WIDOR Organ Symphonies Vol. 4 / Christian von Blohn

Charles-Marie WIDOR (1844-1937)

Organ Symphonies Vol. 4

Symphony No. 8 In B Major, Op. 42, No. 4 (1887) (1901 Edition) (50:47)

Symphonie Romane, Op. 73 (1900) (30:31)

Christian von Blohn – organ

Recorded 3 October 2019 at St. Joseph’s Church, Sankt Ingbert, Germany.
Cover photo: Organ of St. Joseph’s Church by Rich Serra.

8pp booklet has notes in English & German.
Playing time 81:31.

Label: Naxos – 8.574207
Barcode: 747313420773
Series: The Organ Encyclopedia
Format: CD, Album
Country: Germany
Released: Nov 2020
Genre: Classical
Style: Romantic

Widor’s cycle of organ symphonies sits at the heart of his compositional achievement. They are vivid and innovative – none more so than Symphony No. 8 in B major, which takes performer and listener alike to the limits of the genre: its glittering sonorities, lyric intensity and technical power offer a tour-deforce of organ writing. The artfully woven Symphonie romane, the last of the ten, utilises a Gregorian chorale in music of increasing splendour, melancholy and, finally, sublime peace.