By the age of ten, Saint-Saëns had memorized all of Beethoven's piano sonatas and showed aptitude for a wide variety of subjects.
Compositional Technique
Franz Liszt described Saint-Saëns as the greatest living organist, while Hans von Bülow called him the greatest musical mind of the time after hearing him sight-read Wagner's Siegfried.
Composer Biography
Camille Saint-Saëns, like Mozart and Mendelssohn, showed remarkable musical precocity, beginning piano lessons at two and a half years old.
Recording & Production
This album is part of a project to record the complete orchestral works of Camille Saint-Saëns for Naxos, which began in August 2013.
Critical Reception
Despite his early fame, by the time of his death in 1921, Saint-Saëns had somewhat outlived his reputation in France, an era dominated by composers like Les Six and Stravinsky.
Composer Biography
Saint-Saëns was instrumental in founding the Société Nationale de Musique in 1871, an organization dedicated to promoting French music.
Composition History
Saint-Saëns' Symphony No. 3, known as the 'Organ' Symphony, was commissioned by the London Royal Philharmonic Society and dedicated to the memory of Franz Liszt.
You might also enjoy...
Schubert: Symphony No. 10 & Other Unfinished Symphonies
Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 / Strauss: Don Juan
Mendelssohn: The Complete Symphonies Vol. 1
Spohr: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 6
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 1, Symphony No. 5 & The Hebrides
Mendelssohn in Birmingham, Vol. 2
Sibelius: Symphonies Nos.4-7; The Swan of Tuonela; Tapiola
Sir Colin Davis – Staatskapelle Dresden
Mendelssohn: The Complete Symphonies
Spohr: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5
Wilms: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 4 - Overture in D
Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3 & Academic Festival Overture
