pep Organ" You have no sense of "occasion"...... . the highlight was the reopening of the Cathedral , not any single part thereof....even the organ with which you are pre-occupied, naturally. This was not a recital, simply a response to the Archbishops commands and because of its "brevity" had to be improvised. No one in attendance would understand this procedure. I have played in Notre Dame as well as other Parisian organs and know what they were on about musically.. The Grench march to the beat of their own drum, especially the organists! I have to agree though, that, since the 1930's they have "lost the logical improvised thread" somewhat and nowadays it appears that "noise" replaces logical musical improvisation of yesteryear .. Chris Australia.

The fact this video got 300k+ watches means that this guy is wrong. If they had played Joy to the World there would have been ZERO conversation afterwards and nobody would have cared about the organ. Instead people actually heard what organ music is this century. It shocked them and maybe even woke them up a little.

C'est infiniment dommage. Cet orgue aurait pu sonner si bien. Le fait qu'ils soient utilisés pour faire un tel bruit est une imposition sur (presque) toutes les oreilles. D'un autre côté, si vous voyez une partie du public, la musique était appropriée.

I'm a "normie". It was terrible.

The music selection was on purpose, it was a humiliation ritual. They hate Christianity! Look how they replaced everything to a modern look.

The French have been making some VERY POOR decisions recently! VERY poor taste and Judgment. Their Olympic opening ceremonies is an example of just HOW poor their judgment and decision making is and THIS RIGHT HERE is another example. Whoever chose some of these pieces for the organ is a complete moron. They totally blew it, AGAIN!

Absolutely! I am an organist as well. I am admittedly not the most technically proficient. But I do know what touches me. And if it touches me, it also touches many people that hear it. It is not from me - it is a gift from God. A beautiful hymn such as "It Is Well With My Soul" would have touched the hearts of many there. It's message is both touching and powerful. It would have been a rare opportunity to help the people there experience the peace that God provides in the midst of any challenges or problems that we face.

I agree with you 💯 %. I appreciate the music they played. However, it wasn't for everyone to digest. Maybe something more familiar to most people's ears would have been much more pleasant for everyone. And perhaps the true improvisations they should have left to the end.

My sentiments exactly......

The improvisations had 1 minute and 30 seconds, Organ literature for this occasion was inappropriate.

This is a relatively new Danish Christmas song. I had to listen to it three or four times and it has really grown on me. The close-up of the two men are it’s composers at the first public performance. ruclips.net/video/Fg-xgdMrOTY/видео.html

Yes agreed very much niche 'music' for those who think it is good but not for those, meaning us listeners, who the fund raisers are relying on to keep the money coming 🙂

Quelle horreur cet organiste!!!!

The French equivalent of when Rosanne Barr sang the American national anthem.

It was satanically inspired. Did they even offer the Eucharist?

The organist needs to have some organ lessons before his next gig. Maybe learn something that resembles music !!! Has Olivia ever heard of Bach, Handel, Widor ???

Well said!

I don't even know which of these is more brilliant, the way he performs it, or the music of Prokofiev

I thought the choice of music for this very important moment was shocking! Shocking! Some Bach would have been nice. Tocatta and Fugue in D minor? Widor?

It's a French Catholic Cathedral and has had a tradition of improvisations by people as renowned as Pierre Cochereau. This is normal in France, and this was absolutely the right way to display the organ, it's what it was built (and restored) to do. If they had played anything else, it would have been completely wrong and out of place. He took an opportunity to show off the organ and did a brilliant job. Just because people listening don't understand the tradition of the French catholic church (in which I play in mid-France each week) is to completely misunderstand the French. The average listener in churches in France would hate 'Joy to the World'. Live here among French people, play in French churches as I've done for nearly eight years, and then judge what French people do and like. Stop trying to force popularism on the sublime.

Agreed, such ignorant arrogance by an unjustifiably famous organist is highly offensive -- He behaved like a childish amateur playing that dreadfully tuneless and poorly impovised rubbish. He completely misread the room and missed a magnificent opportunity to reverently showcase some well-known and competently written organ music like that of JS Bach.

I thought I was in a tiny minority in expressing huge disappointment at the crazy organ playing throughout the reopening ceremony of Notre Dame. It was truly appalling.

Totally agree.

Organ fine, but Trump evil. Who invites a sex-attacker to any event (other than jail)?

I’m thankful Latry showcased French culture instead of approachable Old Chestnuts.

