2021 will be the 100th birthday of Saint-Saëns' death. The next season will be an opportunity to hear some unsung works by this great French composer. Some operas are planned :
- Phryné (in Rouen and Paris, with Florie Valiquette, Patrick Bolleire and Anaïs Constans)
- Déjanire (with Véronique Gens, Chantal Santon-Jeffery and the Bayerischer Rundfunk Orchester)
Moreover, according to the website "Société Camille Saint-Saëns" :
- La princesse jaune (in Nantes)
- Les barbares (in Leipzig)
- Frédégonde (in Dortmund)
There's still a huge number of, as far as I know, unrecorded choral and other vocal works yet to be recorded. A bunch of incidental music too (the recent Naxos release had some music from Andromaque, unsure how much of what he wrote it was...)
There's tons of instrumental music that's listed in the thematic catalog, though how much exists beyond a fragment (or even just an incipit) I dunno.
There are two volumes (so far) detailing Saint-Saens manuscripts by Sabina Teller Ratner, however these books are extremely expensive and I doubt libraries would have a copy (or even find one via the interlibrary lending scheme). I believe these books are full of details of unknown and unplayed works.
Yeah, that's the 'thematic catalog' I was referring to. A lot of libraries DO have copies actually -- mostly universities granted -- in the US if your library is part of the program, you can Interlibrary Loan them, which I have done. Unfortunately as comprehensive as her books are, they also to a point are a bit vague on some details about things such as how performable a work really is -- she mentions measures but that could be cases where like, there's a melody line or whatever (as well as on if there are composer-made piano reductions of vocal music)
Thanks for that TerraEpon, I doubt our little library here in Yorkshire (UK) would have the faintest idea how to get copies!
Quote from: Matt on Saturday 08 February 2020, 20:36
2021 will be the 100th birthday of Saint-Saëns' death. The next season will be an opportunity to hear some unsung works by this great French composer. Some operas are planned :
- Phryné (in Rouen and Paris, with Florie Valiquette, Patrick Bolleire and Anaïs Constans)
- Déjanire (with Véronique Gens, Chantal Santon-Jeffery and the Bayerischer Rundfunk Orchester)
Moreover, according to the website "Société Camille Saint-Saëns" :
- La princesse jaune (in Nantes)
- Les barbares (in Leipzig)
- Frédégonde (in Dortmund)
Will these be recorded also or "just" performed?
QuoteI doubt our little library here in Yorkshire (UK) would have the faintest idea how to get copies!
Don't knock the UK lending library system - inter-library loan usually works in my experience, Jonathan. I recommend giving them a try. You may be pleasantly surprised.
I agree with Gareth. I managed to order in a book from the US using the system - although I had to read it in the library!
Christopher, as Phryné is supported by Palazzetto Bru Zane, I suppose that a recording is scheduled. About Déjanire, I suppose that Bru Zane is also involved (but we will have to wait for a confirmation in the next months). Concerning the other works, I have no idea or information.
By the way, I have forgotten two other events :
- the release in CD of Le timbre d'argent
- Henry VIII (in Brussels with Véronique Gens, Enguerrand de Hys and Nora Gubisch)
Yes, Phryne will be recorded, and performed in Paris (concert version) and most probably a stage production in Rouen.
Quote from: Matt on Sunday 09 February 2020, 20:11
Christopher, as Phryné is supported by Palazzetto Bru Zane, I suppose that a recording is scheduled. About Déjanire, I suppose that Bru Zane is also involved (but we will have to wait for a confirmation in the next months). Concerning the other works, I have no idea or information.
This is encouraging Matt! Obviously Fredegonde and Dejanire would be of most interest as there are no available complete recordings (AFAIK), though excerpts of both are available.
That Fredegonde and Dejanire may finally appear with complete recordings is great news. The YouTube excerpts of Fredegonde illustrate the beauty and power of the music. And the only music that I know of from Dejanire is found in Saint-Saens' earlier symphonic poem, La jeunesse d'Hercule - the rest is legendary- I have to investigate getting the excerpts that Christopher indicates [thank you for mentioning]. I am hoping to hear of more performances in the concert hall- and not only of the popular works, but more chamber pieces, and the tremendous legacy of instrumental music.
Heck, I'd be happy just to hear the so-called popular works. Where I'm located his beautiful music has all but vanished from concert programs. Haven't heard Danse Macabre, the Organ Symphony, any of the violin or piano concertos in years! Another composer heading to the Unsung pile I fear, along with Franck. I heard the Bassoon Sonata at a recital recently, but that's about it.
I guess it depends on where you live?... London has at least 3 concerts including his music next month, for example, including his 2nd piano trio on March 6 @ Regent Hall. (And last year Stephen Hough did concerto no.5 - April 10, London Phil.) New York City , also 3 in March including the first cello concerto on March 17. Etc....
Here in York last year we had the 3rd symphony and the 2nd piano concerto, in the same programme. Not sure there is as much this year though.
