Saint-Saëns composer of first original film music

[Wheesht]

This album of symphonic poems by Saint-Saëns with Les Siècles under François-Xavier Roth contains the first original film music – written for the 1908 short film L'Assassinat du duc de Guise, op. 128.

[eschiss1]

There's at least four other recordings btw besides this one from 2023 - another Harmonia Mundi one, from 1993 (reissued 1997, 2000, 2003) coupled with the piano quintet and (again) the Carnaval ; one of a transcription played by Cyprien Katsaris on Willowhayne Records, 2022 ; a Melodiya recording from 1988 or earlier (Музыка французского кино (Music for French Films)) - and lastly? a 2017 2-disc set called "Paris 1900" in a "Resonances" series or label (not sure...). Good to have a new recording though, that's still not many. Thanks!!

Edit: also this LP of music for silent films...

(And afaik, the technology to incorporate music and voice into the films was a ways off, the Saint-Saëns was just the first music written _specifically_ to be performed at the theater during performances of a specific film.)

[TerraEpon]

Huh, never heard of the Melodiya recording or the 'Paris 1900' one. Would love some more info especially on the later.

[eschiss1]

Apparently it's _also_ a Harmonia Mundi set: description. Disc 2, tracks 3-7 (in the Apple Music popup).

Rozhdestvensky is the conductor on the Melodiya LP. Not sure if that's from the 1970s or 1984 or what. That recording is apparently on YouTube here.

Blog post about the Musique oblique recording...

Bruzane page... Wikipedia page on the film.

[Wheesht]

Finding that new(ish) recording of the film music was a by-product of my searching for information on an instrument I have long been fascinated by: a Pleyel Double Grand piano.
This review (in German) on the Radio Stephansdom website was one of the search results. Here's a translation of the extract:

In "The Carnival of the Animals," a historic double grand piano, a "piano vis-à-vis" made by Pleyel in 1928, can be heard. It is a fascinating instrument with one body but two keyboards and string systems. Saint-Saëns' allusion to Mendelssohn's scherzo from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" can be heard in brilliant colors—the double bass slips into the role of the elephant.