IT'S LITERALLY JUST IMPROVISATION IN THE FRENCH STYLE

It sounded as if they were just scrolling through the keys. I don't know what they were trying to play, but the song was definitely off-putting to this grand moment

Let’s write one

Auch wenn ich hier scheinbar der Einzige bin - übrigens seit 40 Jahren Kirchenmusiker, und nein, ich improvisiere nicht so - möchte ich hier eine Lanze brechen für Olivier Latry und Kollegen. Viele Kommentatoren, darunter auch Musiker, kritisieren die Art der Improvisationen hier und meinen wohl insbesondere die ersten drei. Einige meinen gar, es sei Musik aus der Hölle. Gerade die allererste Improvisation von Latry ist auf Unverständnis gestoßen. Ich halte sie für genial. Bei aller Modernität steht sie ganz in der Tradition eines Pierre Cochereau. Die Auferstehung aus der Asche des verheerenden Brandes, das Aufschwingen, sich entfalten zu ungeahnten, gewaltigen Klangkaskaden, zu unbegreiflicher Wucht und Größe, das hat Latry meisterhaft und eindrucksvoll in Szene gesetzt. Mündend aus chaotisch erscheinender Dissonanz in einen wahrhaft erlösenden, strahlenden und gewaltigen Dur-Akkord. So wenig wie der Mensch die Größe Gottes erahnen kann, so wenig erahnen die meisten Menschen die Genialität, die in dieser Kurzimprovisation steckt, die nebenbei gesagt ja auch für den unbegreiflichen Gott Vater steht, so wie die folgenden für Gott Sohn und Gott Heiliger Geist - der heiligen Dreifaltigkeit. Für mich fängt diese Musik etwas ein, das vielen Menschen ein Fremdwort geworden ist: Ehrfurcht vor der unermesslichen Größe Gottes. Nichts zum Kuscheln, nichts zum Wohlfühlen - einfach Ehrfurcht vor unfassbarer Größe.

Yes, it was ruined 😢

The unexpected, to not meet the expectations is the art. The whole situation with the reactions in Notre Dame an here in the comments section is some kind of performative art. Latry shows us something with it what also can be underlined theologically.

Yeah I turned it off too after skipping thru it looking for something decent to listen to. Awful selections of "music." Just baffling.

Outstanding! Thanks so much!

Arrogant organists

The improvisations on the organ did not offend me at all. The sound coming from the choir "organ" really offended me. With the money available, they could have installed a three manual organ there instead of a fake substitute. This sound was particularly evident when the choir sang the Hallelujah Chorus and there was a sound not like any organ anywhere. This sound was something I would expect from an American "Mega" church, not a major European cathedral. That, added to the bath-tub altar, the vestments worn by the priests, and the presence and prominence of Donald Trump almost ruined the whole occasion for me.

M. Latry has enormous talent and an enormous repertoire, but I admit, as a professional organist myself since the 1960s, that I have NEVER liked his improvisations. Apparently, a lot of other organists do, however. (I also confess that much of the organ music of Messiaen isn't my cup of tea, as well.)

I'm a great lover a French organ music thanks to Dr Arlan Sunnarborg.... but I am afraid that some of this music was cringeworthy.... it was as if the organ was reacting to the presence of Donald Trump

You are absolutely right ,they bombarded the audience,a C Frank should have been played , There is plenty of lovely Frank pieces 💕 to enjoy Thank you for ur comments👏👍

Get Gert Van Hoff to play

Two views on art: "Épater les bourgeois" vs. "Emmerder les bourgeois". Could it be the organist's take on the hijacking of the restoration of a world treasure and sacred site by crass political considerations? (Macron isn't terribly popular at the moment). Or maybe taking sides in the modern furnishings controversy? "So, you want modern? I'll give you modern! Hear me shred!"

Awful. I was hoping for something like Lemmens fanfare.

Maybe Léonce de Saint-Martin or Pierre Cochereau improvisation would have been better for the reopening even if I like Olivier Latry style too.

There was definitely a religious message in his improvisation. And it was bleak. Chords and melodies were coming straight from hell and even someone who didn't study music could tell and feel that throughout their bones. Did he do it for provocation? Because of the nation leaders present in the room? Something else? Whether it was deliberate or not we may never know.

I’m glad that the improvisation was included. However, for my liking, a far smaller amount of would have sufficed.

Did he know he was playing Keyboard Test?

Yes, the organ should have been a treat for the audience not a showcase for the talents of the organist to other organists.

Depends on how one defines "modern." Little drummer boy is a 1960's new carol. Jose Feliciano 's (can't quite get the words right, but it plays around Christmas time) , We three Kings was written in the 1940's I think but certainly in the 20th century. I'm dreaming of a white Christmas while secular points to a religious senseability, Have yourself a merry little Christmas is another, Do you hear what I hear, Silver Bells, Carol of the Bells, any number of secular Christmas songs like jingle Bells, I saw mommy kissing Santa Clause, And of course Rudolf the Red nosed Reindeer. T here are all kinds of religion and secular carols and songs