Camille Saint-Saëns

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

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BachQ

Quote from: oyasumi on April 23, 2007, 04:26:12 PM
So did he like little boys or not? Serious question.

Well, he was married for several years, and he and his wife had two children.  But rumors (unsubstantiated) that he was gay / pedophilic have occasionally surfaced.

Without an admission or conviction, such an allegation would be difficult to prove . . . . . .

BachQ


Gurn Blanston

Quote from: D Minor on April 23, 2007, 05:09:32 PM
"Yes, he did" what?

Travel in Africa and commune with the natives.

8)
Visit my Haydn blog: HaydnSeek

Haydn: that genius of vulgar music who induces an inordinate thirst for beer - Mily Balakirev (1860)

BachQ

#23
Quote from: Gurn Blanston on April 23, 2007, 05:10:44 PM
Travel in Africa and commune with the natives.

8)

Yeah, I've heard that Saint-Saens had a thing for Algerian men . . . . . .  ::)  ("When in Algeria . . . . ."  ::))


But on the topic of Saint-Saens MUSIC, you can see Nelson Freire perform the Second Piano Concerto on YOUTUBE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yiqzv7hD0J4

(video is in 4 parts)

Gurn Blanston

Quote from: D Minor on April 23, 2007, 05:13:08 PM
Yeah, I've heard that Saint-Saens had a thing for Algerian men . . . . . .  ::)  ("When in Algeria . . . . ."  ::))


But on the topic of Saint-Saens MUSIC, you can see Nelson Freire perform the Second Piano Concerto on YOUTUBE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yiqzv7hD0J4

(video is in 4 parts)

Quite agree. Not my choice either.

My choice IS his chamber music. In addition to the piano trios you mentioned, he also wrote a couple of very nice string quartets, it took me a long time to find recordings of them but worth the effort. I ended up with the Margand Quartet on Cybelia. The first one, Op 112, is dedicated to Ysaye, the second, Op 153 to Jacques Durand. They are really lovely, minor key works that are worth searching out (for all I know, Naxos may have put them out since I quit hunting them 2 years ago.)

Also his 2 violin sonatas. The first one, in d, is rather famous for its whirlwind, virtuosic finale. The second one is a much more traditional, lovely work. As Camille himself said, the second is far superior musically, but the public will no doubt prefer the first. Both of them are excellent.

8)
Visit my Haydn blog: HaydnSeek

Haydn: that genius of vulgar music who induces an inordinate thirst for beer - Mily Balakirev (1860)

BachQ

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on April 23, 2007, 05:28:57 PM
Also his 2 violin sonatas. The first one, in d, is rather famous for its whirlwind, virtuosic finale. The second one is a much more traditional, lovely work. As Camille himself said, the second is far superior musically, but the public will no doubt prefer the first. Both of them are excellent.

Something . . . . . . . something ineffable . . . . . . draws me to the 1st violin sonata . . . . . .

hautbois

I think his cello sonatas are fascinating, and sorry for being an oboist, BUT EVERYONE MUST TRY HIS OBOE SONATA!!!! It is just so naively beautiful, everytime i play it.

Howard

Harry

And may I add for the completeness the wonderful set of Symphonies he wrote.
To this day still high on my list.
Tis Martinon on EMI, good recordings and fine interpretations.

BachQ

Quote from: hautbois on April 24, 2007, 09:48:26 AM
I think his cello sonatas are fascinating, and sorry for being an oboist, BUT EVERYONE MUST TRY HIS OBOE SONATA!!!! It is just so naively beautiful, everytime i play it.

Howard

I've never heard the OBOE SONATA . . . . . . Thanks for the tip! . . . . . .  8)


The new erato

Isn't the 2nd violon sonate the model for the sonata discused at length in Proust's In search of Time Lost (or whatever it's called in English)

71 dB

I like Saint-Saëns very much but I have only 5 CDs of his music. He is one of those composers whose works are inconsistently recorded.

Saint-Saëns and Fauré are my favorite French composers of romantic era.
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Lethevich

Quote from: D Minor on April 23, 2007, 05:08:31 PM
Well, he was married for several years, and he and his wife had two children.  But rumors (unsubstantiated) that he was gay / pedophilic have occasionally surfaced.

Without an admission or conviction, such an allegation would be difficult to prove . . . . . .

"unsubstantiated" LOL :D What about the well-known pederast quote directly from his mouth? This has been mentioned in biographies for aeons...
Peanut butter, flour and sugar do not make cookies. They make FIRE.

BachQ

Quote from: Lethe on July 07, 2007, 01:48:26 PM
"unsubstantiated" LOL :D What about the well-known pederast quote directly from his mouth?

Well, if it came "directly from his mouth," then that would be an "admission" by Saint-Saens ....... Which would, generally, put an end to the speculation (unless it were stated in jest, under intoxication, under duress, etc.).



BachQ

Quote from: Lethe on July 07, 2007, 01:48:26 PM
This has been mentioned in biographies for aeons...

I wasn't aware that folks have been writing Saint-Saëns biographies for aeons ........  ::)

Lethevich

Quote from: D Minor on July 07, 2007, 05:07:41 PM
I wasn't aware that folks have been writing Saint-Saëns biographies for aeons ........  ::)

Something had to have created the big bang, Saint-Saëns is as good a guess as any...
Peanut butter, flour and sugar do not make cookies. They make FIRE.

BachQ

Quote from: Lethe on July 07, 2007, 06:04:26 PM
Something had to have created the big bang, Saint-Saëns is as good a guess as any...

Actually, I thought it was established that Wagner created the big bang ..........

JoshLilly

#37
Saint-Saëns is a composer I used to hate, and now like quite a lot! But I'm checking over some of these "facts" that start this thread off, and came across:

"He was the first French composer to write a piano concerto."

This is just a false statement, and I'm not sure why anyone would even say such a thing. First, look when he lived, and it's probably a safe assumption - even without knowing - that some French composer would have composed a piano concerto before he did. And indeed, this ends up being true. I don't know if I'm the only person here familiar with Boïeldieu's Piano Concerto, but it certainly exists, making this claim about Saint-Saëns incorrect. But why even say such things without having found out for sure, when the "odds" almost overwhelmingly indicate that it cannot be true in the first place? Mainly because of Saint-Saëns' later years, and piano concerti (specifically) were being written since at least the 1770s. A weird side note: Saint-Saëns was born exactly a year and a day after Boïeldieu died.

And he wrote five symphonies, at least, right? Don't know if that's already been pointed out or not.


I think I really started to love his music by way of the Piano Concerto #5, which I heard on the radio a long time ago. It just stuck with me for years, even though I found the late Romantic sound harsh and discomforting at the time. I didn't come back to it for years, but never quite forgot it. When I listened again, I'd managed to ease into the mid to late 19th century slowly up the timeline of composers, gradually acclimating to the newer style, and loved the work. I also loved the finale of the Piano Concerto #1, it's so much fun. Especially this one part where the first theme, which switches between the piano and orchestra, goes along several times... until at one point, the piano "forgets" to do it right and the orchestra hesitates then quickly jumps in and plays that part. Makes me laugh out loud sometimes. Maybe I'm not explaining it well, but maybe somebody could more properly identify what I'm talking about.

Anybody mention that Trumpet Septet thing? Really neat and fun, at least to me.

carlos

He was without doubt, the first to write music
for a film (1908).
Piantale a la leche hermano, que eso arruina el corazón! (from a tango's letter)

JoshLilly

That is very possible, but every source I've ever seen that mentions this is very careful to point out there there is doubt.