Camille Saint-Saëns

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

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Szykneij

I was familiar with Saint-Saëns' well-known works (Organ Symphony, Carnival of the Animals, Danse Macabre, etc.), and while I could appreciate the composer's talent, his music didn't really grab me in an emotional way. Then, on a whim, I picked up a recording of his String Quartets and I find them to be delightful listening. Maybe it's due partly to this stressful time of year, but the CD has been in my car stereo for a few days now and I look forward to experiencing the delicate beauty and calming influence it provides as I rush to and from  my various destinations.

It also motivated me to go to my vinyl shelves and give a spin to my Arthur Grumiaux 1954 Epic recording of the previously recommended Violin Concerto No. 3 (op. 61),  Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (Op. 28), and Havanaise (Op. 83). This is an excellent mono recording that doesn't appear to have made it yet to CD.

Men profess to be lovers of music, but for the most part they give no evidence in their opinions and lives that they have heard it.  ~ Henry David Thoreau

Don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines. ~ Satchel Paige

Karl Henning

The Saint-Saëns concerted works are uniformly superb.
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Mirror Image

Only five pages for Saint-Saëns? ??? WTF?!?!?

snyprrr

Quote from: Mirror Image on June 11, 2012, 12:31:40 PM
Only five pages for Saint-Saëns? ??? WTF?!?!?

Well,... come ON! ::)


Quote from: Szykneij on March 31, 2012, 06:17:13 AM
I was familiar with Saint-Saëns' well-known works (Organ Symphony, Carnival of the Animals, Danse Macabre, etc.), and while I could appreciate the composer's talent, his music didn't really grab me in an emotional way. Then, on a whim, I picked up a recording of his String Quartets and I find them to be delightful listening. Maybe it's due partly to this stressful time of year, but the CD has been in my car stereo for a few days now and I look forward to experiencing the delicate beauty and calming influence it provides as I rush to and from  my various destinations.

It also motivated me to go to my vinyl shelves and give a spin to my Arthur Grumiaux 1954 Epic recording of the previously recommended Violin Concerto No. 3 (op. 61),  Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (Op. 28), and Havanaise (Op. 83). This is an excellent mono recording that doesn't appear to have made it yet to CD.



Saint-Saens's SQs are probably the 'smoothest' Romantic SQs I know of. Though not Impressionistic, they flow like a dream. Though the melodic line may not be the most striking, the overall effect of both is of the highest quality, even though we're not dealing with life and... oh, wait, No.2 was written 'over' WWI, yet the master's sentiment is noble...

I highly recommend the SQs for stress! I have the Medici on Koch, a very special performance, though, the Miami SQ was also very good. The label that Skyznik (sorry, that's what my dis-lexic brain sees!!) has also gotten good reviews. Everyone should try these on a summer afternoon. Perfect!

Cato

On Tuesday night I happened to catch most of the Saint-Saens Piano Concerto #5, which I had not heard since the early 1970's.

One's ears change throughout the decades, and I was rather amazed to (re)discover a considerable emotional depth in the work, which some have dismissed as "facile."  (see below)

In today's Wall Street Journal (August 8th) - perhaps not by chance - an article about Saint-Saens appeared as part of the promotion of the Hudson Valley Bard Music Festival and its Saint-Saens concerts.

Some salient excerpts:

QuoteThis year, Bard trains its lens on Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921), one of 19th-century France's most gifted musicians, but a figure largely misunderstood by posterity. For too long, Saint-Saëns's inventive power has been dismissed as facile, his elegant classicism as shallow and his light touch as light-weight. His oeuvre comprises more than 300 works in almost every genre. He was even the first important composer to write a film score—which he did at age 73 for the French silent film "The Assassination of the Duc de Guise" (1908). Yet only a handful of his works are regularly performed today.

Quoting Leon Botstein:

Quote"There was a sweeping dismissal of emotional expression and of art that represented the capacity to take great pains to achieve Classical refinement and beauty. And who is effectively the 'poster child' for everything that modernism rebelled against? Camille Saint-Saëns.

"His music i(is)... about commanding and augmenting the vast realm of basic musical craftsmanship descending from Bach and Mozart."

See:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443687504577563062546203808.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Lifestyle_5#articleTabs%3Darticle
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

eyeresist

Quote from: Cato on August 08, 2012, 05:32:00 PMOn Tuesday night I happened to catch most of the Saint-Saens Piano Concerto #5, which I had not heard since the early 1970's.

One's ears change throughout the decades, and I was rather amazed to (re)discover a considerable emotional depth in the work, which some have dismissed as "facile."

I will listen to 5 today - it's been a while.

Cato

Quote from: eyeresist on August 08, 2012, 06:52:28 PM
I will listen to 5 today - it's been a while.

Many moons ago I had a great recording of the Second and Fourth Piano Concertos with Philippe Entremont, Eugene Ormandy, and The Philadelphia Orchestra .
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

madaboutmahler

Out of interest, which is everyone's favourite Organ Symphony?

I might venture outside the fantastic Dutoit performance at some point. :) (which I think is the only performance I have ever heard, along with the great recent Chung Proms performance on youtube)
"Music is ... A higher revelation than all Wisdom & Philosophy"
— Ludwig van Beethoven

Mirror Image

Quote from: madaboutmahler on October 10, 2012, 01:05:28 PM
Out of interest, which is everyone's favourite Organ Symphony?

