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Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)

Saint-Saëns is a particularly enjoyable romantic composer who wrote much attractive music in a variety of genres. His works have more skill and substance than many of the period, although they are rarely as profound or as challenging as the greatest composers such as Brahms. Below are descriptions of a number of his more popular works, including some that are less well known. Saint-Saëns was particularly successful at writing concertante works, and had the ability of writing idiomatically for solo instruments whilst also writing imaginatively for orchestra. He also wrote effectively for the orchestra alone, although these don't include many mature symphonies, and also wrote some enjoyable chamber works, particularly when they include the piano. Saint-Saëns didn't make a name for himself in the field of Opera, despite repeated attempts, but his Sampson and Delilah has become a popular repertory work.

Cello Concerto No.1 in A minor, Op.33

The concerto was written in 1872 for the cellist Auguste Tolbecque. It is highly effective work, exploiting the passionate, ardent, lyrical and reflective qualities of the cello extremely well. There are many memorable themes and imaginative writing for the orchestra, particularly the woodwind section. The form is novel and compact, effectively playing in one movement but with three clearly defined sections. It is essentially a hybrid between a one movement work and a traditional three movement work, sharing features of both. Despite the relative popularity of the work (unlike the second cello concerto it has been recorded by most of the leading cellists), it has to be admitted that it is rather lightweight and lacks the depth and substance of some of his other concertos, particularly the fourth piano concerto. Themes are given too much prominence, together with their dramatic representation, and Saint-Saëns tends to invest little time in seriously developing the material. However, it is certainly enjoyable and gripping to listen to, and must rank as one of the most popular and successful cello concertos of the nineteenth century.

First Section: The cello enters into the concerto straight away, which reminds us that Saint-Saëns, like Mendelssohn before him, did not conceive his concertos with an orchestral exposition. Indeed orchestral expositions were rare during the later nineteenth century, Brahms being the main exception as he always used it in his concertos, and Elgar of course continued with it in his noble violin concerto of 1909-10. The opening is strong and heroic, with the cello giving the motivic main theme (a). The theme is given again by the orchestra with nice woodwind writing and sighing cello lines. The cello then takes up the theme in a bright manner and the music modulates, acting as a bridge to the second theme (b). This is a simple, warm and open melody, and the music eventually gets going again after woodwind references to the main theme. Strong cello passages follow, leading to a solo climax, and the orchestral tutti which follows is bright and strong, introducing a new theme to the concerto (c). This is rigorously worked out and leads to a chordal close.

The development section gets underway with the main theme in a nicely varied texture with tripping rhythmic accents in the accompaniment and effective orchestration including the main motif given by the woodwind. The music freely modulates and after a climax where the orchestra present references to the main theme the music moves to a presentation of the second theme. This is effectively a reflective reprise rather than a development, and the theme does not return after this. However there is no reprise of the main theme at this stage. Instead, after the presentation of the main theme the cello muses reflectively on what may be a preparation for the second theme of the third section (f) before moving to the second section.

Second Section: The theme that follows comes as a surprise, albeit a pleasant one. It is an archaic minuet (d) in four phases, given by the strings. The cello then muses, presenting a phrase (x) which returns later on, and then a repeat of the main theme takes place, in three phrases this time. There are beautiful and warm accompanying cello lines, and the cello continues with the theme in a more ardent romantic mood. After a falling sequential solo phrase there is a return to the minuet theme, given by woodwind with cello trills. The music extends and builds up and a coda takes place, with closing references to the minuet theme in a darker texture, followed by the cello musing on the phrase (x) which appeared near the start of the section .

Third Section: Oboe references to the main theme (a) of the concerto get the third section underway, followed by an orchestral tutti which continues the theme in a more agitated manner. The cello then naturally returns with the bright continuation of the theme as given in the first section. This all suggests that the movement is part of a multi-sectional one movement work, and that the start is the long awaited reprise of the main theme. However, a climax and orchestral tutti dies away and the cello extends the final sighing motif (y). The main theme of the section (e) then gets underway which is based on the sighing motif (y) and the cello phrase (x) from the middle section. We are in effect in a new movement with its own thematic material and main theme. The theme continues and leads to a dotted chordal orchestral tutti which presents a new dramatic rumbling bass motif (z). Exciting virtuoso passages then take place, effectively developing (z) and with the sighing motif (y) occurring in the orchestra. This is followed by ardent romantic cello utterances. An orchestral tutti again presents the (z) motif together with dotted chordal phases. These die away and are followed by string lines which act as a bridge to the second theme of the section (f). It is a beautiful and sombre cello theme, and includes a rising variant of the (z) motif and the dotted rhythm in the orchestra. There then occurs another orchestral build up with solo display passages.

This moves to the main theme of the section (e) again in what is effectively a reprise, the theme becoming more lyrical and tender before climaxing with the orchestral tutti, which is first based on the main theme of the first section (a), but then moves to the orchestral tutti theme of the first section (c), which means that all the main themes of the first section have been recapitulated at some stage in the concerto. The tutti is a strong Brahmsian work out, and leads to the coda, which consists of a series of lyrical cello phrases which may have motif (x) as their outline, and a climax, before the final orchestral close which is based on the tutti theme (c).

Danse Macabre

The Danse Macabre, for orchestra and solo violin, was first performed in 1875 and was not well received although it soon became one of the composer's most popular works. It is a thoroughly attractive work, beautifully orchestrated and imaginatively put together in a colourful and effective way. One of Saint-Saëns' great talents as a composer was colourful depiction of specific ideas, and this made him particularly suited to the symphonic poem. He also brought this talent to bear in his concertos and of course in The Carnival of the Animals. The work is based on a poem by Henri Cazalis which depicts Death playing his fiddle in a wintry churchyard at midnight while skeletons dance to his ghostly tune.

The work opens quietly with the harp repeating a single note twelve times, thus representing the midnight chime. It is partly accompanied by string chords and after a pizzicato phrase the violin enters with a rhythmic and folksy phrase (x) which leads to the main theme. This has two identifiable thematic parts with a running phrase (a) to start it off, first given by orchestra, and the main lyrical theme (b) first given by solo violin. This leads to (x) again and then to (a) and (b) once more in the orchestra, with (a) returning again after that with the solo violin, including nice use of the xylophone to depict the dancing skeletons. (x) then closes the section.

An effective development then takes place, starting with a fugal treatment of (b). The Dies Irae chant then enters the texture in a chirpy tripping rhythm on woodwind and brass. After this the solo violin enters warmly with a beautiful variant of (b) which is then taken up by the orchestra. The orchestra builds up with music based on (a) and (b), and there follows a colourful passage based on (a) with falling woodwind. (x) is then developed and the solo violin gives lyrical phrases against an orchestral background based on (a) before a mysterious rising passage and climax takes place. This leads to (a) and (b) in a loud and effective tutti, including rather sarcastic falling string passages and a nice syncopated closing climax. An oboe phrase then leads to hushed string tremolandos and timpani followed by sombre solo violin phrases before the strings lightly draw the work to a close.

Cello Concerto No.1 in A minor, Op.33

The Recordings

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