Saint-Saens / Malmo Symphony Orchestra / Soustrot - Symphonies 3 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Precocious as a child, Camille Saint-Saëns was once known as the French Mendelssohn. The remarkably assured First Symphony, completed at the age of 17, was praised by Berlioz and Gounod at it's first performance. The elegantly crafted Second Symphony defies convention not least by basing the first movement on a fugue, while the symphonic poem Phaéton skillfully brings this Greek mythological drama to life with stampeding horses, thunderbolts and a moving apotheosis. This is Volume 1 of 3 devoted to the five Saint-Saëns Symphonies. Album Tracks 1. 1 1 I. Adagio - Allegro 2. 1 2 II. Marche - Scherzo Allegretto Scherzando 3. 1 3 III. Adagio 4. 1 4 IV. Finale Allegro Maestoso 5. 1 5 I. Allegro Marcato - Piu Allegro - Tempo Primo - Piu Allegro - Tempo Primo - Allegro Appassionato 6. 1 6 II. Adagio 7. 1 7 III. Scherzo Presto - Un Poco Meno Mosso 8. 1 8 IV. Prestissimo - Andantino - Tempo Primo 9. 1 9 Phaeton, Op. 39

Saint-Saëns' operatic works contain instrumental music of vivacity and charm but have been undeservedly overlooked. Ascanio contains a substantial and elaborate divertissement that fellow composer Reynaldo Hahn termed 'the entire Renaissance in a few pages'. Les Barbares, a tale of conquest and revenge, includes a vivid Prologue and joyful ballet, while La Princesse jaune with it's pentatonic writing, and La Jota aragonese laced with Spanish vitality, show the composer at his most generously carefree. Jun Markl is a highly-respected interpreter of core Germanic repertoire and has become known for his refined and idiomatic explorations of the French Impressionists. His long-standing relationships with the state operas of Vienna, Berlin and Munich, the Semperoper Dresden and the Metropolitan Opera have been complemented by his music directorships of the Orchestre National de Lyon and the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra. In recognition of his achievements in Lyon, he was honoured in 2012 with the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Märkl has an extensive discography - among the over 50 albums he has recorded are the complete Schumann symphonies, works by Mendelssohn and Wagner, Ravel, Messiaen, and a highly-acclaimed Debussy set with the Orchestre National de Lyon. He is currently working on a cycle of works by Saint-Saëns and Hosokawa. Album Tracks 1. Ascanio - Ballet Act III (1887-88) 2. Les Barbares - Prologue (1901) 3. La Jota Aragonese - Overture (1880) 4. Andromaque - Act IV Prélude (1902) 5. Andromaque - Overture (1902) 6. La Princesse Jaune - Overture (1871-72) 7. Ouverture D'un Opéra-Comique Inachevé (1854) 8. Ascanio

Album Tracks 1. 1st Movement Allegro Tempestuoso 2. 2nd Movement Lento 3. 3rd Movement Scherzo (Allegro Ma Non Troppo) 4. 4th Movement Poco Maestoso - Allegro Risoluto 5. 1st Movement Allegro Piacevole 6. 2nd Momentment Poco Lento E Liberamente 7. 3rd Movement Country Dance (Allegro Giocoso) 8. 4th Movement Andante 9. 1st Movement Allegro 10. 2nd Movement Alla Sarabanda - Andantino 11. 3rd Movement Scherzo (Allegro Molto) 12. 4th Movement Allegro Risoluto