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Widor Toccata

Ranked #5,595 in Music, #152,411 overall

Widor Toccata from the
5th Organ Symphony (Opus:42 No:1)

 

The Toccata is the stand-out piece of organ music by the French composer Charles-Marie Widor.  It is the final movement of the 5th Widor Organ Symphony. I have gathered standout versions of the Widor Toccata available for you to listen to free of charge. Please vote for your favourite!

Preview Widor Toccata MP3
played by the amazing Olivier Latry.


Photo Bayeux Cathedral, © Kate Phizackerley.

 

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Your Favourite Widor Toccata Version

Readers' Choice

I've compiled a range of videos of the Widor Toccata from his 5th Organ Symphony. You'll find all of the performances featured below the vote. There are others on YouTube but most are inferior to these, or didn't add anything special in my opinion. I'd be interested in your favourite so please vote below. I've also added space for you to add "listening notes" beneath each of the videos so if there is one you particularly like - or dislike - please record your comments there. In the interests of space, only the most recent comment is shown directly, but you can click on the link to see all of the comments about any version. To make it easy for you, I have hyperlinked the line in the poll to the associated video further down the page so that it also doubles as a table of contents for you.

I'll be honest. My firm favourite is Olivier Latry on the Grande Orgue de Notre Dame de Paris. If you would like to buy a recording of the Widor 5th Organ Symphony, I've linked to the Olivier Latry CD (of course :) ) below - but I've added some other MP3s as well so that you can find one you really like for your iPod.

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Additional Contents

Variations, Background and Feedback

  4. Something Completely Different ...
  6. About Kate Phizackerley
  7. Widor Toccata MP3
  8. Guestbook

Diane Bish Plays Widor Toccata

Grand Organ, Ulm Minster, Germany

This is trademark Bish. Her video starts with a nice little introduction, then she launches into the Toccata with gusto. As usual, she plays it at lightnighting pace. I prefer my organ music rather more stately than this, but I know some people like her interpratation.
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Pierre Cochereau Plays Widor Toccata

Le Grand Orgue de Notre Dame de Paris

Given Widor's links with Cavaillé-Coll, I wanted to incldued several version played on Cavaillé-Coll instruments. This one is Pierre Cochereaud playing the great organ of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. I love that organ! ... but I prefer Olivier Latry as organist in the performance featured lower down the page.
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Scott Dettra Plays Widor Toccata

Great Organ, Washington National Cathedral

Unlike most of the performances I have presented, this was an organ voluntary from the service - at Washington National Cathedral. I have included it specially for my American visitors but I think it is slightly disappointing, although with deference to Scott I think that may be down in part to an audio recording which has failed to capture the full dynamic range of the instrument.
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Please leave your own listening notes below. (You do not need to be a member of Squidoo.) If you would like to see other notes people have left, then click on the Comments balloon just above this box; and if you like this performance, then please remember to vote.

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If you would like to read more about Washington National Cathedral, then I recommend this lens by Michey. He features three different organists: Perry, Nicholas White and Scott Detra (whom I have featured here).

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Frederick Hohman Plays Widor Toccata

Cathedral Basillica, Newark

This is a popular version on YouTube with coming on to ¼m views when I watched it. It's quite a light, beezy version. It doesn't have tremendous power compared to some and maybe it is a touch on the slow side, although some may prefer that.
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Please leave your own listening notes below. (You do not need to be a member of Squidoo.) If you would like to see other notes people have left, then click on the Comments balloon just above this box; and if you like this performance, then please remember to vote.

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Olivier Latry Plays Widor Toccata

le Grande Orgue de Notre Dame de Paris

Anbody who has read my Widor lenses will know my firm favourite: Olivier Latry, Titulaire des Notre Dame, playing the Great Organ of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. This for me is the finest Cavaillé-Coll organ for this piece, indeed the premier organ for the Toccata anywhere in the world. Hopefully once you have listened to some of the other performances, you'll make up your own mind. As to how much of this wonderful sound is down to the organ and how much to the skill of Olivier Latry, then compare it with the Pierre Cocherau recording higher up the lens. (Click to watch on YouTube.)

At the same time, this performance is not without its critics. Some peope feel that this version is just a little slow and that the tutti have opened up the organ just a little too much and that it is slightly pompous and over-bearing.
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Charles-Marie Widor: 5e & 6e Symphonies pour Orgue aux Grandes Orgues de Notre-Dame de Paris

Charles-Marie Widor: 5e & 6e Symphonies pour Orgue aux Grandes Orgues de Notre-Dame de Paris

Amazon Price: $9.90 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

Personally I love the Latry recording and my favourite is this CD of the 5th and 6th Organ Symphonies. You can preview the tracks on Amazon. If you just want the MP3 of the Toccata, then I have featured this further down the page.

