Saint-Saëns’ Organ Symphony

This phenomenal instrument is a conduit for drama. And when all the stops are out, it’s electrifying – especially when in the presence of the Sydney Opera House Grand Organ, the world’s largest mechanical tracker-action pipe organ, consisting of an extraordinary 10,244 pipes.

Virtuoso French organist Olivier Latry is one of the world’s top organists. A professor at the Paris Conservatoire, he was appointed organist at Notre Dame Cathedral at just 23 – and in this program with conductor Stéphane Denève, he brings his fabulous technique to two great works by two French masters. There’s no one better than Latry to take on the power of Saint-Saëns’ Organ Symphony, one of the most famous symphonies of all time. This work is pure feel-good romanticism, full of soaring emotional moments.

Poulenc’s Concerto brings to the organ a world of ethereal beauty. Subtle and introspective, it provides a wonderful contrast to the Saint-Saëns.