Camille Saint-Saëns

A musical prodigy and polymath, Camille Saint-Saëns was composing from the age of three, played Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto in public at 10, and entered the Paris Conservatoire at 13. His First Symphony of 1853 drew praise from Liszt, who thought him the greatest living organist. Later decades consolidated his standing as a composer, pianist and organist—often simultaneously, as in his Piano Concerto No. 2 (1868) and Third “Organ” Symphony in 1886, which he considered to be his finest achievement. Born in Paris in 1835, Saint-Saëns wrote in all the main musical genres, demonstrating complete mastery and inventiveness in his compositional technique. His music can be passionate, witness his Cello Concerto No. 1 (1872), but this rarely translated into works for the stage: of his 12 operas, only Samson et Dalila (1877) has found lasting success. Yet numerous pieces display a lighter touch: the one-act opera La princesse jaune (1872), the symphonic poem Danse macabre (1874) and the suite Le carnaval des animaux (1886), whose infectious humour led him to forbid its publication in his lifetime. The evocative Piano Concerto No. 5 “Egyptian” (1896) reflects his travels in North Africa, while sonatas for oboe, clarinet and bassoon from his last year find his technical mastery deployed in music of classical poise and autumnal eloquence. His death in 1921 prompted one of Paris’ most notable state funerals.