Search - Charles-Marie Widor, Ben van Oosten :: Widor: Organ Works Vol. 2

Musical Evolution

Avid Reader | Franklin, Tn | 07/29/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This welcome addition to the first volume (Symphonies 1 and 2) excellently demonstrates the musical growth of the composer. The 10 Symphonies were composed over a period of time in short, intense bursts of activity. Widor did not work steadily but in short, concentrated bursts of energy. The Symphonies can be divided into three groups that roughly represent different stages of musical development and expression. The first three works serve as a fountainhead for the others. They are well-structured, mature works but without the dash and titantic, sometimes overwhelming massiveness of his later ones. Symphonies 4-8 are the most familiar to listeners, lush, bombastic, awe-inspiring walls of sound. The eighth gives a premonition of the last "mature" phase. To a casual listener the Ninth and Tenth have a monochromatic veneer but upon further study they reveal a unified theme with many variations and a mature approach that seems almost effortless. The Third Symphony heard here is my favorite of the first three, sound and triumphal. The Fourth startles one with its dense, complex, terrifying opening - a perfect counterpoint illustrating the new direction of the composer. Van Oosten seems to capture the very essence of this piece (and the composer) and the organ sound itself envelops the listener. There is a great deal of difference between the French and German organs and this recording bears that out."