Saint-Saëns: Symphonic Poems

Featuring

Ivor Bolton
Sinfonieorchester Basel
Camille Saint-Saëns

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Saint-Saëns was heavily influenced by Franz Liszt's forward-looking musical ideas, including experimental forms, harmonies, and the concept of progressive theme transformation.

Critical Reception

Early symphonic poems by Saint-Saëns, like Le rouet d'Omphale and Phaéton, were met with considerable reserve and even outright rejection by the public and press.

Recording & Production

This recording of Saint-Saëns's four symphonic poems is based on a new critical edition published in 2019 by Hugh Macdonald as part of the complete instrumental works.

Composer Biography

Before writing his first symphonic poem, Saint-Saëns had already composed four symphonies, three piano concertos, and two violin concertos, earning him a reputation as a 'prickly innovator'.

Compositional Technique

The Danse macabre by Saint-Saëns features a violin retuned to g-d-a-e-flat and the first-ever use of a xylophone in Western music, which caused a sensation.

Composition History

The Bacchanale from Saint-Saëns's opera Samson et Dalila owes its premiere to Franz Liszt, who organized it in Weimar after the opera had been repeatedly rejected in France.

Composition History

Camille Saint-Saëns's four symphonic poems, including those on this album, were written in the 1870s, following in the footsteps of his mentor Franz Liszt.