Widor : Marche Pontificale from Symphonie No.1 : D'Arcy Trinkwon at the organ of Saint-Sulpice

Widor was a young man of 26 when he wrote this imposing Marche Pontificale. Its inspiration was the 1870 visit to Paris of Pope Pius IX – and Widor’s sight of the Pontiff himself - following the proclamation of the doctrine of the Infallibility, the solemn declaration of which had taken place as part of the First Vatican Council on July 18 that summer (of which Pius IX was the author). Widor had just become 'temporary' organist at Saint-Sulpice – and this imposing march he created is as emphatic as the dogmatic doctrine. It became the fifth movement of his first organ symphony, which was published in a set with the second, third and fourth, in 1872. It has become one of his most enduringly popular pieces: its swagger, gesture and grandeur are unassailable, and, as always with Widor, there are beautiful melodic lines. This performance was part of a recital I gave at Saint-Sulpice in 2003. The real grandeur inherent in the life-blood of Widor’s music becomes alive on this magnificent instrument, whose every breath embodies the ideals Widor aspired to in all he did as an organist.