La partie "Lauriers" est une merveille et, après l'écoute de différentes versions, je reviens toujours à celle de Plasson par laquelle j'ai découvert le morceau. On pourrait basculer vers un pompiérisme un peu vulgaire d'une marche militaire, et on est cueillis par la douceur du cor et de la trompette sur le thème d'entrée.
If I heard this before, I've forgotten what it sounded like. Is this an organ solo version? (Ok, i'm only 5 minutes in so far but I don't hear anything else). I think I read once that this work was composed just after the First World War ended for an event (maybe just a concert) to commemorate the 1.3million war dead in France. I have a couple of Saint Saens organ solo cds. This isn't on it. Now I know why: the orchestra starts 7 minutes in. There's Holst's Mars and then there's this. The solo sounded interesting. Original writing (t)here. He did compose some works for military purposes c.1880 around the same time as his Suite Algerienne, with its well-known military march. Maybe this work deserves some repute as a WW1 inspired work. Starts as a lament (or elegy for war dead); then a bit of bravado: maybe that seems inappropriate. I read once that Saint Saens was a marked man by republicans in the Paris Commune/post Franco-Prussian war era, but elsewhere I read that he was pro-republican. I think it was simply the case that a priest he knew was assassinated by the republicans and he took up arms in the National Guard vs. the commune, and so was on his guard, but presumably saw no "action". He had TB after all and was used to hanging out in soirees with artist women and his omnipresent mother. Hardly a soldier type. You see people referring to him as "academic" but he was never in academia, unlike Faure (and I think even Debussy and Ravel). his job was church organist up to 1878 and then he lived off commissioned work, apparently. oh well. why is this message so long and who am I talking to anyway? myself, I guess. seriously, though, this is some of the most interesting writing he did for organ. maybe the most interesting. why haven't I been drawn to this before
Best recording of this piece
A very satisfying thundering organ.
La partie "Lauriers" est une merveille et, après l'écoute de différentes versions, je reviens toujours à celle de Plasson par laquelle j'ai découvert le morceau. On pourrait basculer vers un pompiérisme un peu vulgaire d'une marche militaire, et on est cueillis par la douceur du cor et de la trompette sur le thème d'entrée.
If I heard this before, I've forgotten what it sounded like. Is this an organ solo version? (Ok, i'm only 5 minutes in so far but I don't hear anything else). I think I read once that this work was composed just after the First World War ended for an event (maybe just a concert) to commemorate the 1.3million war dead in France. I have a couple of Saint Saens organ solo cds. This isn't on it. Now I know why: the orchestra starts 7 minutes in. There's Holst's Mars and then there's this. The solo sounded interesting. Original writing (t)here. He did compose some works for military purposes c.1880 around the same time as his Suite Algerienne, with its well-known military march. Maybe this work deserves some repute as a WW1 inspired work. Starts as a lament (or elegy for war dead); then a bit of bravado: maybe that seems inappropriate. I read once that Saint Saens was a marked man by republicans in the Paris Commune/post Franco-Prussian war era, but elsewhere I read that he was pro-republican. I think it was simply the case that a priest he knew was assassinated by the republicans and he took up arms in the National Guard vs. the commune, and so was on his guard, but presumably saw no "action". He had TB after all and was used to hanging out in soirees with artist women and his omnipresent mother. Hardly a soldier type. You see people referring to him as "academic" but he was never in academia, unlike Faure (and I think even Debussy and Ravel). his job was church organist up to 1878 and then he lived off commissioned work, apparently. oh well. why is this message so long and who am I talking to anyway? myself, I guess. seriously, though, this is some of the most interesting writing he did for organ. maybe the most interesting. why haven't I been drawn to this before