Notre Dame organist is in Germany, raising funds
mainOlivier Latry, organist of Notre Dame de Paris, is performing tomorrow night in Dresden under the auspices of the Dresden Philharmonie.
All proceeds will go towards the restoration of the fire-ravaged Notre Dame, in which the organ has mercifully survived.
Peter Conrad, Chairman of the Orchestral Board of the Dresden Philharmonic, said: ‘We musicians of the Dresden Philharmonic are deeply shaken by the destruction of large parts of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Hardly any other building in Europe so represents our western cultural tradition. Olivier Latry, who inaugurated our new concert hall organ in 2017, is known to us and to our audience as an exceptional, excellent performer. It is therefore important for us to donate the proceeds of tomorrow’s concert for the reconstruction of the cathedral, thus sending a sign of compassion and solidarity.’
Concert details here.
“Hardly any other building in Europe so represents our western cultural tradition. ” Then why don’t Europeans go there at least once a week and really support it? Why is when I go to church anywhere in Europe it seems mostly attended by non-Europeans? Notre Dame is more than a museum or just a building. It’s a tribute to God built by a population of true believers, and at great cost.
NL: you ought to start a GoFundMe page so your readers can contribute to the organ fund.
Sometimes the churches with the most visitation don’t have the best experience for people just wanting a service. In one case, the tourists are allowed to walk down the middle while the service was going on – and an usher telling them where to walk – during hymns, during sermon, during anthems.
The fragility of cultural symbols and their importance has suddenly been brought into consciousness by this fire. And it touches collective subconscious sensitivities. Europeans have been too complacent about their own cultural identity for decades, with cultural relativism and one-sided economism undermining such symbolism, so maybe there is a good side to this disaster.
Whether or not one is personally religious, anyone can appreciate Notre Dame as the magnificent, historic building that it is.
I imagine there will be plenty of money donated to its restoration; two wealthy French families have already pledged a combined EUR 300 million.
Dear Cubs Fan:
Notre Dame transcends religion.
As Victor Hugo put it: “Notre-Dame is ] a vast symphony of stone…A sort of human Creation, in short, mighty and prolific like the Divine Creation….”
Victor Hugo, Book Three, Chapter 1, “The Cathedral of Notre-Dame” in The Hunchback of Notre-Dame”
Yes, and great countries always value great art!
and what a great programme…
Of all the politicians and VIP’s who commented, some eloquently, Emmanuel Macron alone really got it right. He said the French looked on with a “tremblement intérieur“. An existential shock. Remarkably, the fate of the magnificent organ has been almost ignored in news reports. We now know it survived. All are appalled at the damage and the symbolism, but I suspect the reason few seem to have understood in their heart of hearts the enormity of the damage to Notre Dame is that they have not heard it’s voice.
Fantastic program!
Oh please give this s*%t a rest !!! The vatican is loaded with billions churning over in high interest accounts. Far more important are the starving kids and families all over the planet who need funds, Africa, elsewhere.
On my last trip to Paris I stayed nearby, and, although I had not intended, found myself at Notre Dame every morning for nearly two weeks.What an overwhelmingly beautiful place.
Dresden should know. They more or less completely rebuilt the Frauenkirche which had been devastated by bombing in WWII. They used old photos and maps and diagrams to reconstruct it in detail. I think it cost about $350 million and that was 10 years ago. Raising the money for ND should be no problem. The great loss will be priceless artifacts within the church.