Charles-Marie Widor:
Organ Symphony No. 8 in B major, Op. 42/4 (1929 version)

Joseph Guy Ropartz:
6 Pieces pour grand orgue - II. Priere

Camille Saint-Saens:
Cypres et lauriers in D minor, Op. 156 - I. Cypres

Jean-Baptiste Dupont is one of the most renowned organists of our time. His artistic prowess is reflected in his success at international competitions as well as his performing career across the globe.

Trained in the French organ tradition, both in interpretation and improvisation, his new recording of Widor’s 8th Organ Symphony combines this tradition with the sound-world of a Cavaillé-Coll organ: the instrument at Saint-Sernin (Toulouse) seems to be custom-made for the most complex work by Widor who confessed that without the experience of listening to the Cavaillé-Coll instruments he would not have written any organ music.

Jean-Baptiste Dupont is deeply rooted in the heritage of the French music tradition. His extensive expertise as an improviser leads to a particular state of consciousness within music: when interpreting repertoire works, he grasps and analyses the creative structures of the work on a deep level; in the moment of the performance, he experiences them like an improviser – the creative process of the composer becomes his own when he plays.

You are invited to listen to one of the most famous French organ works, played on a French organ by a French organist – a resounding commitment to the French tradition!

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Recording: Basilica of Saint-Sernin, Toulouse, November 13 - 15, 2019. Instrument: Cavaillé-Coll Organ of St. Sernin, Toulouse.