Search - Camille Saint-Saens, Mariss Jansons, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra :: Saint-Saëns: Symphonie No. 3 "avec orgue"; Violonkonzert No. 3

Fair concerto but the symphony is a dog

Larry VanDeSande | Mason, Michigan United States | 08/16/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Mariss Jansons' traversal of the St. Saens "Organ" symphony was rightly described as a disaster in an overview that appeared in American Record Guide. Not only does Jansons stretch tempi to the limit in both directions, his organ entry is a failure of titanic proportions. It dwarfs everything during its entry in the final movement and is loud enough to blow your speakers if you've had them cranked up. The organ is so loud in the back half of the final movement that it nearly drowns out the orchestra.



There are other weird effects that spoil this recording. At one point in the second movement the music gets very quiet...and just seems to stop. When I first heard this I thought the CD had stopped spinning. About four second pass before it picks up again. I've never read the score for this music but, based on other performances I've heard, this must be an abberation.



As is this weren't bad enough, Jansons holds the final notes for 5-6 seconds, not counts, longer than in any performance I've ever heard, as if he's trying to achieve some act of eternity. It isn't like this clone of Karajan to stamp his personality all over the score like he does here, where he conducts as if he is Stokowski on a very bad day.



Frank Peter Zimmerman's performance of the engaging and dramatic St. Saens Third Violin Concerto is a model of propriety by comparison. Zimmerman plays well and does nothing to upset the apple cart. Unfortunately, he does nothing to distinguish himself in the music, either.



My favorites of these two works continue to be two long out of print recordings. For the organ symphony, I still enjoy the Ernest Ansermet-L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande recording that came out on London/Decca in the 1960s and made a brief return on CD in the 1990s. Its CD diskmate, Franck's D Minor Symphony, is another outstanding performance by the underrated romantic Swiss conductor from yesteryear.



My favorite recording of the concerto is by Alfredo Campoli, accompanied by Pierino Gamba and the London Symphony Orchestra, whose last appearance was on a discount London STS LP you could buy for $2 new in the 1970s. This record has an additional bonus -- the one movement version of Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 1 put forward by Kreisler.



Whatever your favorites are of this music, nothing going on in this recording will replace them. You will need to look elsewhere for any satisfaction."

All I can say is...WOW!!

Jeffrey Birch | Algoma, Wisconsin, USA | 09/01/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With appreciation to all who have reviewed this version of the Organ Symphony on these pages, I must say that I could not disagree more with them. This is the performance of the Third I have waited three decades to hear. Admittedly, I'm a little obsessed with this work, but I have looked for a long time for a recording that features the organ prominently each time it is played. Rather than your home, imagine yourself in a grand concert hall with a magnificent organ. You have clear view of the organist and listen intently each time he or she has fingers on the keys. This is the experience of this recording. This is what I imagine Saint-Saens would have wanted if he performed it himself. It is a rare treat to hear the Third performed live, and this is what I hope it will feel like the next time I do. Bravo!"

THE BEST EVER

CHRISTOPHER ROBERT | 04/27/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I COULD NOT DISAGREE MORE WITH YOUR FIRST TWO REVIEWERS. AND LIKE THE THIRD REVIEWER, I TOO HAVE WAITED THREE DECADES FOR THIS , THE BEST EVER RECORDING OF THE ORGAN SYMPHONY. I HEARD IT ON THE RADIO HERE IN AUSTRALIA AND BEGAN THE SEARCH FOR IT IMMEDIATELY. FOR THOSE WHO HAVE YET TO HEAR IT, I PROMISE YOU HAVE THE EXPERIENCE OF 'ONCE IN A LIFETIME' COMING. THE GRANDEUR OF THE LAST MOVEMENT IS EXTRAORDINARY, THE HUGE REVERBERANT ACOUSTIC OF ST. OUEN IN ROUEN, THE AWESOME CAVAILLE-COLL GRAND ORGAN, AND YES, THAT LAST CHORD IS HELD UNTIL YOURE ALMOST BREATHLESS; THE FULL ECHO DYING AWAY IN THE VAST BASILICA COMPLETES THE MOST SUPERB PERFORMANCE EVER PUT ON DISC OF THIS WORK . BY THE WAY I HAVE COLLECTED AT LEAST A DOZEN VARIOUS RECORDINGS OF THIS WORK AND THE BOSTON/MUNCH DOSEN'T HOLD A CANDLE TO THE OSLO/MARSHALL. MARISS JANSONS AND WAYNE MARSHALL, THANK YOU FOR MANA FROM HEAVEN. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED."