BaL 7.02.15 - Saint-Saëns: Symphony no. 3

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

0930
Building a Library
Geoffrey Norris sorts the sheep from the goats among the available recordings of Saint-Saëns's 'Organ' Symphony to make a personal recommendation. With its catchy tunes and colourful orchestration, including a famously thrilling organ entry, Saint-Saëns's Symphony No. 3 has been a perennial favourite on record and in the concert hall - and a challenge to recording engineers.

Available versions:

Moscow Symphony Orchestra, Antonio de Almeida (download)
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet (download)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Christian Badea
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim
Orchestre de Paris, Daniel Barenboim
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Serge Baudo
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham
Orchestre de l'Opéra Bastille, Myung-Whun Chung
Orchestra du Conservatoire de Paris, André Cluytens (download)
Oviedo Filarmonia, Marzio Conti
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, James DePreist
NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo, Pierre Dervaux
Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Charles Dutoit
Philadelphia Orchestra, Christoph Eschenbach BaL 2007
Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Claus Peter Flor
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Louis Frémaux
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Stephen Gunzenhauser
Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan
Orchestre de l'Opéra National de Paris, Koen Kessels (DVD)
Orchestre National d’Île de France, Yoel Levi
Berliner Philharmoniker, James Levine
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Lorin Maazel
Orchestre National de l’ORTF, Jean Martinon (2 versions)
Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Eduardo Mata (download)
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta
Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Ludovic Morlot
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal (OM), Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy (2 versions)
Willem Van Otterloo
Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Paul Paray
Orchestre Philharmonique De Liege, Pascal Rophe
Les siecles, François Xavier Roth
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Geoffrey Simon
Orchestre National de Lyon, Leonard Slatkin
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Loris Tjeknavorian
Ulster Orchestra, Yan Pascal Tortelier
NBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscanini
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Arvo Volmer
Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Edo de Waart
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Saarbrücken, Johannes Wildner

[richardfinegold]

I don't particularly like this piece, but when I do listen it's the middle movements that I usually enjoy the most. I haven't made a point of collecting it.
The Paray/Detroit recording has been in my lp or CD collection for ages and that's it for me.

I have heard it in Concert twice in the last 5 years, which is enough to last me for a while.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I wonder whose 3rd Symphony we will have next week?

[VodkaDilc]

The Berliner Philharmoniker/Levine recording with Simon Preston is impressive. It strikes me that the acoustic of the building and the recording quality are especially important in this work.

I wish the performance at the Proms last year (BBC Philharmonic/Noseda with David Goode) had been recorded.

[visualnickmos]

At last! One of the most unduly under-exposed composers is being represented.

[Nick Armstrong]

I don't particularly like this piece, but when I do listen it's the middle movements that I usually enjoy the most. I haven't made a point of collecting it.
The Paray/Detroit recording has been in my lp or CD collection for ages and that's it for me.

I have heard it in Concert twice in the last 5 years, which is enough to last me for a while.

Funnily enough, I've also heard it live a couple of times of late; but for me this is one of the warhorses I'm always glad to hear, on the radio or wherever. Just does it for me, for some reason.

Like vodka, the Levine performance has been the one on my shelf for years and always impresses; but the O'Donnell/Nézet-Séguin LPO reading which I was at and is now on CD is terrific too.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

... for me this is one of the warhorses I'm always glad to hear, on the radio or wherever. Just does it for me, for some reason.

For me, too - its great good spirits, the melodic invention, the timing - and the sheer glorious racket of the thing never fails to cheer me up.

[Pulcinella]

I wonder whose 3rd Symphony we will have next week?

Well it won't be by Alwyn, Lloyd, Rubbra, Simpson, or Tippett, to name just a few!
In fairness, there would not be enough to compare.

[verismissimo]

Distinct shortage of HIP recordings in your fine list, Alpie.

[umslopogaas]

I've got seven versions of this symphony, including one not on the list, so presumably either currently unavailable, or never transferred to CD. Its a mono Ducretet-Thomson LP with the Orchestre du Theatre des Champs-Elysees, conducted by Ernest Bour, with Maurice Durufle, no less, on the organ. I shant be in the market for any more. I remember the Ansermet, on Decca, is particularly spectacular.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Distinct shortage of HIP recordings in your fine list, Alpie.

One thing I did notice was the large number of American recordings. Make of that what you will...

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I wonder whose 3rd Symphony we will have next week?

For your ease and comfort, Alpie - I hope Elgar's.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I've got seven versions of this symphony, including one not on the list, so presumably either currently unavailable, or never transferred to CD. Its a mono Ducretet-Thomson LP with the Orchestre du Theatre des Champs-Elysees, conducted by Ernest Bour, with Maurice Durufle, no less, on the organ.

It doesn't appear to be around.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

For your ease and comfort, Alpie - I hope Elgar's.

That's BaL I'd like to do myself. There are a few...

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

For those, like me, who imagine S-S composed only one symphony - the 3rd - it would be illuminating to hear from anyone who knows nos. 1 & 2.