These two works launched Charles-Marie Widor’s
entirely new genre the organ symphony onto an entirely unsuspecting
public. Hailed by Widor biographer and editor John R. Near as “the
greatest contribution to organ literature since the works of Johan Sebastian
Bach”, their significance was also not lost on their creator,
and he returned to them at various stages in his life to revise them.
I
reviewed
volume 1 of this set about a year ago, and since then a new competitor
has entered the field: Jan Lehtola in SACD on the Alba label (see
review).
With its ‘Historical Organs and Composers’ title this doesn’t
look like becoming a complete cycle, and with no overlap in repertoire
so far this amounts to little more than a Widor alert for fans, but
Lehtola certainly looks interesting. Trawling around for releases with
the same programme I came across Hans Ole Thurs on the ClassicO label
CLASSCD442, who is decent enough but with by no means the panache and
elegance of style shown by Joseph Nolan. There is another set on Cavaillé-Coll
instruments played by Pierre Pincemaille on the Solstice label, SOCD181-85,
but again I found myself missing Nolan’s refinement and subtlety.
A closer candidate might be Joris Verdin on Ricercar RIC286 whose nicely
recorded perspective has a similar spaciousness to that on this Signum
Classics recording.
What comparing versions does reveal is Joseph Nolan’s preference
for considerably slower tempi than many players. His first movement
to the
Organ Symphony No. 1 is 6:25 compared to Verdin’s
4:30, his second movement 7:53 to Verdin’s 5:21 and Pincemaille’s
6:10. He is a good 5 minutes longer over the entirely of the work than
many of the examples I could find. These are significant extensions
of Widor’s proportions which may take a little getting used to
if you already familiar with these works. Nolan is by no means soggy
when it comes to rhythm however, and his faster movements are satisfyingly
powerful and energetic.
Slower tempi may not be to all tastes, but Joseph Nolan turns these
pieces more into genuine ‘symphonies’ than many other versions
I’ve heard, tuning in fully to Widor’s ambitiously grand
sense of scale. Once you’ve heard the insinuating pedal lines
of the opening to the
Organ Symphony No. 1 and realised you’re
in for something of status and importance, the path back to the bad
old ways is harder than the acceptance of the new. Nolan’s view
of this and other movements is more comparable with the architecture
within which it’s being played, with long vistas and sweeping
lines which guide the eye and conjure feelings of awe. That second movement
Allegretto has a disarmingly gorgeous melody which seems matter
of fact in so many other versions. Nolan’s length of line allows
Widor’s lines to shimmer and unfurl like a rainbow in a gentle
wind. The weak point for me in this work has always been the incredibly
corny
Marche pontificale, and while Nolan’s impressive
performance does its best to rise above the rather crass inevitably
of the movement it alas remains a curate’s egg in a basket of
gems. Just hear the magical and luminous colour in the
Méditation
and the imperiously brilliant counterpoint of the
Finale which
follow and Widor is immediately forgiven.
The
Organ Symphony No. 2 is a bit shorter than the first, and
as Ates Orga points out in the booklet notes it is less overtly polyphonic,
emphasising the tone colour of these remarkable French organs. Nolan’s
broad view of the music continues here, allowing the warm tones of the
instrument in La Madeleine to develop and undulate with a natural sounding
and organic character. The playful nature of the
Pastorale is
nicely expressed, and the longest movement, the marvellously constructed
Andante is painted with generously broad strokes of enticingly
restrained hues. The
Salve Regina could perhaps be a bit more
Allegro but the pedal entry is pretty thrilling, as is the following
sprightly
Scherzo which takes up any slack. Not given much attention
in the booklet, the penultimate
Adagio is one of my favourite
Widor movements, full of quirky cadences and the occasional blue note
dropped in nonchalantly as if by accident. The vibrato-laden tones of
the organ are perfectly attuned to the music’s times, filtering
down to the desiccated wreaths which adorn those ancient tombs in the
crypt, this mood swept away with a rousing toccata in the
Finale
- Allegro.
Joseph Nolan’s cycle of Widor organ symphonies is one I know I
will have to collect in its entirety but then, I knew that after the
first volume. His approach to these works balances that fine line between
extending the boundaries of standard performance practice while avoiding
performances which linger excessively. His breadth of view gives Widor’s
music its full expressive weight without wallowing, entirely respecting
the composer’s idiom and the musical values of his environment
while pointing out the sheer proto-Mahlerian scale of some movements
and each work as a whole. The recording is, as all of these will be
having been recorded in a single week, warmly communicative and an accurate
portrayal of a magnificent instrument in its monumental acoustic. Not
too much detail is lost, but neither is every set of pipes racked up
in front of your face in an attempt to create something overly and artificially
spectacular. This looks like shaping up to be the Widor
Organ Symphonies
cycle of the decade.
Dominy Clements 
