This fifth volume in Perth organist Joseph Nolan’s magisterial survey of the complete organ works of Charles-Marie Widor ends his already highly acclaimed traversal of the ten organ symphonies on which Widor’s reputation chiefly rests. Where Widor’s Op. 13 set of four organ symphonies favours the suite, the four of Op. 42 are more consciously symphonic and discursive. By contrast, 1894’s Symphonie Gothique, Op. 70 and 1900’s Symphonie Romane represent a glorious late florescence where the former looks backwards, the latter towards a brave new century.

The Ninth Symphony was written for the grand Cavaillé-Coll organ of the Gothic Church of St. Ouen in Rouen; here it is performed on the equally grand Cavaillé-Coll of L’église de la Madeleine in Paris. Nolan performs the Tenth on its intended instrument, the beautiful Cavaillé-Coll of the Romanesque La basilique Saint-Sernin in Toulouse.

Nolan is Master of Music at St. George’s Cathedral, Perth and was recently made a Chevalier in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in recognition of his services to French Music, and it comes as no surprise that recent forays into purely orchestral conducting have been met with great enthusiasm, such is his keen ear for the...