Camille Saint-Saëns

Started by BachQ, April 12, 2007, 05:11:55 AM

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71 dB

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on January 15, 2022, 03:52:36 PM
Except for that it is Camille, not a more-female Camilla:-[  :P

The rest, yes, +1
Thanks for pointing out my typo. I know how his name is written, of course. I don't know how that now fixed typo happened.  ???
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Mirror Image

I just wanted to let everyone know that earlier this month I received the replacement disc (Disc 15) for the Saint-Saëns Edition set on Warner. I received a nice note from Warner along with it that read:

Dear John,

Here is the replacement CD for the Saint-Saëns boxset as promised. I hope the mail to the US doesn't take too long.

All best,


Susanne


I had been in correspondence with this Warner representative for several months prior to receiving this disc. Now my set is glitch free. 8)

DavidW

Nice!  I had to do the same thing with a Hyperion cd and they mailed me the replacement and I received it in under a week.

Mirror Image

Quote from: DavidW on May 27, 2022, 06:56:11 AM
Nice!  I had to do the same thing with a Hyperion cd and they mailed me the replacement and I received it in under a week.

Yeah, I had to wait awhile from Warner, but at least it came. That's great about Hyperion. A fine label.

staxomega

Quote from: DavidW on May 27, 2022, 06:56:11 AM
Nice!  I had to do the same thing with a Hyperion cd and they mailed me the replacement and I received it in under a week.

If this is referring to the disc bronzing I didn't realize they still had that replacement program running?

The Saint-Saëns Warner box will definitely make my best of 2022  8)

Mirror Image

Quote from: hvbias on May 27, 2022, 10:20:18 AM
The Saint-Saëns Warner box will definitely make my best of 2022  8)

Mine, too plus some other Saint-Saëns recordings that I bought this year.

DavidW

Quote from: hvbias on May 27, 2022, 10:20:18 AM
If this is referring to the disc bronzing I didn't realize they still had that replacement program running?

It is not in reference to bronzing.  They had a defective batch of Mendelssohn PTs/Florestan Trio so that there was audio dropouts.

But I think the replacements for the bronzing is still going on because not that long ago Gurn had a bronzed cd replaced.  They couldn't replace it with a cd because it was oop but they sent him a digital download.

staxomega

Quote from: DavidW on May 27, 2022, 12:41:29 PM
It is not in reference to bronzing.  They had a defective batch of Mendelssohn PTs/Florestan Trio so that there was audio dropouts.

But I think the replacements for the bronzing is still going on because not that long ago Gurn had a bronzed cd replaced.  They couldn't replace it with a cd because it was oop but they sent him a digital download.

Good to know, thank you. And I should hear those Mendelssohn Piano Trios from Florestan Trio.

Jo498

Quote from: DavidW on May 27, 2022, 12:41:29 PM
It is not in reference to bronzing.  They had a defective batch of Mendelssohn PTs/Florestan Trio so that there was audio dropouts.
Do you recall which tracks of the FLorestan/Mendelssohn disc had problems?
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

DavidW

Quote from: Jo498 on May 28, 2022, 12:08:28 AM
Do you recall which tracks of the FLorestan/Mendelssohn disc had problems?

It was on most of the tracks.

Jo498

Thanks, then I am pretty sure that my disc is o.k. It's been a while I played it but such a problem on several tracks I would have noticed.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

SonicMan46

Currently finishing up selective listening to my 16 or so discs of Saint-Saëns - the Piano Concertos (PCs) & Symphonies might need some culling and replacements.  As to the PCs, I currently own the two sets in the top row below, i.e. Malikova and Hough - Malikova is favored but I could exchange Hough (reading through this thread this morning, he seems not to be as lauded as his reviews have been?).  Now, I had Roge but culled him out years ago - two options that are fairly recent are Alexandre Kantorow & Louis Lortie; the former has gotten some great comments but both are pretty much full price at the moment - any thoughts on their performances?

As to the Symphonies, I've had the Jean Martinon double jewel box for a while, enjoy the performances, and intend to keep - comments in this thread seem to support that view; now, one can always have extra recordings of No. 3 w/ organ - I have had this BIS DePriest CD for ages - listened to it this afternoon, pleased but is there a better one?  Any comments appreciated, especially regarding the two boxes shown - thanks.  Dave :)

     

     

Mirror Image

Quote from: SonicMan46 on June 07, 2022, 10:27:27 AM
Currently finishing up selective listening to my 16 or so discs of Saint-Saëns - the Piano Concertos (PCs) & Symphonies might need some culling and replacements.  As to the PCs, I currently own the two sets in the top row below, i.e. Malikova and Hough - Malikova is favored but I could exchange Hough (reading through this thread this morning, he seems not to be as lauded as his reviews have been?).  Now, I had Roge but culled him out years ago - two options that are fairly recent are Alexandre Kantorow & Louis Lortie; the former has gotten some great comments but both are pretty much full price at the moment - any thoughts on their performances?

