Symphonies 3 & 8

Jan Lehtola · Charles-Marie Widor

2010 · ABCD 306

Credits

Performers: Jan Lehtola — Organ
Composers: Charles-Marie Widor

About this release

HISTORICAL ORGANS AND COMPOSERS 2
HISTORY OF THE ORGAN AND ORGAN ART
CHARLES-MARIE WIDOR
Symphonies 3 & 8
Jan Lehtola
Cavaillé-Coll organ (1879)
St. François-de-Sales, Lyon, France
A great organ in great hands
The second part of the series documenting the history of Jan Lehtola's organ and organ art presents organ symphonies 3 and 8 by the French Charles-Marie Widor. The works were recorded in Lyon on the Cavaillé-Coll organ. The close collaboration between Aristide Cavaillé-Coll and Charles-Marie Widor succeeded in a unique way in combining organ building with performing and, above all, creative music.
The third symphony heard for the first time on the disc is a fine and representative sample of Widor's early style, although he did update the work later. The 8th organ symphony is mammoth in terms of the number of parts, the technical difficulty of playing, and its duration. It culminated his skill in getting the most out of his instrument. At the same time, he created a work whose dimensions beat in all comparisons the achievements up to that point in the field of organ art.
The third part of the series recording the history of Jan Lehtola's organ and organ art, Hommage á Alfred Kordel (Alba ABCD 316), will be published on October 24th in Rauma in conjunction with Jan Lehtola's concert. The album was inspired by two main lines, on the one hand the historical instrument of Kordelin's chapel and on the other hand the cultural work done by the Alfred Kordelin Foundation.

Tracks

Symphony III, Op. 13/3
1.I Prélude (Moderato)comp. Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937)ISRC FIABA10000826:30
2.II Minuettocomp. Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937)ISRC FIABA10000835:19
3.III Marciacomp. Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937)ISRC FIABA10000846:03
4.IV Adagiocomp. Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937)ISRC FIABA10000853:56
5.V Finale (Allegro molto)comp. Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937)ISRC FIABA10000867:23
Symphony VIII, Op. 42/4
6.I Allegro risolutocomp. Charles-Marie WidorISRC FIABA10000879:40
7.II Moderato cantabilecomp. Charles-Marie WidorISRC FIABA10000886:33
8.III Allegrocomp. Charles-Marie WidorISRC FIABA10000894:24
9.IV Variationscomp. Charles-Marie WidorISRC FIABA100009010:54
10.V Adagiocomp. Charles-Marie WidorISRC FIABA10000919:09
11.VI Finalecomp. Charles-Marie WidorISRC FIABA10000926:10

Reviews

Charles-Marie WIDOR (1844-1937)
Organ Symphony No. 3 in E minor, Op. 13/3 (1872, rev. 1918) [29:37]
Organ Symphony No. 8 in B flat major, Op.42/4 (1887/1890) [47:35]
Jan Lehtola (organ)
rec. 11 March 2009, Church of St Fran�ois-de-Sales, Lyon, France. Hybrid
SACD, stereo and multichannel. Reviewed in SACD stereo
ALBA ABCD
306 [77:39]
Not more Widor, I hear you groan.
See the review / Lue arvio: MusicWeb International
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Lehtola (DMA Sibelius Academy, 2005) recorded these early Widor organ works on the 3–56 Cavaillé-Coll (1879) in St François-de-Sales, Lyon, a beautifully preserved instrument. The church’s lack of cavernous reverberation allows inner lines to be heard, and is clearly a benefit for music in the more classical forms.
Symphony 3, heard here in its final version, is among the earlier and simpler works among the ten organ symphonies. Lehtola has all the technique necessary but not much…
American Record Guide · Donald E Metz · December 1, 2015
Organist Jan Lehtola and engineer/producer Mika Koivusalo are behind this truly memorable recording of Widor’s 3rd and 8th Organ Symphonies. The playing is subtle and sensitively scaled, and the instrument and acoustic of St François-de-Sales, Lyon, are captured in sound of breathtaking body and realism. My Recording of the Year. ©
MusicWeb International
MusicWeb International · Dan Morgan · December 4, 2013
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