Search - Camille Saint-Saens, Eugene Ormandy, Philippe Entremont :: Saint-Saëns: Greatest Hits

Great Selections, So-So Collection

psychephile | 06/23/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As all good elementary school music teachers know, Saint-Saëns could evoke emotions from a rock. I don't know if it's his masterful command (or creation) of the idioms of music, or whether it's the formal structure of his compositions, but there's never any confusion about how one feels when listening to this Apollo.This Sony recording supposedly collects his best. It does and it doesn't. The "Danse Macabre"--a perennial Saint Saëns fave--is definitely better than any others on the market--crisper, livelier, and ... er... creepier. And the Bacchanale is also superbly done. (Don't take my word for it though--you can compare these yourself from the various samples.) But as great as these individual pieces are, Sony failed to bring to the "Swan" the rest of the zoo from "Carnivale des Animaux," and, worse, they forgot the "Aquarium," too! Plus, the "Organ Symphony" *must* be heard in its entirety to sound like the serious piece of music that it is.I haven't found the noumenal Saint-Saëns collection yet. But this one surely isn't phenomenal."

Astounding!!!

Benjamin Aneff | Lubbock, Texas United States | 10/06/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have come accross very few CD's that have 74 minutes of music that I enjoy. This CD is one of those. Mason Jones does a great job on Morceau, everyone likes danse bachannalle, the piano concerto is great, it's just a really enjoyable CD to own. I recommend it highly, it's one of my favorites."

Greatest Hits? Not really. But a good collection

G. Stewart | Chesapeake, VA USA | 08/28/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Don't get me wrong on the rating; the CD is good and the recordings and performances are great, but to call something a greatest hits collection, there really needs to be more of the greatest hits and not just the filler they have included. All of the songs are wonderful but if you are a new Saint-Saens lover you will need more.

Camille Saint-Saens was the master French impressionist, the wizard of piano and organ composition, one of the greatest composers ever. He is definitely top 5 in my book.

The problem with this recording is simply what is provided on the CD, or more appropriately, what is not provided. There are far too many omitions to count this as a greatest hits collection.

Bare minimum, a greatest hits collection for Saint-Saens must contain the entire 3rd symphony (the "organ" symphony), the Carnival of Animals (and if not all 14 pieces, at least include Aquarium with The Swan and Finale), at least one of his cello concertos (which are mysteriously absent from all Saint-Saens best of or greatest collections and that is truly a shame), and at least one of his violin concertos.

What is provided on this disc is wonderful. Samson et Dalila is signature Camille, Danse macabre is another wonder, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso is Saint-Saens perfection, and his Piano Concerto No. 2 is marvelous. But there is just so much more to Saint-Saens.

So, for the price at which Sony provides these marvels, it is a very good deal, but I would recommend another collection if you truly want to experience Saint-Saens' greatest works (The Best Of Saint-Saens). The price is slightly higher, but the inclusion of the entire Carnival and the entire Organ Symphony along with other works excluded here makes it a much better collection; consider the Phillips' release before you purchase so you don't have to go back later.

Enjoy!"