Camille Saint-Saëns

October 5, 2009

Camille Saint-Saëns, who was born on October 9, 1935, wrote a lot of rather forgettable music. But he will be remembered for his masterpieces, such as The Carnival of the Animals, the Organ Symphony, and, of course, the Introduction and Rondo Cappricioso.
That’s how we’ll begin our playlist, which we created to celebrate the birthday of this wonderful French composer and organist: the Introduction and Rondo Cappricioso is played by Lindsay Deutsch and accompanied by Kuang-Hao Huang.
The Havanaise, arranged for flute and played by Kristin Paxinos (with Shelley Trissel at the piano), follows.
The famous Swan is then heard in a very unusual arrangement for the saxophone; it’s beautifully played by Otis Murphy.
We conclude with the Piano Concerto No. 2, performed by the pianist James Dick with the Texas Festival Orchestra (Pascal Verrot, conductor). To listen, click here.