The organ music tradition reached its apotheosis in France in the late 19th and early 20th centuries due to the expansion of the organ into an instrument capable of mimicking a symphony orchestra and the evolution of composition for such instruments in the hands of composers such as César Franck, Charles-Marie Widor and Louis Vierne.

Vierne’s six symphonies for organ are among the greatest works in this tradition and Adelaide’s St Peter’s Cathedral Music Foundation is presenting all six of Vierne’s organ symphonies over three concerts performed by internationally renowned and award-winning British-Australian organist Dr Joseph Nolan.

St Peter’s Cathedral Adelaide. Photo © Chris Reid

Experiencing such music performed on a grand organ in a cathedral, with its religious symbolism and architectural splendour, can be overwhelming. The organ is the voice of the building and its music cannot be separated from it.

St Peter’s magnificent four-manual organ was built in England in 1929 by William Hill & Son and Norman & Beard and it was returned to England in 2017 for substantial overhauling. The cathedral’s acoustics are excellent and the building forms an extension of the organ, so that the listener is...