Fanny Clamagirand, the violinist on this recording, plays a 1700 Matteo Goffriller violin and is supported by Anne-Sophie Mutter and Vladimir Spivakov.
Composer Biography
Camille Saint-Saëns, like Mozart and Mendelssohn, showed remarkable musical precocity as a child, starting piano lessons at two and a half.
Composer Biography
By the age of ten, Saint-Saëns had memorized all of Beethoven's piano sonatas and appeared in public concerts.
Critical Reception
Saint-Saëns, once known as the "French Mendelssohn," composed music that aimed to delight rather than shock, appealing to audiences with its clarity and attractive invention.
Composition History
After the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, Saint-Saëns was instrumental in founding the Société Nationale de Musique, aimed at propagating French music.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Saint-Saëns's intellectual curiosity led him to champion contemporary music and promote the rediscovery of older composers' works.
Composer Biography
By the time of his death in Algeria in 1921, Saint-Saëns had somewhat outlived his reputation in France, where the musical landscape was dominated by figures like Les Six and Stravinsky.
