Olivier Latry, organist at Notre-Dame Paris, is considered one of the greatest organists of our time. His recordings, not only of the French repertoire, enjoy reference status. On the occasion of his 60th birthday, Latry's complete recordings for Deutsche Grammophon are now being released in one edition. On 10 CDs and one Blu-ray audio disc, the box includes Latry's celebrated reference recording of the complete organ works of Olivier Messiaen, as well as the albums "In spiritum" with works by César Franck and "Midnight in Notre-Dame" with organ transcriptions of works ranging from Bach to Wagner. An entire CD features previously unreleased recordings of the In Spiritum and Midnight At Note-Dame recording sessions, and a bonus CD includes Latry's recordings for Decca France. Finally, on a Blu-ray audio, portions of the works can be experienced audiophile-style in 96 kHz / 24-bit stereo and 5.1 surround, as well as in a new Dolby Atmos remastering. The booklet includes a history of the organ of Notre-Dame by Olivier Latry, an essay by musicologist Günter Lade, and also a detailed listing of the Notre-Dame organ and its stops. In addition to Latry's 60th birthday, this edition also celebrates César Franck's 200th birthday and commemorates the 30th anniversary of Olivier Messiaen's death. Ambassador of the French organ literature Notre-Dame is not the tallest, not the largest, nor the most typical of France's cathedrals. Nevertheless, it is the cathedral of cathedrals, the epitome of Gothic architecture, the soul of the capital city of Paris, and symbolically the center of France, as is made clear by a bronze plaque in front of the main portals as the starting point of all state roads. If Victor Hugo wrote in 1831 "Every column, every stone, every sculpture of the cathedral is not only a manifestation of the history of France, but also of the history of our science and art," this is especially true of the organ art, in addition to the magnificent creations of architecture and stained glass. in 1985, Olivier Latry was appointed titular organist at the Cathedral, where he wholeheartedly serves as one of the three officiating 'Servants of the Liturgy' in succession to Louis Vierne, Léonce de Saint-Martin, and Pierre Cochereau: "When I walk up the steps to the organ loft, I always think of the multitude of invisible helpers by whom the Cathedral was built. My joy is to make the stones sing that they set. I consider my musical vocation a mission that I hope to fulfill as best I can between two worlds, the real and the spiritual, because the organ represents in my eyes (and my ears) the breath of God." For this task, he has at his disposal at Notre-Dame a great organ that Olivier Latry calls "a miracle of history, but also a visual and sonic phenomenon," and which fortunately remained undamaged despite the devastating fire of 2019. The organ was completed in 1868 by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll in the symphonic style, and has been expanded several times up to the present day, while also being modernized in terms of playing techniques. Olivier Latry appreciates the unheard-of musicality and versatility of this instrument: "Placed between heaven and earth on the west wall of the cathedral, the organ exudes its sonority under the vaults as if it were a musical part of the medieval rosette whose play of colors shines above it." "A performer whose imagination should be limitless orchestrates the music and explores its colors. In doing so, it is difficult to find the balance between one's own emotions, style, and the composer's message, which must not be altered." (Latry). This is especially true of the organ compositions of César Franck, the innovator of organ music after the 1789 Revolution, whose organ works were placed on a par with Bach's creations by Franz Liszt. Franck was organist of the Cavaillé-Coll organ in the parish church of Sainte-Clotilde in Paris, to which he composed most of his twelve major organ works with detailed registration rules so specific that each interpretation on a different instrument requires adaptation to the organ and the space. Organ transcriptions of vocal, piano or orchestral music is a new creation for which the arranger must analyze the original in detail and set it up for the technical and tonal conditions of the organ. The performer's task is to register the new organ score in the best possible way and to convincingly realize not only the composer's ideas, but also those of the arranger. The recorded piano toccata by Sergei Prokofieff may serve as an example, which was virtuously arranged for organ by Jean Guillou, but was printed without any information about the tonality. Olivier Latry: "I had a lot of fun 'orchestrating' Guillou, and for this five minutes of music I spent a dozen hours searching for registrations that would make the work sound right on this organ." In contrast to the outward virtuosity of many transcriptions is the organ oeuvre of Olivier Messiaen, which is exceedingly appreciated by Olivier Latry, has been performed several times in cycles, and has been recorded for Deutsche Grammophon at Notre-Dame. "It has always amazed me at Notre-Dame how perfectly this music, this instrument, and its stone shrine fit together; one has the feeling of experiencing a timeless meeting of all the artists and craftsmen who, over the centuries, have together used their skills to edify mankind. The fascination, indeed the rapture, that emanates from it has given me unforgettable moments of inner movement and pure happiness." Since it is not even remotely possible within the given framework to appreciate the music of the profoundly religious composer, we will quote (slightly abbreviated) Messiaen himself, who mentioned some characteristics of his works in a conversation with the author in 1987: "I stand outside all currents, and for several reasons: I have studied rhythm by studying Greek metrics and the Hindu rhythms of the ancient Indians. I am also an ornithologist and as such have recorded many bird songs. I believe that I am the only composer who makes use of bird songs, but that, conversely, I am also the only ornithologist who can record bird songs in music. But what characterizes me the most is certainly the fact that when I listen to sounds, I see colors and represent these colors in my music. The audience does not see the colors I see, but this does not matter, because they perceive them unconsciously. Many modern compositions are always just gray or black or white, but my music is particularly colorful." Olivier Latry is one of the world's leading organists of our time. He sees himself as an ambassador of French organ literature, and in doing so he also has a marked preference for the works of contemporary composers, two of whom have been included in this box: Thierry Escaich, a "hot-blooded and brilliant improviser whose musical talent is also reflected in his compositions," and Jean-Louis Florentz, a student of Messiaen and, like the latter, a devout composer who, inspired by the Syrian Orthodox liturgy of Ethiopia, wrote the composition Debout sur le Soleil (Standing in the Sun): a "chant of resurrection" based on a meditation by Jacques Leclercq, a Notre Dame priest whom he revered. Olivier Latry: "Florentz always wanted his works to sound like improvisations. At Notre-Dame, we spent many hours together registering his music, and he greatly appreciated not only the polyphonic richness as well as certain extraordinary aliquot mixtures, but also the organ's combination possibilities for rapid changes of timbre." (Günter Lade)