As to the Symphonies, I've had the Jean Martinon double jewel box for a while, enjoy the performances, and intend to keep - comments in this thread seem to support that view; now, one can always have extra recordings of No. 3 w/ organ - I have had this BIS DePriest CD for ages - listened to it this afternoon, pleased but is there a better one?  Any comments appreciated, especially regarding the two boxes shown - thanks.  Dave :)

     

     

Hello again, Dave. ;) Where do I even begin? I say this because Saint-Saëns is such a favorite of mine. I guess I'll begin by saying the new symphony set with Mǎcelaru and the Orchestre National de France is now my reference set. He's clearly better than Martinon who was fine for the time, but now sounds rather dated and lacking nuance. Don't get me wrong, Martinon was a fine conductor, but he's not better than Mǎcelaru. This new set is an essential acquisition, IMHO. You will not be disappointed in any way. Of course, we already discussed the PCs and you've got the best overall set with Malikova/Sanderling, but the Collard/Previn and Kantorow/Kantorow are tied in second place. I love these two cycles immensely as well. What recordings do you own of the other concerti like the Cello Concertos and Violin Concertos? Also, what do you own of the chamber music aside from that Piano Trios recording with The Florestan Trio? There is so music great chamber music from Saint-Saëns available. I highly recommend these two chamber set:


Jo498

I have never heard the two unnumbered symphonies and coul agree that 1+2 are probably a bit unfairly overlooked but the focus on the "organ symphony" seems pretty justified. One or two recordings of the rest seems plenty to me.
As for very good recordings of #3 in very good (although not the most recent) sound, I'd point out Barenboim (1970s) and Levine (1980s digital), both on DG.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

DavidW

Quote from: SonicMan46 on June 07, 2022, 10:27:27 AM
 

I have that set, it is great!  I also have this recording which I don't know if anyone has discussed on this forum before, but I really like it:


SonicMan46

Quote from: Mirror Image on June 07, 2022, 10:59:24 AM
Hello again, Dave. ;) Where do I even begin? I say this because Saint-Saëns is such a favorite of mine. I guess I'll begin by saying the new symphony set with Mǎcelaru and the Orchestre National de France is now my reference set. He's clearly better than Martinon who was fine for the time, but now sounds rather dated and lacking nuance. Don't get me wrong, Martinon was a fine conductor, but he's not better than Mǎcelaru. This new set is an essential acquisition, IMHO. You will not be disappointed in any way. Of course, we already discussed the PCs and you've got the best overall set with Malikova/Sanderling, but the Collard/Previn and Kantorow/Kantorow are tied in second place. I love these two cycles immensely as well. What recordings do you own of the other concerti like the Cello Concertos and Violin Concertos? Also, what do you own of the chamber music aside from that Piano Trios recording with The Florestan Trio? There is so music great chamber music from Saint-Saëns available. I highly recommend these two chamber set:



Hi John - thanks for responding (again) - below is my S-S Database (click to enlarge) - I actually have close to 20 CDs collected and culled over decades and pretty much what I want of this composer, so my goal would be replace rather than add to the collection (space being a BIG issue for me) - as to the Piano Concertos, Kantorow as a Hough replacement interests me most, but I need to find the 'right price'.

Concerning the Symphonies, there are a lot of 'new' options, i.e. the ones I showed in my previous post & also the elder Kantorow - I looked up some reviews on Mǎcelaru (attached if interested for you and of course others considering these works) and the Fanfare reviewer had some complaints (which sounded minor if trivial to me), another review was much more positive - but how does Mǎcelaru compare to Kantorow and the Naxos offering?

The 'wind chamber set' piqued my interest (but would be a two disc addition?) - compared w/ my 2-CD Nash Ensemble set, there is some overlap in the shorter pieces (a few exceptions in longer works like the septet) - also well reviewed (comments in the attachment) but not cheap on Amazon USA - will look elsewhere - I could see adding a couple discs to Camille's collection.

Finally, at the top of the database is an eclectic disc dating back 50 years, so called of 'Best of Saint-Saens' - collects a bunch of pieces together not present on other CDs owned - not sure if there is a 'similar' recording w/ updated sound - the Amazonians seem to love this CD.  I know I could duplicate the works on the single disc but may take at least two?  Dave :)

 

Mirror Image

Quote from: SonicMan46 on June 07, 2022, 01:11:31 PM
Hi John - thanks for responding (again) - below is my S-S Database (click to enlarge) - I actually have close to 20 CDs collected and culled over decades and pretty much what I want of this composer, so my goal would be replace rather than add to the collection (space being a BIG issue for me) - as to the Piano Concertos, Kantorow as a Hough replacement interests me most, but I need to find the 'right price'.

