Camille SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921)
The Complete Symphonies
Symphony in A major (1850) [25:04]
Symphony No.1 in E flat Op.2 (1852) [30:41]
Symphony No.2 in A minor Op.55 (1878) [22:43]
Symphony in F 'Urbs Roma' (1856) [40:37]
Symphony No.3 in C minor Op.78 'Organ' (1886) [36:15]
Orchestre National de l'ORTF/Jean Martinon
Bernard Gavoty (organ)
rec. 18-23 November 1974, Salle Wagram, Paris (in A); 18-23 November 1974,
Salle Wagram, Paris (Urbs); 11-12 July and 29-30 November 1972, Salle Wagram,
Paris (1, 2); 9-10 January 1975, Église Saint-Louis des Invalides, Paris (3).
ADD
EMI CLASSICS 6318042 [79:05 + 77:13] 
To call Saint-Saëns' output uneven is to put it mildly, and this cycle of
his symphonies demonstrates what a problem that can be. The Third is far and
away the best work here, and the other four symphonies don't even come close.
But that doesn't mean they're not worth listening to. The difficulty is in
forgetting about the Third while you're listening to the others and considering
each on its own terms. In fact, EMI would have done Saint-Saëns' first four
symphonies a real favour by omitting the Organ Symphony altogether, although
I don't think their accountants would warm to the idea.
Another big problem for Saint-Saëns was his prodigious juvenilia, and among
the child prodigy composers throughout musical history, he was surely amongst
the busiest in his early years. The three unnumbered symphonies here are the
largest-scale of his early works. The Symphony in A dates from around his
15th year, while the Symphony in F 'Urbs Roma' was written as an
entry for a competition, one that he won without too much trouble.
But he was wise not to publish or number either of those works, as they pale
in comparison to the other three. The unpublished symphonies show proficiency
in terms of orchestration and in generally fulfilling the generic requirements
of the form. But they lack originality, and there isn't much direction to
the music. On the other hand, they provide excellent preparatory listening
for those seeking to contextualise the mature symphonies. The primary influences
on all of Saint-Saëns' symphonies seem to be Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, the
latter mediated by Schumann. Listening to the youthful symphonies, it is fascinating
to hear how the composer takes Mozart as the starting point for a symphonic
style that takes its formal responsibilities lightly. Inner movements are
always sprightly and never far from the rhythm of a dance. And the outer movements
tend towards the grandeur of Beethoven, but there is always a sense of reticence
(typically French) towards the pomposity of Beethoven's strident, heroic style.
Of the first two numbered symphonies, the Second is by far the superior. It
is definitely the closest in style and accomplishment to the Organ Symphony,
and like its more famous successor, it successfully conjoins the Baroque counterpoint
of Bach, the Classical opulence of Beethoven, and the French Romantic warmth
that is distinctively Saint-Saëns. The fugal, or at least contrapuntal, first
movement has shades of the Organ Symphony's finale, while the stately second
movement takes us back to Mozart, not as pastiche, but rather as fully digested
influence.
To my knowledge, this is the only available complete set of Saint-Saëns' symphonies,
but this is at least its second, and possibly its third, appearance on CD
(review).
That said, each of the symphonies is available elsewhere, and I think the
BIS and ASV between them could offer the full set. However, it is only really
the Third Symphony that is subject to rigorous competition, and by modern
standards the performance and recording quality are reasonable at best. Jean
Martinon and his players never exaggerate anything in the music, which means
we are thankfully spared some of the worst interpretive excesses that can
befall the finale. On the other hand, they are often relaxed to a fault, especially
in the first movement, or rather the first half of the first movement if we
are to follow the composer's bipartite scheme. Where other conductors would
inject some momentum where the exposition emerges from the slow introduction,
Martinon continues at a relaxed pace, and continues in that vein for pretty
much the whole symphony.
The roundness of the string sound is bonus, as is the definition of in the
bass. But the string ensemble is loose by modern standards, and the woodwind
aren't much better. The best playing from the orchestra comes from the brass
and percussion. The solo trumpet is distinctive and has a wonderfully slow,
narrow vibrato, it's almost a spaghetti western sound. The timpanist has his
work cut out in this symphony and he (I'm assuming) really makes the most
of it. That focused penetrating tone of the lower timps provides the perfect
compliment to the roundness of the string sound.
Generally, the sound quality is good for the early 1970s, but never exceptional.
For obvious reasons, the orchestra moves into church – Les Invalides no less
– for the Organ Symphony, but the engineers manage to retain the apparent
resonance at concert hall levels. The piano is artificially amplified in the
finale to the point of excess, while the balance between the organ and the
orchestra is just about right.
But you're not going to buy this set for the Organ Symphony. It is the first
and second numbered symphonies that make this set worthwhile. I've no doubt
that both works appear somewhere on a to-do list at Naxos, but until they
get round to it this is probably the best of the few options available.
Gavin Dixon
The best of the few options available.