Saint Saens

Streaming Classical (22-2): Saint Saens
Basic Repertoire (22-1): Saint Saens

With this post, I will renew a feature: posts dedicated to the works of one (or more) composer(s) that constitute Basic Repertoire (label: Classical Music - Basic Repertoire). I obviously won’t first write on giants like Bach, Beethoven, or Mozart, as they had produced way too many great works to be treated adequately in a shorter article. Let’s start with someone who is known but not nearly as well as he should be.

Last year was the Centenary of the death of the great Saint Saens. This was not lost on many quality record labels, which for the last few years had issued a lot of recordings, especially of his lesser known works. The discography has been immeasurably enhanced. First, recommendations for the audiophile favorites pieces.

Symphonies No. 3, “Organ Symphony” is well known. While no recording can fully capture the concert experience, many are positively stirring. The classic BSO/Munch probably cannot be bettered (RCA Living Stereo), and I also highly recommend Detroit SO/Paray (with no less than Marcel Dupre at the organ; Mercury Living Presence) and OSR/Ansermet (Decca). Jean Martinon is also very good (he recorded 2 that are very similar, but the sound qualities are not quite up to those mentioned here). Another very different reading that was recorded upfront is Chicago SO/Barenboim (DG), one of this volatile conductor’s better discs. Naturally, there had been a recent spate of recordings of this warhorse. The piece is so beautiful that it is hard to find a reading that totally disappoints. For a different take, try the very recent Les Siecles/Xavier-Roth (Harmonia Mundi). Rest assured, everything this team does is worthwhile (and in great sound) and the period instrument touches miraculously do not ruin the unabashed romanticism of this score. The coupled Piano Concerto No. 4 is also very nicely played by Heisser.

Danse Macabre and other Tone Poems Many of you have known Danse Macabre since your childhood screening of Disney cartoons. I don’t have a favorite but audiophiles swear by the sonically resplendent Philharmonia/Dutoit (Decca Ovation), which also contains the equally delightful work Le Rouet d’Omphale; usefully it also has 2 violin chestnuts described below very well played by Kyung-Wha Chung.

Carnival of the Animals This (particularly The Swan) is of course an audiophile favorite. As everyone probably has his own favorite, I won’t offer a recommendation. Every big name instrumentalist (like Argerich) has enlisted friends to record this work, and choices are unlimited. Find your own pick.

Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso and Havanaise These marvelous pieces sometimes get played because but they are frequently coupled with audiophile favorites Ziguenerweisen (Sarasate), Poeme (Chausson) and Tzigane (Ravel), as in Erick Friedman’s Violin Showpieces (RCA Silver Seal). The title was for the CD only and the material came from different LP recordings, The CD is long oop and fetches a good sum on the second-hand market. It has also spawned many opportunistic “audiophile” remasterings of no merit (XRCD, LPCD, HQCD etc). The material can also be heard on RCA’s Erik Friedman box, also oop but fortunately available for streaming. If you haven’t heard this album, by all means stream the material and see why it is so famous. I won’t say they are all first choice, but Friedman was certainly in his elements when he recorded them. Listen to them and you will know what is missing in many a performance (say, Mutter). For more violin morceaux, elegantly played, I recommend Tianwa Yang (Naxos).

The above works are about the only Saint Saens I’ve ever heard at audiophiles, but there are several that really ought to be in everyone’s collection.

Piano Concerto No 2 (out of 5) This is the only one played often. Obviously, it has its considerable charms. My first encounter is still unsurpassed: Rubinstein with Symphony of the Air/Wallenstein (RCA Living Stereo; better than his remake with PO/Ormandy). For years, there were no real competitors, but now things have changed a little; as detailed below, some recent piano concertos cycles are just lovely, though Rubinstein still reigns.

Violin Concerto No. 3 (out of 3) is the only one well known and it’s a very charming work. Many legendary violinists (like Szeryng and Grumiaux, but strangely not usually German or Russian ones; as an example, Heifetz never recorded this) have recorded this and I urge you to sample their recordings. For an offering in fine modern sound, I like the swift Kantorow (before he turned conductor), ably partnered by the Tapiola Sinfonietta/Kees Bakels (BIS, part of their excellent complete violin works series).

Cello Concerto No. 1 (out of 2) is the better known one, and has been recorded by many great cellists like Rostropovich and Tortelier, but I recommend a dark horse (Walevska on Decca). Given the large number of good French cellists, there are many good ones among recent offerings; I pine for Bertrand with the excellent Lucerne Symphony under Gaffigan (who can do no wrong; Harmonia Mundi).

What about the rest of the symphonies and concertos? Are they worth our attention? In this age of streaming I’d say it is an emphatic yes. The master’s music is always engaging (even his prodigious youthful works) and it’s always time well spent. If you want to relax after some strenuous listening (yes, good music can be challenging, even relentless), he’s your man.

Symphonies We have treated No. 3 above. As for the rest of the Symphonies (2 more aside from 1 and 2), they have always been neglected. For years we only had the very fine set by ORTF/Martinon (EMI). It is astonishing that just very recently no less than 3 cycles of his symphonies were issued. They are all very fine and there’s very little to choose between them. Suit your own taste. French National O/Macelaru (Warner) probably has the most powerful playing, but the Liege Royal Phil/Kantorow (BIS) play most sinuously (this is an under-sung orchestra). I haven’t heard the Utah SO/Thierry Fischer (Hyperion; not available on NML) but I’d bet they cannot beat the other two. Audiophiles (Americans mostly) tend to praise their regional orchestras to the sky (another example is Kansas on over-rated Reference Recordings) but, sorry to say, despite their power, they often lack the last ounce of tradition, vision and finesse that even “second-tier” European orchestras possess.

Piano Concertos Aside from Rubinstein’s No.2 (RCA, noted above), I have treasured the historic recordings of all 5 by French Doyenne Jeanne-Marie Darre (EMI, good mono). These works have received particularly great attention recently. Aside from the cycle by Descharmes (Naxos, noted below), there are great contributions by Chamayou (Warner), Kantorow (junior; BIS), Heisser (HM, noted above). A feast! Of course, all respectable French pianists of years past have recorded these works, but my feeling is these newer challengers are better.

NAXOS’ Comprehensive Survey Naxos has contributed greatly to the Centennial, All under the guidance of the excellent Malmo SO/Soustrot. Their Symphonies, from a few years back, are no less worthy than those mentioned above. The cello works (Schwabe), Piano concertos (Descharmes), and Violin works (Tianwa Yang) are all top-tier. Sonically very fine too.

Other Works The great composer was so prolific that we all have a hard time keeping up. There are innumerable chamber and solo works, for every imaginable combination. Not to mention vocal works. Maybe another time.

A Personal Favorite The cumbersome name is Caprice d’apres une Etude en forme de Valse (Caprice after an Etude in the Form of a Waltz). IMHO this work is top-tier, no less than any Saint Saens. BUT, it is an arrangement by the great Belgian violin virtuoso Ysaye (loved by the composer himself) that is really astonishing. The above-mentioned Kantorow’s disc of Violin Concerto No. 3 (BIS) contains this, and it is a fine performance, but my heart belongs to an older, more measured, recording featuring Yan Pascal Tortelier (similarly a violinist turned conductor, EMI), now likely only available buried in the EMI/Warner set of Birmingham/Fremaux.

Incidentally, I grew up with Fremaux’s and Martinon’s recordings, and they are still very good, but the modern recordings have sonic advantages.

I hope you have enjoyed this first installment.