Concerning the Symphonies, there are a lot of 'new' options, i.e. the ones I showed in my previous post & also the elder Kantorow - I looked up some reviews on Mǎcelaru (attached if interested for you and of course others considering these works) and the Fanfare reviewer had some complaints (which sounded minor if trivial to me), another review was much more positive - but how does Mǎcelaru compare to Kantorow and the Naxos offering?

The 'wind chamber set' piqued my interest (but would be a two disc addition?) - compared w/ my 2-CD Nash Ensemble set, there is some overlap in the shorter pieces (a few exceptions in longer works like the septet) - also well reviewed (comments in the attachment) but not cheap on Amazon USA - will look elsewhere - I could see adding a couple discs to Camille's collection.

Finally, at the top of the database is an eclectic disc dating back 50 years, so called of 'Best of Saint-Saens' - collects a bunch of pieces together not present on other CDs owned - not sure if there is a 'similar' recording w/ updated sound - the Amazonians seem to love this CD.  I know I could duplicate the works on the single disc but may take at least two?  Dave :)

 

It looks like you've got a pretty good collection of Saint-Saëns recordings, Dave. My suggestion is to give the two sets I mentioned my previous post a listen through Spotify or wherever you stream and decide if they're right for you. Ignore any of the negative reviews for that Mǎcelaru symphony cycle. It is outstanding. Since you don't listen to opera, song cycles, etc., I won't mention how great I think Saint-Saëns is in these particular genres. ;)

Brian

Quote from: SonicMan46 on June 07, 2022, 01:11:31 PM
Concerning the Symphonies, there are a lot of 'new' options, i.e. the ones I showed in my previous post & also the elder Kantorow - I looked up some reviews on Mǎcelaru (attached if interested for you and of course others considering these works) and the Fanfare reviewer had some complaints (which sounded minor if trivial to me), another review was much more positive - but how does Mǎcelaru compare to Kantorow and the Naxos offering?
I have only heard a little of the Naxos cycle and none of the Macelaru, but the JJ Kantorow organ symphony is a miss - muffled bass sound so you frequently cannot hear the organ.

I have enjoyed both the A. Kantorow and Lortie piano concerto sets a LOT. It's hard to choose between them, especially as they are quite similar in their approach: virtuosic, bold, flamboyant, fast, fun. Some reviewers have found Lortie the most muscular of all, but I have not compared too closely. They might be so good you decide based on couplings, packaging, art, etc.  ;D

Jo498

The Nash double is about as good as it gets for the mixed chamber music. For a good (incl. sound) disc with the symphonic poems there is Dutoit/Decca. The 3rd violin concerto has also been recorded by many famous violinist (the others far less).
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

SonicMan46

Quote from: Mirror Image on June 07, 2022, 02:46:32 PM
It looks like you've got a pretty good collection of Saint-Saëns recordings, Dave. My suggestion is to give the two sets I mentioned my previous post a listen through Spotify or wherever you stream and decide if they're right for you. Ignore any of the negative reviews for that Mǎcelaru symphony cycle. It is outstanding. Since you don't listen to opera, song cycles, etc., I won't mention how great I think Saint-Saëns is in these particular genres. ;)

Quote from: Brian on June 07, 2022, 02:53:07 PM
I have only heard a little of the Naxos cycle and none of the Macelaru, but the JJ Kantorow organ symphony is a miss - muffled bass sound so you frequently cannot hear the organ.

I have enjoyed both the A. Kantorow and Lortie piano concerto sets a LOT. It's hard to choose between them, especially as they are quite similar in their approach: virtuosic, bold, flamboyant, fast, fun. Some reviewers have found Lortie the most muscular of all, but I have not compared too closely. They might be so good you decide based on couplings, packaging, art, etc.  ;D

Thanks John & Brian for your helpful comments - I listened to the Kantorows in the Piano Concertos on Spotify and enjoyed (likely more that Hough) - probably should also do the same w/ Lortie but the pricing is steep although PrestoMusic has a 20% off on the BIS discs.  As to the Symphonies, I'm reading some negative comments w/ all of the newer releases at least in the Fanfare Archives; Marc Soustrot and JJ Kantorow seemed to have received the most complaints, but Mǎcelaru does not completely get rave reviews - think I need to put a playlist together of what I can find on Spotify, like back-to-back movements and take a listen before discarding Martinon which I've enjoyed for ages.

As to piano, the single Piers Lane CD of Etudes is enough for me (although I know there are 4-disc sets out there); and John knows that I'm not into opera or songs in foreign languages from other times -  :laugh:   Just too much else to listen to that I much prefer.  Thanks again guys - Dave :)