Charles-Marie Widorâ??s ten organ symphonies sit at the heart of his extensive oeuvre. They reveal Widorâ??s mastery of the form with their profundity, technical difficulty and sonorous colour. Symphony No. 7, Op. 42, No. 3 inaugurated a new, orchestral approach to the genre and encompasses dreamlike sonorities, Chopinesque melancholy and majestic bravura. The Symphonie gothique, Op. 70 makes explicit reference to Gregorian chant, developing a kind of theological â??programme musicâ?? that is both austere and consolatory. - JOSEPH NOLAN
The third volume in a series of recordings from the Caville-Coll organ of La Madeleine Paris features Widor's Symphonies No. 3 and No. 4.