Composer: Charles Camille Saint-Saëns
Orchestra: Les Siècles
Conductor: François-Xavier Roth
Number of Discs: 2
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Harmonia Mundi
Catalogue: HMM90261415
Release: 2023
Size: 1.68 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
CD 01
01. Phaéton, Op. 39
02. La Jeunesse d’Hercule, Op. 50
03. Le Rouet d’Omphale, Op. 31
04. Danse Macabre: Danse macabre, Op. 40
05. Samson et Dalila, Op. 47, Act III Scene 2: Bacchanale
CD 02
Le Carnaval des Animaux, R. 125
01. I. Introduction et Marche royale du lion
02. II. Poules et Coqs
03. III. Hémiones (Animaux véloces)
04. IV. Tortues
05. V. L’Éléphant
06. VI. Kangourous
07. VII. Aquarium
08. VIII. Personnages à longues oreilles
09. IX. Le Coucou au fond des bois
10. X. Volière
11. XI. Pianistes
12. XII. Fossiles
13. XIII. Le Cygne
14. XIV. Final
L’Assassinat du duc de Guise, Op. 128
15. Prélude
16. Premier tableau
17. Deuxième tableau
18. Troisième tableau
19. Quatrième tableau
20. Cinquième tableau
François-Xavier Roth and Les Siècles offer us a double-sided portrait of Saint-Saëns here. On one side, some of the most fascinating symphonic poems of French Romanticism are revealed in all the shimmering timbres of the period. On the other, we rediscover a composer who enjoyed a good laugh (The Carnival of the Animals also returns to its original colours) when he was not involved in the early days of the cinema, with the very first music ever composed for a film.