Camille Saint- Saëns · Romanticism
1835–1921
1886 · Symphony · London
Tonality
Do minor; ends triumphally in major.
Instruments
- Four-hand organ and piano.
- Great orchestra: wood, four tubes, trumpets, thrombons, tuba, timbales, percussion and rope.
From the atril
The Royal Philharmonic Society of London commissioned this symphony to Saint- Saëns, who directed it at the premiere at St James's Hall in May 1886. He himself said he had put in it all he could give. Liszt, his great valor, died a few weeks later, and Saint-Saëns dedicated the score to his memory.
Although known as «Symphony with organ», is not a concert: the organ is integrated into the orchestra, first with a serene background in the Little Adagio and then with an imposing chord that opens the end. The four-hand piano adds color flashes. The four classic movements are grouped into two large parts, and the same theme is transformed throughout the work, a technique learned from Liszt.
What to hear
- The soft entry of the organ into the Little Adagio.
- The big major do chord of the organ that opens the end.
- The piano arpegios with four hands on the main theme.
Listen
Saint- Saint- Saint-: 3. Sinfonie (»Orgelsinfonie«) ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester ∙ Iveta Apkalna ∙ Riccardo Minasi · hr-Sinfonieorchester - Frankfurt Radio Symphony
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