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CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921)
Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2
Radio Symphony Orchestra Frankfurt
conducted by:
ELIAHU INBAL
PTC 5186 157
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DSD remastered
THE UNIVERSAL GENIUS
The
development of the symphony in France until the beginning of modern times
was primarily geared towards the mainstream, traditional German genre, focussing
mostly on Mozart and Haydn, and – later on – mainly on Beethoven.
In the case of the ensuing Romantic composers, Mendelssohn and Schumann, on
whom European eyes were very quickly focussed, this statement is yet further
underlined. But which parallel stages were now developing in France? Up until
the 1820’s, Joseph Haydn’s four-movement symphony was considered
the example to follow: for instance, his classical “diction” and
treatment of the orchestra was taken over to a certain extent by Méhul
and Reicha. Whereas the role played by the symphony in France had until then
been quite a superficial one, the situation changed quite suddenly as Beethoven’s
works began to emerge. Hector Berlioz carried out the most significant analysis
of Beethoven’s oeuvre, developing in his Symphonie fantastique perhaps
the most extreme transformation of the model created by Beethoven. Inevitably,
there was no real successor to Berlioz, who had radically expanded the genre
(also in his more classically oriented Harold en Italie and in his “symphonie
dramatique”, Roméo et Juliette, which integrated vocal elements
into the symphonic movement). Apart from a few “excursions” to
the “ode symphonie”, other composers returned in their works to
the classical elegance and freedom of programme, although influenced by Mendelssohn
and Schumann. Among these works rank mainly compositions by Gounod, Bizet and
Fétis.
However, the most important representative of the “Classicists” in
the late 19th century was Camille Saint-Saëns, perhaps the only “universal
genius in the history of music”, as he was respectfully called by 20th-century
critics, who otherwise accused him of unconcealed conservatism. He was poet
and dramatist, but also astronomer, scientist, cartoonist, teacher and journalist.
Nowadays, many of these other activities have been forgotten – only the
compositions of Saint-Saëns remain, written during an almost unbelievable
period of 80 years. A man, who was born eight years after the death of Beethoven,
and died eight years after the première of Stravinsky’s Sacre
du printemps – it is hard to imagine any other composer experiencing
such an abundance of musical developments, innovations and change in his
lifetime.
Saint-Saëns proved to be a true “Monstrum an Begabung” (Kraemer
= monster of talent), who was able to read notes and letters in no time. At
three-and-a-half years old, he was writing his first piano compositions and,
at the age of seven, reading Latin and Greek. While still an infant, he received
piano lessons as well as lessons in the theory of music, and following his
first concerts at the age of 10, the child prodigy was acclaimed as the “new
Mozart”. For two decades, he was the organist at the Église de
la Madeleine in Paris; he toured the world as a conductor; and in 1871, he
became one of the founders of the Société Nationale de Musique.
The restlessness that coursed through his everyday life is reflected in the
versatility of his compositions, which cover almost all musical genres. Nevertheless,
only a few of his works remain in the present-day concert repertoire: for example,
his Carnival of Animals; his “Organ” Symphony (about which the
composer wrote in 1914: “Everything I had to give, I gave to this work...I
will never be able to write anything like this again”); the symphonic
poem Danse macabre; as well as a number of concertos.
His early symphonic works were dismissed by French audiences as too scholarly.
Nevertheless, both his Symphony in A (1850) and his Symphony in F, with the
epithet Urbs Romana (1856) – which did not receive an opus number – are
full of close motivic references, and possess clear formal proportions as
well as transparent instrumentation.
He wrote his Symphony No. 1 in E flat, Op. 2 – which lasts about half
an hour – in 1853 (when he was eighteen years old!): both its formal
balance and peaceful tone make it an impressive work. The influence of Mendelssohn
and Schumann is clearly audible. The three movements of the sonata form are
interrupted by repetitions of the slow introduction, from which is derived
the dotted motif that dominates the entire first movement. The Allegretto scherzando
presents the themes in a canonical manner, superimposed on a dancing rhythm
in the strings. The slow movement is lyrical and full of modulations, its expansively
spun-out melody overlying a mysterious tremolo in the strings. The martial
Finale introduces a large contingent of wind-players. A powerful Fugato provides
a sparkling ending. Just to mention an interesting bon mot: at its première,
the symphony was at first presented as the work of an anonymous German master.
Only after it became highly popular, did Saint-Saëns decide to confess
to the authorship.
In its expressivity and the manner in which it deviates from the sonata form,
his Symphony No. 2 in A minor, Op. 55 from 1859 far surpasses his earlier
works. The first movement is introduced by a series of descending thirds,
which returns
not only during the movement, but also throughout the entire work in various
rhythmic forms. The theme of the short Adagio, which makes only heavy progress,
gives it more the character of an elegiac intermezzo, before the two-part
Scherzo enters, which deviates from the general form, answering with powerful
accents.
The virtuoso Finale is a wild tarantella, presenting numerous themes, until
the movement reaches a surprising standstill – before, at last, the
final dance starts up to conclude the movement.
| Symphony No. 1 in E flat, Op. 2 | ||
| 1 | Adagio – Allegro |
8. 35 |
| 2 | Marche – Scherzo |
4. 21 |
| 3 | Adagio |
11. 27 |
| 4 | Finale (Allegro maestoso) | 7. 17 |
| Symphony No. 2 in A minor, Op. 55 | ||
| 5 | Allegro marcato |
7. 02 |
| 6 | Adagio |
3. 45 |
| 7 | Scherzo (Presto) |
5. 00 |
| 8 | Prestissimo | 7. 19 |
Total playing-time 55.
15 |
||
A different symphonic Saint-Saëns, before the Organ Symphony….. One doesn't seriously miss the center channel and would never know this was an over-30-year-old recording if it weren't for the fine print on the jewel box.
John Sunier, Audiophile Audition
“PentaTone has done it again. It's another splendid SACD reissue in Direct
Stream Digital of a quadro recording from the 70's. Eliahu Inbal - to my mind,
a much-underrated conductor - leads the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra
in persuasive accounts of Camille Saint-Saëns' Symphonies No.
1 & 2, under-recorded works that deserve a hearing.
--Dr Phil Muse, Atlanta Audio Society