Camille Saint-Saëns Essentials

The Romantic tradition found one of its finest Parisian exponents in Camille Saint-Saëns. Whether boisterous and frothy in the manner of the “Danse Macabre, Op. 40” or strewn with elegant arpeggios (like his piano concerti), this composer's work helped establish the French classical sound of his day. His best-known work for the stage, Samson and Delilah, is also a part of his homeland's grand opera repertoire. (Saint-Saëns additionally burnished his legacy by teaching Fauré.) Hear some of his most ebullient and lyrical pieces played by performers such as Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Lorin Maazel.