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Fanfare Magazine: 43:2 (11-12/2019) 
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La Dolce Volta
LDV69



 Code-barres / Barcode : 3770001903859

On April 15, 2019, the world watched in horror as the roof of Notre Dame cathedral went up in flames, with the entire cathedral barely being saved from collapse. Drawing far less attention from the news media was one of the interior casualties of the disaster: the great Cavaillé-Coll organ with its 7,800 pipes, completed in 1868 and most recently renovated in 2012–14. The instrument has suffered severe damage; whether it will be salvageable remains to be seen. This recording, made on January 6–8 of the same year, was the last one made before the conflagration.

It would be lovely to report a knockout recital here, but I’m afraid that my reaction is less enthusiastic than that. Latry, the titular organist of Notre Dame, some of whose recordings I have praised in these pages in past issues, delivers performances that are scrupulous, cultivated, and refined, with immaculate attention to elegance and detail, but overly careful and cautious. There is imagination in the use of the instrument’s stops (though a Cavaillé-Coll simply does not and cannot sound like a German Baroque instrument), and particularly its dynamic range; Latry commendably is not afraid to make frequent use of piano and pianissimo, rather than superficially impressive displays of sonic power. But there is simply no fire in the belly. The warhorse Toccata and Fugue in D Minor comes off as positively dainty. Only in the mighty Passacaglia in C Minor that closes the disc does Latry approach the level of passion and greatness one might have hoped for here.

The recorded sound provides all that could be asked for. An elaborate booklet, in French, English, Japanese, and German, provides an interview with Latry, a history of the organ and complete specifications for its divisions and stops, and numerous color photos. A typo in the table of contents gives BWV 617 instead of BWV 615 for In dir ist Freude. As a final souvenir of a mighty instrument that may now have passed into history, this disc is treasurable and recommended; those whose primary interest is in Bach’s music, however, will seek out superior alternatives.

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