Search - Saint-Saens, Butt, Lso :: Symphony 2 / Suite Algerienne

Pleasant off-beat Saint-Saens

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 02/06/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"It's amazing to consider that Camille Saint-Saens', born in Berliox's lifetime and only a few years after the death of Beethoven and Schubert, should survive long enough to attend the premiere of the Rite of Spring! (his dates are 1835-1921.) He was a child prodigy and vastly admired in his lifetime. Both composer and critics would be shocked by this sentence about him from Wikipeida: "His works have been called logical and clean, polished, professional, and never excessive." Far worse than this faint praise has been uttered.



Out of his large output, Saint-Saens has a clutch of works that will never die, and since one of them is the Organ Symphony (No. 3), listeners might be curious to hear the work that preceded it. Saldy, Synm. #2 couldn't be more timid and bland, evoking nothing so much as academic Mendelssohn slowed down to a leisrely walk.



The Suite algerienne has a promising title, and one is reminded that Saint-Saens evoked the Middle East (sort of) in his opera Samson and Delilah. But where Delacroix found incrddible passion, color, and violence in North Africa, Saint-Saens is on a gnetleman's rourist train. The Prelude is the most exotic, robust part; the rest veers into the gentility of Massaent's Thais. However, the condluding Marche militaire, stirpped of African associations, became s light-classic standard.



One of Saint-Saens' strong suits was the symphonic poem, inspired by Liszt's untrammelled vulgarity to the extent that S-S roused himself a bit more than usual. Here we get Phaeton, depicting Apollo's galloping chariot as it races across the sky. It's not exactly Mazeppa, Liszt's horse-inspired chestnut, but Saint-Saen's toy ponies trip nicely, and then we get what I suppose is a storm followed by a humn to the sun. Pretty nice.



Yondani Butt isn't a name to conjure with, but he's serviceable, and the LSO is willing to play well enough for him. In the end, I wasn't unhappy to have passed the time with them."

Some Saint-Saens rarities worth a listen

George Locke | California | 09/09/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I take no issue with most of the opinions stated in the only other review this disc has so far received (posted by Santa Fe Listener). Saint-Saëns' Second Symphony does have its "academic" qualities, and Phaëton probably misses the mark as a minor masterpiece. What I find most valuable about the CD is its inclusion of the Suite Algérienne in complete form -- even more of a rarity (in both recording studio and concert hall) than Phaëton. The rousing final movement (the Marche militaire française) used to be something of a chestnut, especially on the radio, and it's good to hear it again. But the gentle third movement (Rêverie du soir) is gorgeous in its own right, and it's astonishing that it has remained in obscurity for so long. What a pity that the late Sir Thomas Beecham never embraced these two movements from the Suite at least. Otherwise a champion of Saint-Saëns' music, he would have found these "Lollipops" very receptive to the magic only he could conjure forth. In any case, I have no serious quarrel with the performances on this CD. Yondani Butt offers up sensitively-shaped interpretations throughout, and he deserves our gratitude for helping bring to light some very pleasant music."