SAINT-SAENS: Complete Symphonies [CD de audio] Orchestre ORTF, Saint-Saëns and Jean Martinon

One of the most naturally gifted composers, the young Camille Saint-Saëns completed the first of his five symphonies when he was only 15 years old. The result, the charming Symphony in A Major, composed in 1850, is a work so polished and accomplished that it is difficult to imagine that greater maturity would have allowed him to improve it. The Symphony in E flat, published as his Symphony No. 1 and Op.2, followed three years later, a striking work in which it is clear that the composer had made great progress. Both Berlioz and Gounod, who attended the premiere, were impressed by the assured technique, colorful orchestration, memorable melodies and sense of balance. The Symphony in F, a charming Schumann-style work, which won Saint-Saëns first prize in a competition, and the Symphony No. 2, a wonderfully crafted composition full of surprises, followed in 1856 and 1859, respectively. . However, the most popular of the five symphonies is undoubtedly Symphony No. 3, commonly known as the Organ Symphony. This radical work is constructed in two sections, using the Lisztian method of theme transformation. The huge orchestral ensemble, complete with four-hand piano, is used to its full potential, with the dramatic entrance of the organ at the beginning of the final section, a moment of exciting musical drama. While the Organ Symphony has deservedly earned a place in the repertoire, Jean Martinon's insightful and highly praised recordings reveal that the early symphonies are works of great appeal, deserving of much greater attention than they have been given. they are usually granted.