The genius, originality and appealing music of Charles-Valentin Alkan rivals the state of Western Australia for being a well-kept secret from the world.

I had vaguely heard of Alkan, but knew virtually nothing about him or his music. This was to change drastically in 2018 when I received an email from Steve Long, the Managing Director of Signum Classics. I have been a long-standing recording artist for Signum since my first recording for them featuring the Grand Ballroom Organ in Buckingham Palace in 2007.

I have recorded the complete organ works of Widor as well as individual disks from St Sulpice, Paris, St Etienne Du Mont, Paris, and St Bavo, Haarlem. It has been an amazing journey with Signum, and I am truly grateful to Steve Long for his ongoing support of my career.

Joseph Nolan. Photo supplied

The email Steve received was from an admirer of my Widor cycle by the name of Seth Blacklock. Seth believed that my Widor playing indicated that I might prove to be a natural interpreter of the organ music of Charles Valentin Alkan. I wrote...