Whilst we have been on lockdown, the RSNO have been providing us all with a weekly concert from their archives. This one was a concert given at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall in Novemebr 2019, of Saint-Saens' 3rd symphony, commonly known as his 'Organ Symphony', under the conducting of Neeme Jarvi. Michael Bowtree was the organist.
Saint-Saens' symphony no 3 in C minor (opus 78) was composed in 1886. It is not an organ symphony as such, but more of a symphony with organ, which was actually Saint-Saens' own description of the work. The organ is used as an additional instrument in the orchestration of two of the movements.
It should be stated here that depending on your point of view, the work is either written as two movements or four movements. The modern trend is to play them as four seperate movements, preferring to split the movements obeying the Classical structure, however Saint-Saens wrote the symphony as a two movement work. When the organ isn't being employed, the orchestration cals for piano four-hands.
The work was firt performed by The Royal Philharmonic Society in London in 1886 at St. James's Hall. Saint-Saens knew that this work was the pinnacle of his composing career, saying that he had given his all and thrown everything he had at this symphony, and he would never compose anything on such a grand a scale again. As such it is a very eloquent and sweeping evocation of everything that Saint-Saens stood for, and is High French Romanticism at its best.
There is clever use of referencing earlier melodies throughout. Simple Gregorian plainchant themes which appear and then are metamorphosed throughout the work giving the whole a sense of unity and clarity, as well as making it extremely lyrical and tuneful. The thrilling and passionate denouement and coda is of course the piece's showpiece, and is pure genius and full of passion.
The RSNO of course did not disappoint, and their performance of this astounding piece of High Romanticism was given full justice. the audience went wild too, and as a short encore, they played another French piece, the miniature but delightful Viennese-styled waltz from act 1 of 'Coppelia' by Delibes.
Bravo!
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 10/7/20
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