Your Top 5 Favorite Saint-Saëns Works

Started by Mirror Image, January 14, 2022, 06:08:46 AM

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Mirror Image

I suppose some of you might've guessed this poll was coming (or not). ;) Anyway, choose your five favorite works from Saint-Saëns. I was thinking of adding some stipulations to this poll like no member can pick the 3rd symphony, 2nd PC, Danse Macabre or Le Carnaval des animaux, but these may be some of the only works some of you know. ;D Anyway...have fun!

My picks (in no particular order):

Septet in E♭ major, Op. 65
Trois tableaux symphoniques d'après La foi, Op. 130
Piano Concerto No. 3 in E♭ major, Op. 29
Samson et Dalila, Op. 47
La muse et le poète, Op. 132

Florestan

In no particular order

Septet
PC1
VC3
CC1
Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso for violin and orchestra
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

Mirror Image

Quote from: Florestan on January 14, 2022, 06:12:00 AM
In no particular order

Septet
PC1
VC3
CC1
Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso for violin and orchestra

A fine list, indeed.

Florestan

Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

Mirror Image

Quote from: Florestan on January 14, 2022, 06:23:15 AM
So is yours, although I have never heard the Op. 130.

Thanks, I'd say this work is Saint-Saëns at his most Debussyian.

Florestan

Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

Mirror Image

Quote from: Florestan on January 14, 2022, 06:36:11 AM
I'm intrigued.  :)

It's by no means a "popular" work and I don't even believe it's been recorded too many times. I own a performance from Plasson (Warner) and Fischer (Hyperion).

Give it a listen:

https://www.youtube.com/v/7M208gTLazc

Florestan

Quote from: Mirror Image on January 14, 2022, 06:45:25 AM
It's by no means a "popular" work and I don't even believe it's been recorded too many times. I own a performance from Plasson (Warner) and Fischer (Hyperion).

Give it a listen:

https://www.youtube.com/v/7M208gTLazc

I will, later. Thanks.
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

Brian

alphabetically by title:

Clarinet Sonata
Etudes for solo piano, Op. 111
Piano Concerto No. 3
Piano Concerto No. 5
Samson et Dalila

I'm starting to really like the Septet, too, so if GMG ends up picking a consensus Favorite, I wouldn't mind if it was the Septet.  :)
Clearly my overall favorite work is the Fifth Concerto, however, as its finale appears on my list twice!

Jo498

I own and have heard most of his chamber and orchestral music, even a bit of choral music and Samson & Dalila but I know only a fraction of it well. So the list is strongly dependent on the pieces; I somehow want to included woodwind chamber music but I don't remember any of the sonatas...

Violin concerto #3
Violin sonata d minor
Beethoven variations for two pianos op.35
Piano concerto #4
Symphonie with organ
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

Mirror Image

Nice lists, Brian and Jo498. 8) And Brian, yes, the Septet might reach a GMG consensus and I wouldn't be surprised if it did since it's a magnificent work.

Jo498

I also like the septet, just didn't want to repeat the nomination. It might be the first "neo-baroque" piece, it's brilliant and funny. I also felt a bit unfair vs. all the other chamber music I vaguely recall to mostly like but it's just not sticking in your mind like the septet or that 1st violin sonata (one of about 3 or so, from which the author Proust supposedly fashioned an imaginary sonata in a novel).
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

Symphonic Addict

In no specific order:

Suite Algérienne
Piano Trio No. 2
Piano Concerto No. 5
Samson et Dalila
Phaéton
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Sergeant Rock

Symphony No. 3 "Organ"
Piano Concerto No. 4
Cello Concerto No. 1
Piano Concerto No. 1
Septet
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

amw

Piano Concertos Nos. 4 & 5
Violin Sonata No. 1
Clarinet Sonata
Beethoven Variations

but I was very tempted to just say Piano Concertos 1-5 and leave it there.

Wanderer

Quote from: amw on January 14, 2022, 09:45:05 AM
...but I was very tempted to just say Piano Concertos 1-5 and leave it there.

Same here.

Piano Concertos Nos. 1 - 4
Samson et Dalila

😎

Mirror Image

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on January 14, 2022, 09:20:31 AM
In no specific order:

Suite Algérienne
Piano Trio No. 2
Piano Concerto No. 5
Samson et Dalila
Phaéton

Great choices, Cesar!

kyjo

Now this is a fun poll! Great choices everyone! I'll go with:

Cello Sonata no. 1 in C minor
Fantaisie for violin and harp
Piano Concerto no. 1 in D major (really, I could've chosen any of them)
Piano Trio no. 2 in E minor
Symphony no. 3 in C minor avec Orgue

Bonus: Rhapsodie d'Auvergne for piano and orchestra

This reminds me, I haven't listened to his most famous work, Les carnival des animaux, in ages.....
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

Mirror Image

Quote from: kyjo on January 14, 2022, 06:46:01 PM
Now this is a fun poll! Great choices everyone! I'll go with:

Cello Sonata no. 1 in C minor
Fantaisie for violin and harp
Piano Concerto no. 1 in D major (really, I could've chosen any of them)
Piano Trio no. 2 in E minor
Symphony no. 3 in C minor avec Orgue

Bonus: Rhapsodie d'Auvergne for piano and orchestra

This reminds me, I haven't listened to his most famous work, Les carnival des animaux, in ages.....

Nice list, Kyle. The Fantasie for Violin & Harp is an outstanding work. So gorgeous. Honestly, it could've easily made my own list.

Brian

Quote from: kyjo on January 14, 2022, 06:46:01 PM
This reminds me, I haven't listened to his most famous work, Les carnival des animaux, in ages.....
The last time I heard Carnival was after finding out that my girlfriend - a classical-savvy person who went to the symphony as a kid and played oboe in high school orchestra - had never heard of it. She liked most of it but said that Le Cygne was "too sappy" and "wow, you don't have to be a professional cellist to play this, do you?"  ;D