Saint-Saëns: Dances & Ballet Music

Featuring

Jun Märkl
Residentie Orkest Den Haag
Camille Saint-Saëns

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Composition History

Saint-Saëns' opera Henry VIII, along with Étienne Marcel and Ascanio, aimed to re-establish French grand opéra against the rising influence of Wagnerism.

Compositional Technique

The Prélude to Henry VIII features a melodic idea found by Saint-Saëns in the Buckingham Palace library during a visit to play for Queen Victoria and study Handel's manuscripts.

Performer Biography

Jun Märkl, a conductor known for his interpretations of Germanic repertoire and French Impressionists, serves as principal guest conductor of the Residentie Orkest The Hague.

Critical Reception

With the exception of Samson et Dalila, all of Saint-Saëns' operatic ventures, including Henry VIII, have fallen into obscurity.

Compositional Technique

The ballet music for Henry VIII includes a Scottish Idyll that uses bagpipe-like drones and an Irish jig, offering a Gallic interpretation of British musical styles.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Saint-Saëns initially championed progressive figures like Wagner and Liszt, but later adopted a more conservative approach rooted in French Baroque traditions.

Composer Biography

Camille Saint-Saëns was an extraordinary musical prodigy, making his concert debut at age ten and offering to perform any of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas as an encore.