Charles-Marie Widor: Organ Symphonies No 6 & 5

Joseph Nolan; Cavaille-Coll organ of La Madeleine, Paris

SIGNUM SIGCD 292        72.35

The most encouraging thing about this new release is that it is Vol 1 which implies we will eventually get all of Widor’s symphonies from Joseph Nolan. While there are many recordings of these works, Joseph Nolan brings an enthusiasm and vitality to them which are enhanced by the acoustic of La Madeleine.

It is a cliché that the building is the most important stop on any organ but for this recording it seems particularly important. We are always aware of the position of the instrument within the building and the rich sonorities which the space creates. All the more important for a symphonic organ – inaugurated in 1842 – which needs a generous acoustic and a sympathetic recording if the full ambience of the instrument is to flourish.

It certainly does here, not only in the more dramatic movements – the recording ends with the Toccata everybody knows – but in the quieter, more lyrical passages. I particularly enjoyed the bright registration for the Intermezzo  from the Sixth Symphony.

In the Fifth Symphony, the Allegro cantabile has a beautiful solo voice and the Adagio creates a gentle sense of drift which is very appealing.

The booklet gives us satisfactory notes on the works and the organ itself, but I would have liked a breakdown of the registration to have been included. It may be too late for future issues, but would be the icing on the cake. Here’s to the second volume. BH