Utwory na płycie:

• Symphonie gothique, Op. 70: I. Moderato
• Symphonie gothique, Op. 70: II. Andante sostenuto
• Symphonie gothique, Op. 70: III. Allegro
• Symphonie gothique, Op. 70: IV. Toccata
• Symphonie romane, Op. 73: I. Moderato
• Symphonie romane, Op. 73: II. Choral
• Symphonie romane, Op. 73: III. Cantilene
• Symphonie romane, Op. 73: IV. Finale

Widor:
Organ Symphony No. 9 in C minor, Op. 70 'Gothique'
Organ Symphony No. 10 in D major, Op. 73 'Romane'

The fifth volume in Signum's series of Charles-Marie Widor’s Organ Symphonies, performed by Joseph Nolan on the magnificent Cavaillé-Coll organs of La Madeleine, Paris and Saint-Sernin, Toulouse. Bridging the generations from Mendelssohn to Messiaen, Empire to Republic, Widor was born to the organ. His Lyonnaise kinsfolk were organ-builders, he showed early talent for the instrument, and for decades was the embodiment of its might and splendour across the Gallic domain: his ‘Organ Symphonies’ being genre-defining in their influence.

THE CAVAILLÉ-COLL ORGAN OF L’ÉGLISE DE LA MADELEINE Built by the famed organ-builder Aristride Cavaillé-Coll (working with his father Dominique), the Grand Organ of La Madeleine was inaugurated in 1846 by Alexandre-Charles Fessy, with Louis James Lefebure-Wély becoming chief organist in 1947. Originally comprised of 46 stops over 4 manuals and pedal, it was the third major instrument Cavaillé-Coll had produced for a Parisian church, the others being in the Basilique Saint-Denis and Notre-Dame de Lorette. Modifications since then include: restoration work in 1927, extending the keyboard range; the addition of six new stops (including mixtures) in 1957; increasing the number of stops to 57 in 1971, also automating the key and stop action; and an additional stop in 1928. Classified as a ‘Historic Monument’, it currently has 60 stops and 4426 pipes.

Lefébure-Wely was succeeded by an eminent succession of notable figures in French Church music; Camille Saint-Saëns (1857-1877), Théodore Dubois (1877-1896), Gabriel Fauré (1896-1905), Henri Dallier (1905-1934), Edouard Mignan (1935-1962), Jeanne Demessieux (1962-1968), Odile Pierre (1969-1979) and from 1979 François-Henri Houbart.