Moderato (1st movement from Symphonie Romane)

This has been tough going, but I am very excited about performing this symphony for the Concert Hall, particularly being the first to do so. Personally, I think this symphony is Widor's masterpiece. It is much more unified than the others. The whole symphony is a celebration of plainchant, drawing specifically on the Easter Gradual 'Haec Dies', which features in every movement (in the Cantilene, which I have already uploaded, it is heavily disguised, but not so in the other movements). This symphony has sweeping melodies and rich harmonies which Rachmaninov would be proud of. The title of the symphony is connected to its dedication - a note in the score written in Latin dedicates the work to the Romanesque Basilica at St. Sernin, Toulouse. Although home to a famous Cavaille-Coll organ, and it is popular to perform it there (and why not, it is one the finest CC organs in existence), there is apparently no evidence that he specifically intended it to be played on that organ or that he ever played it there. In fact his first public performance of the work was in a different church with Romanesque architecture - a now destroyed church with a large Sauer organ in Berlin! Now wouldn't St. Sernin make a fantastic sample set - as powerful as any CC organ, including en charades, but only 54 stops on 3 manuals, a perfect size. Mind you, we will soon in England have a newly restored 4 manual CC organ - sample set producers take note!