Van Oosten: Widor – Complete Organ Works vol 1-7 (7 CD, APE)

Performer: Ben van Oosten
Composer: Charles-Marie Widor
Audio CD
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 1
Format: APE (image+cue)
Label: MD&G Records
Size: 2.05 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

CD 1
Symphonie No.1 C Minor Op.13/1
01. I. Prelude (Moderato)
02. II. Allegretto
03. III. Intermezzo (Allegro)
04. IV. Adagio
05. V. Marche Pontificale
06. VI. Meditation (Lento)
07. VII. Finale (Allegro)

Symphonie No.2 D Major Op.13/2
08. I. Praeludium Circulare (Andantino)
09. II. Pastorale (Moderato)
10. III. Andante
11. IV. Salve Regina (Allegro)
12. V. Adagio (Andante)
13. VI. Finale (Allegro)
14. Scherzo (Allegro) (version 1872/87)

CD 2
Symphonie No.3 E Minor Op.13/3
01. I. Prelude (Moderato)
02. II. Minuetto
03. III. Marcia
04. IV. Adagio
05. V. Final (Allegro molto)
06. Fugue (Moderato assai) (version 1887)

Symphonie No.4 F Minor Op.13/4
07. I. Toccata
08. II. Fugue (Moderato assai)
09. III. Andante cantabile (Dolce)
10. IV. Scherzo (Allegro vivace)
11. V. Adagio
12. VI. Finale (Moderato)

CD 3
Symphonie No.5 F Minor Op.42/1
01. I. Allegro vivace
02. II. Allegro cantabile
03. III. Andantino quasi allegretto
04. IV. Adagio
05. V. Toccata (Allegro)

Symphonie No.6 G Minor Op.42/2
06. I. Allegro
07. II. Adagio
08. III. Intermezzo (Allegro)
09. IV. Cantabile
10. V. Finale (Vivace)

CD 04
Symphonie No.7 A Minor Op.42
01. I. Moderato
02. II. Choral. Andante
03. III. Andante – Allegretto
04. IV. Allegro non troppo
05. V. Lento
06. VI. Finale. Allegro vivace

Symphonie No.9 “Gothique” C Minor Op.70
07. I. Moderato
08. II. Andante sostenuto
09. III. Allegro
10. IV. Moderato – Allegro – Moderato – Andante – Allegro

CD 05
Symphonie No.8 B Major Op.42/4
01. I. Allegro risoluto
02. II. Moderato cantabile
03. III. Allegro
04. IV. Prelude (Adagio) (version 1887)
05. V. Variations (Andante)
06. VI. Adagio
07. VII. Finale

CD 06
Symphonie No.10 “Romane” D Major Op.73
01. I. Moderato
02. II. Choral (Adagio)
03. III. Cantilene (Lento)
04. IV. Final (Allegro)

Suite Latine Op. 86
05. I. Praeludium (Moderato)
06. II. Beatus vir (Andante)
07. III. Lamento (Allegro moderato)
08. IV. Ave Maris Stella (Andante moderato molto)
09. V. Adagio (Adagio quasi andante)
10. VI. Lauda Sion (Tempo di Marcia)

CD 07
Trois Nouvelles Pieces Op.87
01. I. Classique d’hier
02. II. Mystique
03. III. Classique d’aujord’hui

Early Versions from the Symphonies Op.13
04. Symphonie No. 1 op. 13/1: Finale
05. Symphonie No. 1 op. 13/1: Allegro
06. Symphonie No. 3 op. 13/3: Marcia
07. Symphonie No. 2 op. 13/2: Prelude
08. Symphonie No. 3 op. 13/3: Finale

09. Marche Nuptiale (from “Conte d’Avril” Op.64)

Bach’s Memento
10. I. Pastorale (Allegretto)
11. II. Miserere Mei Domine (Lento)
12. III. Aria (Adagio)
13. IV. Marche du Veilleur de Nuit (Moderato)
14. V. Sicilienne (Andantino)
15. VI. Mattheus-Finale (Andante)

Mountains of Sonority

Many performers specialize in a certain genre – Rubinstein felt at home with Chopin, Horowitz with the Russian/Romantic school and van Oosten’s main body of work has centered around the French Romantic period for the organ. In a classic example of serendipity, the development of the instrument itself parallels the rise of composers writing for it. This group of men appears from nowhere seemingly and completely redefining our definition of pipe organ music with their new writing for the newly developed Symphonic French organ.
One sees a glimmer of this in Reubke, the German organist but it is Widor who first created the architecture in which the new development could be given a definitive structure. These first two “Symphonies” represent the first stage in his development and though they pale in contrast to the later works they also establish a template with which the others followed.

The sound is very lush, the settings ultra-Romantic (the organ almost sings in parts) and the dynamics near perfection. By the way, the complete Symphonies were first issued as an LP that I purchased a thousand years ago. There is still something almost magical about an LP and that white background noise