Course 17

Course 17: Nathan Laube: Charles-Marie Widor & Alexandre Guilmant

Nathan Laube is a guest for the first time as a teacher at the Haarlem Summer Academy. He will discuss the organ works of the French organists/composers Charles-Marie Widor and Alexandre Guilmant. After Franck and besides Louis Vierne, Widor was the most important symphonist of the 19th and early 20th century French organ culture. In addition to symphonic works for orchestra, he composed ten groundbreaking symphonies for organ. Just like Alexandre Guilmant, who was seven years his senior, Widor studied with Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens. Guilmant wrote eight Organ Sonatas in the same French tradition. Haarlem has two organs where these works by the two composers come into their own: the Adema organ in the Cathedral and the Cavaillé-Coll organ in the Phil.
The young American organist Nathan Laube is an associate professor at Eastman School of Music, having previously taught in Birmingham and Stuttgart. His versatility and new perspectives on the organ and music make him one of the festival guests we are looking forward to!

Repertoire:

Charles Marie Widor:
· Symphonies 1 to 10 Op. 13, 42, 70 and 73 (special attention to Symphonie Gothique & Symphonie Romane)
· Three Nouvelles Pieces Op. 87
Alexandre Guilmant:
Sonatas 1, 5, 7 and 8