I might venture outside the fantastic Dutoit performance at some point. :) (which I think is the only performance I have ever heard, along with the great recent Chung Proms performance on youtube)

I have several favorites, but my current favorite is Levine/Berliners on DG. It doesn't get much better than this IMHO.

Lisztianwagner

Quote from: madaboutmahler on October 10, 2012, 01:05:28 PM
Out of interest, which is everyone's favourite Organ Symphony?

I might venture outside the fantastic Dutoit performance at some point. :) (which I think is the only performance I have ever heard, along with the great recent Chung Proms performance on youtube)

My favourite recording of Saint-Saëns' Organ Symphony is the Karajan, what a great expressive strenght (particularly, in the final section) and orchestral brilliance it shows! The 3rd is also my favourite of Saint-Saëns' symphonies; it's a very beautiful and elegant work, and I really love its orchestration, especially the wonderful use of piano and organ.
"Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire." - Gustav Mahler

Mirror Image

Quote from: Lisztianwagner on October 10, 2012, 01:20:14 PM
My favourite recording of Saint-Saëns' Organ Symphony is the Karajan, what a great expressive strenght (particularly, in the final section) and orchestral brilliance it shows! The 3rd is also my favourite of Saint-Saëns' symphonies; it's a very beautiful and elegant work, and I really love its orchestration, especially the wonderful use of piano and organ.

Of course this isn't personal bias speaking. ;) :)

Lisztianwagner

"Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire." - Gustav Mahler

Mirror Image

Quote from: Lisztianwagner on October 10, 2012, 01:26:37 PM
Of course it isn't. :P

What other performances of the Saint-Saens' 3rd have you heard?

madaboutmahler

Thanks for the feedback, John and Ilaria! (Ilaria, I thought yours may be the Karajan!! ;) ) The 3rd symphony is such an impressive work. I agree, Ilaria, that the orchestration is brilliant, especially in the last two movements! (like in the 3rd, when it goes a little mad, using the piano arpeggios and shimmers of light percussion). I love the piece very much!

Saint Saens is certainly a composer whom I admire very much, I enjoy so much of his music. I particularly love the 3rd symphony, the piano concerti, VC 3 (in Laure's performance of course!!), and the masterful 'miniatures' such as Danse Macabre, which no-one cannot enjoy!!

I am actually yet to listen to his first two symphonies, what are they like?
"Music is ... A higher revelation than all Wisdom & Philosophy"
— Ludwig van Beethoven

PaulSC

Quote from: madaboutmahler on October 10, 2012, 01:05:28 PM
Out of interest, which is everyone's favourite Organ Symphony?
For me, it's a tossup between kidney and gall bladder. :P
Musik ist ein unerschöpfliches Meer. — Joseph Riepel

CriticalI

#95
I do like SS3 a lot. I like how he encapsulates where Romantic music had arrived - Verdi in the 1st movement, Bruckner in the adagio, maybe Tchaikovsky for the scherzo Beethoven's 9th is the obvious touchstone for the scherzo, plus "back to Bach" for the finale's chorale theme. Great tunes, terrific rich orchestration. I just wish the finale felt a bit more "serious" - it's too much of a showpiece to be cathartic or transcendant.

I haven't made a survey of the recordings, sadly. Like everyone, I have a few de Waart versions, and they are servicable, but I usually reach for the classic Munch RCA version. I admit Munch's approach could afford to contain more subtleties. Apart from these, I recall being disappointed by Barenboim's version (in the Panorama set), but I should listen to that again one day.

From everything I've read I think Levine will please me, but getting his version just hasn't been a priority.

Mirror Image

Quote from: CriticalI on October 10, 2012, 08:06:21 PMFrom everything I've read I think Levine will please me, but getting his version just hasn't been a priority.

I bought the Levine over a year or two ago, but now you can purchase it quite cheaply as it's apart of DG's First Choice budget series.

Lisztianwagner

Quote from: Mirror Image on October 10, 2012, 01:30:41 PM
What other performances of the Saint-Saens' 3rd have you heard?

Dutoit/Montreal Symphony Orchestra
Munch/Boston Symphony Orchestra
Chung/Royal Concertgebouw
"Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire." - Gustav Mahler

Mirror Image

Quote from: Lisztianwagner on October 11, 2012, 03:18:59 AM
Dutoit/Montreal Symphony Orchestra
Munch/Boston Symphony Orchestra
Chung/Royal Concertgebouw

Haven't heard the Chung, but enjoyed the Dutoit and Munch. Let's see if can remember which ones I own and have heard:

Dutoit/MSO
Munch/BSO
Levine/BPO
Martinon/ORTF National Orch.
Mata/DSO
Ozawa/Orchestre National de France

I think this is it. Not too many performances.

mc ukrneal

Quote from: madaboutmahler on October 10, 2012, 01:38:33 PM
I am actually yet to listen to his first two symphonies, what are they like?
He actually wrote 5 symphonies, which can are nicely packaged together on EMI with Martinon conducting. They are not as famous as #3 but they do have a lot of the same qualities. S-S is always quite melodic and the pieces, though perhaps not as deep (or quite as personnel) as Mahler, have a wonderful atmosphere to them. I highly recommend the set.
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