Bachtrack at least doesn't list anything [with Charles-Camille, that is] in York in the next few months, the nearest-by things being a concert with the 2nd trio in Nottingham on March 25, the oboe sonata in Sheffield on May 16, maybe the first cello concerto in Liverpool on June 4/5?...
Quote from: mjmosca on Saturday 15 February 2020, 14:20
...And the only music that I know of from Dejanire is found in Saint-Saens' earlier symphonic poem, La jeunesse d'Hercule - the rest is legendary- I have to investigate getting the excerpts that Christopher indicates [thank you for mentioning].....
Hello Mjmosca.
There's this aria "Viens o toi" from Act IV - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6wvQCz4q9Q (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6wvQCz4q9Q)
And two further (unnamed) tracks available for purchase here - https://www.operapassion.com/cd10214.html (https://www.operapassion.com/cd10214.html)
Product Description CD10214 Saint Saens Dejanire 1990 Lyon (extraits) DEJANIRE by Camille Saint-Saens, excerpts from 1911 opera # Lyon, 1990, cond. Serge Baudo # Dejanire-Dunja Vejzovic # Iole-Andree Francois # Phenice-Alexandra Papajakou # Philoctete-Peter Binder # I believe only excerpts were performed and this is not part of a complete performance.
I heard the third Symphony in London last Friday (LPO, cond.Krivine) and I see another performance by the RPO on 21st of April.
Quite a few of his pieces were in the Proms 2018, including PC 5 and another PC.
Thank you, Christopher for the links to Dejanira- will dive in! I am so impressed with the operas that I have heard, particularly Henry VIII, Ascanio, Etienne Marcel, and Proserpine in particular. But, we also really need live performances of the chamber works -all over! Here in the US we don't get that much of Saint-Saens, or anyone else beyond the stalwarts, because of the decline of the audience [aging and numerical] and the slow reduction of the number of concerts in the average season.One or two works of Saint-Saens in an average season here in Baltimore [we just had the Cello Concerto, Number 1, with Sheku Kannah-Mason]. It is worrisome for music overall.
Saint-Saens Symphony #3 with organ is just starting on the radio! thank you Powers that Be!
Depends on where in the US- there are here and there groups that make a point of various kinds of exploration- but generally true. (Incidentally Saint-Saëns' clarinet sonata is part of the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players concert on Monday.)
Though the Clarinet Sonata is a major piece in the clarinet rep, so....
True. A quick look at one particular convenient website (which hardly covers the world, of course!) shows several performances the rest of this season, and also of other works mostly well-known ones- though I don't recognize his "sonata for flute & harp in D" offhand (is that the fantasy or a different work? I don't have Teller-Ratner, unfortunately) and of his cello concertos several performances of no.1 to one of no.2...
Gotta be the Fantaisie, or some sort of compilation (perhaps of the Fantaisie, Romance and Odelette?)
There is a wonderfully sounding new book on the market:
Saint-Saens and the Stage: Operas, Plays, Pageants, a Ballet and a Film - Cambridge Studies in Opera (Hardback)
The author is Hugh Macdonald and it costs £90.00 !!!
https://www.waterstones.com/book/saint-saens-and-the-stage/hugh-macdonald/9781108426381 (https://www.waterstones.com/book/saint-saens-and-the-stage/hugh-macdonald/9781108426381)
Les barbares will be staged in Leipzig next year. The performance dates are as follows:
27 March, 3 April, 23 April, 30 April & 12 June 2021.
The cast:
Floria-Nora Sourouzian
Livie-Karin Lovelius
Marcomir-Dominick Chenes
Scaurus / Récitant-Randall Jakobsh
Le Veilleur-Matthias Stier
Hildibrath-Jonathan Michie
Leipzig Opera Chorus
Gewandhausorchester
Conductor-David Reiland
Here is the cast of the concert version of Déjanire
13th December 2020
Déjanire : Véronique Gens
Iole : Chantal Santon-Jeffery
Phénice : Marie Gautrot
Hercule : Michele Angelini
Philoctète : Boris Pinkhasovich
Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Münchner Rundfunkorchester (conductor : Stefan Blunier)
As it is a Sonntagskonzert, there will be a broadcast on BR Klassik (and probably a CD release) !
Unfortunately, Déjanire concert is cancelled (Palazzetto Bru Zane website). Don't know if it is postponed. :(
Let's hope the virus doesn't completely wreck any celebration of the anniversary of his death. By the way, check out the piano pieces he wrote for left hand alone, quite different from a lot of left hand alone repertoire, somewhat spare and elegant. And I doubt that unless it is discovered that Samson et Dalilah was secretly written by someone else he will ever really disappear from view quite as completely as some people seem to fear. And the Organ Symphony still seems to find a place in the repertoire when the is some big organ to show off (and sometimes, alas, when there isn't--I heard a performance once with an electronic organ).