Penguin Guide 3 stars; BBC Music Magazine: outstanding.
This album presents a vivid and wide-ranging portrait of Camille Saint-Saëns as composer, organist, and musical innovator, centered around his celebrated Symphony No. 3 in C minor, “Organ”, Op. 78.
Composed in 1886 and dedicated “In memory of Franz Liszt,” this symphony is a unique two-movement work structured in four sections, combining orchestral brilliance with the grandeur of the organ and piano. Its lush, expansive orchestration marked a rare moment in the 19th century when the organ appeared as an equal partner to the orchestra.
Also featured is the famous Danse macabre, Op. 40 (1874), a spirited tone poem inspired by a poem by Henri Cazalis. With eerie harp strokes, rattling xylophone bones, and a ghostly violin solo, Saint-Saëns paints a chilling musical depiction of Death’s midnight waltz—before the rooster’s crow chases away the spirits at dawn.
The Bacchanale from the opera Samson et Dalila offers an exotic orchestral interlude full of rhythmic energy and Middle Eastern color, while the Trois Rhapsodies sur des cantiques bretons, Op. 7, celebrate Breton folk and religious traditions. These early works for organ reveal Saint-Saëns’ orchestral imagination even within a sacred context.
Performed by Hans Fagius on the organs of the Stockholm Concert Hall and St. Jacob’s Church, and by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra under James DePreist, this recording captures the dramatic range and stylistic versatility of Saint-Saëns’ music—from solemn reverence to virtuosic vitality.
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