The beauty of this CD is that it combines two very important factors: Vivaldi and the pipe organ, and creates a most listenable and relaxing musical mood. Vivaldi concertos are usually in three parts each: Allegro, Adagio, Allegro (or close to that), that is, fast, slow, fast, and were composed for a small chamber ensemble. Vivaldi himself was primarily a violinist, and wrote what you hear on this CD for ensemble, not for pipe organ. They transcribe very well to pipe organ.

On this disc, Jean Guillou teams up with Edo DeWaart and the San Francisco Symphony for a lush performance of Camille Saint-Saens Symphony No. 3, popularly known as the Organ Symphony. This is a lush performance of the Organ Symphony with spot-on tempi, great orchestral balance, and unsurpassed balance between organ and orchestra. This symphony has one long melodic line after another, and DeWaart keeps a long view that prevents any sense of meandering. The organ is stunningly recorded. Brass blaze with glory. Strings are lush. Timpani are extremely well-defined. The clarity of the recording provides an excellent window into finer details. It is difficult to imagine how anything could have been improved upon. The disc is filled out with a strong performance of Widor's Allegro from his Symphony No. 6. This account of the Organ Symphony has everything going for it. There are no obvious weaknesses. If you have excellent subwoofers, they will get the workout of their life. Very Highly Recommended!