Frédéric Mayeur Plays Widor Toccata

Alfred Kern & Sons, Bayon

I picked this video for a couple of special reasons. Firstly it is a rare inauguration of a major organ (18 Octover 2008). Secondly the filming is excellent and the pedal work is very clear so you can see which range is played on the pedals. It's actually an altogether decent recording. In my personal opinion I'd rate this very good to great but not quite excellent.
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Hans Musch Plays Widor Toccata

Klais organ in Wurzburg Cathedral, Germany

The comments for his video include "performance is outstanding" and "this is the best recording of%uFEFF the song so far". It's a very distinctive organ, reedy and with a noticeable bell sound. Hans Musch also keeps the tempo absolutely constant. JF Snail who posted the video described the 1969 Klais organ (built to replace the organ destroyed by Allied bombing in Word War II), saying "the console is a five manual beast modelled on Cavaille-Coll's great examples in Notre Dame and St Sulpice but totally finished in black, even to having black naturals on the keyboard with white sharps. It contains 6,654 pipes and 86 speaking stops. There is a small 'swallows nest' choir organ of 20 stops, but this is to be joined by another choir organ of 52 stops to be built by Steinmeyer in 2010!". If you watch the video on YouTube (click on the logo on the video), you can read more of his commentary.
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Please leave your own listening notes below. (You do not need to be a member of Squidoo.) If you would like to see other notes people have left, then click on the Comments balloon just above this box; and if you like this performance, then please remember to vote.

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Ben Van Oosten Plays Widor Toccata

le Grande Orgue de Abbatiale St Ouen, Rouen, France

Another of the great Cavaillé-Coll organs at St Ouen, Rouen and played by Ben Van Oosten. In general I prefer the Cavaillé-Coll organs and marginally prefer St Ouen ahead of St Sulpice for the Toccata, but not as much as I love Notre Dame de Paris. (PS the picture on the front of the video isn't Ben Van Oosten. It's a still of Widor himself. There are a few in the video.)
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Please leave your own listening notes below. (You do not need to be a member of Squidoo.) If you would like to see other notes people have left, then click on the Comments balloon just above this box; and if you like this performance, then please remember to vote.

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Daniel Roth Plays Widor Toccata

Le Grande Orgue de Saint Sulpice, Paris

There had to be a version played on the Cavaillé-Coll organ of St Sulpice and here it is. Played by Daniel Roth it is every bit as good as you would expect.
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Please leave your own listening notes below. (You do not need to be a member of Squidoo.) If you would like to see other notes people have left, then click on the Comments balloon just above this box; and if you like this performance, then please remember to vote.

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Charles-Marie Widor Plays His Own Toccata!

St Sulpice, Paris

Here is the composer himself at the grand old age of 88 playing his own masterwork, the Toccata from Organ Symphony V in April 1932. An amazaing recording. Given the primitive recording mediums availble in 1932, the quality is exceptional and shows what a find instrument the St Sulpice organ truly is.

Widor was appointed as the organist of St Sulpice in January 1870 and retired 64 years later on December 31, 1933 64. During that time he was never appointed as "Titular" organist but held the title "Temporary Organist"! You can find out more about Widor and discover more of his music on this special lens.
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Please leave your own listening notes below. (You do not need to be a member of Squidoo.) If you would like to see other notes people have left, then click on the Comments balloon just above this box; and if you like this performance, then please remember to vote.

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Something Completely Different ...

Jools Holland in the Style of Mrs Mills

There are several bizarre version of the Toccata out there including one played by a large brass band. But since I think Jools Holland (of Squeeze fame) is a marvekous musician, as the oddity here I picked this one. It's Jools playing the Toccata in the piano in the style of the Cockney pianist Mrs Mills. A rare treat.
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Please leave your own listening notes below. (You do not need to be a member of Squidoo.) If you would like to see other notes people have left, then click on the Comments balloon just above this box; and if you like this performance, then please remember to vote.

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Widor Toccata MP3

Played by Olivier Latry

Charles-Marie Widor - Toccata de la Cinquième Symphonie pour Orgue

Charles-Marie Widor - Toccata de la Cinquième Symphonie pour Orgue

Amazon Price: $0.89 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

My personal favourite - preview it to be sure you agree.

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Off Squidoo I am a middle-aged woman with a wide range of interests from Ancient Egypt, backgammon, cookery ... to ... Zimbabwe which I visited 20 years... more »

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