Search - Olivier Messiaen, Camille Saint-Saens, Myung-Whun Chung :: Saint-Saëns: Symphony No 3; Messiaen: L'ascension

Two great French works from two different centuries...

ewomack | MN USA | 12/06/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Years ago, a friend told me after returning from a Saint-Saëns concert that "I liked it, it was light." The "light" comment referred to Wagner (whose music and offensive personality we used to discuss across our 4-plex cube). Apparently Saint-Saëns' music the previous night provided her a counter-example to the often bombastic weightiness that pervades Wagner's operas. Whatever piece she had heard, it probably wasn't the "Organ" Symphony. Though parts of the piece can be called 'light' (particularly the beautiful and lilting 2nd movement), the first (very moody), third(very brooding with timpani and surprising piano rolls), and final movements probably wouldn't fulfill most people's expectations of 'light' music. The organ explosion in the final movement alone would cast away any categorization of delicacy. Though Saint-Saëns' music sometimes gets categorized as "music light" in the derogative sense, this can't apply to this piece. The Third Symphony is turbulent, dynamic, and sometimes moody. Bouncing staccato melodies juxtapose with luminous flowing ones. A piano suddenly appears in the third movement as an integral part of the orchestration. And of course the big payoff comes in the final Maestoso: the organ blares out triumphantly. The segment of this movement where the organ syncopates with the orchestra in a march-like rhythm marks one of the piece's high points. Franz Liszt, who admired Saint-Saëns, died during the composition of this piece. Saint-Saëns dedicated it him, the composer who once wrote "While I am composing I often ask myself the question, 'Would Saint-Saëns like this?'" A flattering compliment to any composer. The piece gets a great performance on this CD, complete with an amazing organ sound. It demonstrates quite well why Saint-Saëns gets categorized as a "romantic" composer.



The "Organ" symphony shares this CD with a piece by a 20th Century composer, and another remarkable Frenchman, Messiaen. This Roman Catholic composer managed to keep composing even while interred in a Nazi prisoner of war camp during World War II (he supposedly befriended a guard who smuggled him paper and pencils). Keeping with his faith, "L'Ascension" celebrates Christ's rising to Heaven 20th century style. The four pieces, subtitled "Four symphonic meditations for orchestra" demonstrate Messiaen's incredible range as a composer. The rhythmic,harmonic, and melodic variations are almost dizzying. The piece can't be classified as atonal, though dissonance gets used with great effect in many places. It nonetheless sounds like a twentieth-century piece. The performance by Orchestre de l'Opera Bastille under the direction of Myung-Whun Chung is excellent. Though this CD is now over 10 years old, it showcases two great pieces by remarkable French composers of two centuries. It likewise provides a great juxtaposition of musical styles from the 19th to the 20th century."