Charles-Marie Widor (1844–1937)
Marche de Noël des Pêcheurs de St. Jean pour piano (1905)
Arranged for piano by the composer
1926 Pleyel model F piano (Pianoteq)
Performance: PianoCurio

Widor spent the better part of a decade working on his third opera, "The Fishermen of St. Jean," a maritime "drame lyrique" in four acts based on a libretto by Henri Cain. It was an outright success at the Paris Opéra after its 1905 premiere, though Isidor Philipp relates that Widor's refusal to give the lead role to the Opéra director's wife apparently resulted in the swift end of its initial run.

This Christmas March comes from the beginning of the third act, which takes place on Christmas Eve while the neighbors are heading to church service. Meanwhile, the protagonist is anguishing in her room about the safety of her father and brother, who have been at sea for two days as a storm is brewing outside. We hear a colorful portrait of the rustic maritime village setting, complete with sailors' fifes and a central hymn after the neighbors dig through the mud and grime of the stormy streets to enter the church. One critical review in 1905 singled out this interlude as "a charming symphonic piece . . . the design of which is full of grace and freshness, with an orchestration as Mr. Widor knows how to write." Widor is not known today as a symphonist, but he in fact developed a masterful technique in orchestration that can be heard in both the piano arrangement and its original symphonic form (linked below).

Score video of the original orchestral version on Bartje Bartmans' channel: [ Ссылка ]

Score from Gallica: [ Ссылка ]

Original promotional poster from the opera (not affiliated with me, just think it's cool): [ Ссылка ]

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