Camille Saint-Saens: your opinion? favorites of his? genuine Renaissance man?

Of the acknowledged "great composers," Saint Saens is probably the most underappreciated. His music is absolutely wonderful. The reason for the lack of true appreciation is probably due to the fact that as time passed for SS, his music became progressively more "classical" and less aligned with that produced by the newer younger composers such as Mahler, Stravinsky and Ravel. As it turns out, he was blessed with an elegant and harmonious composition style (which may be why I like him so well) and this did not sit well with the artistic elite of the day. His output is regarded as somewhat inconsistent, some works even labelled as appallingly boring. However, bearing in mind that he was vastly creative, his legacy should not be denigrated especially bearing in mind that some of his revolutionary contemporaries such as Schoenberg are still only highly regarded by the academics and virtually shunned by even the more enthusiastic classical music listening public.

His best compositions are generally his well known ones -his piano concertos are lovely.

I definitely think he's under rated. He was definitely one of the most....prodigious... child prodigies.

I recently played the piano part of his organ symphony - it's amazing playing that piece with a full orchestra and a huge, 1928 Skinner organ. So, I would have to say, that piece is one of my favorites of his.

Carnival of the Animals - really neat work. Once again, definitely near the top of my list.

His cello concerto (no 1) is one of my favorites too. His second, although not as well known (most people just say "Saint-Saens Cello Concerto" and others just assume No. 1), is also wonderful.

Dance Macabre is a pretty neat piece - I love the col legno in the strings.

All of his piano concerti, of course.

I don't know Phaeton. I will definitely listen to it.

Allison

Crazy genius and child prodigy for sure! I'm going to have to go listen to Phaeton.

I'm biased. I have explored his cello concerto for years and although popular, I still very much love it. It's deceptively difficult, intricate, lovely. I love how its really just one continuous movement and how he really makes wonderful use of Am. Most musicians acknowledge the different personalities of the different keys, but to me it epitomizes the personality of Am. I love how the coda is the parallel major! So COOOOOOL!

Anyway, I love Samson and Delilah as well. He has the emotion of Chopin and the grandness of Tchaikovsky in his compositional pallet. It's really amazing.

~Lisa

Edit: I don't like the second, the Dm, as much as the first cello concerto (still wonderful). Perhaps 'cause its more Classical sounding. There is something just so driving and powerful about the first. Maybe thats why its the more famous one.

I agree, Saint-Saens is probably the most underrated of the great composers. His Piano Concertos are fabulous and mould breaking in many cases (listen to the 2nd if you've never heard it). He wrote loads of great songs and chamber music - have you heard the septet for piano, trumpet and strings? He wrote several other symphonies apart from the 3rd, 'Organ Symphony' That is in mould breaking form - and not many could write a tune like the big one' (ruined, of course, by being used as the theme for the movie 'Babe')

The best known is Dance Macabre. (I didn't realize that was a tone poem! You don't think of Saint-Saens writing tone poems.) But Omphale's Spinning Wheel is my favorite, I'd say.

Remember -- this is just my opinion --

But, I have always found his music trite and uninspired, at the best overblown, at his worst, as if he just phoned it in.

To me his pieces lack depth and scope.

My brother is a big fan of the Organ Symphony, and it is one work where I feel he achieved perhaps his best work -- but I have not heard Phaeton, and as I respect your opinion in general, I plan to research it and get a listen.

I spend multitude amounts of time drooling over "The Swan" from Carnival of the Animals, the most gorgeous cello piece on Earth! I never get tired of playing it. I agree with pretty much all the other answers, he was very much (and sadly) under rated.

Cello concerto

Piano concerto

Samson et Delilah (opera)

Most classical music is so hit-and-run for me, I don;t think i could tell you many classical pieces at all, much less form Saint-Saens