Thierry Fischer and Utah Symphony Complete Saint-Saëns Recording Cycle on Hyperion Records
The Third and Final Volume Marks the Completion of the Saint-Saëns Recording Series
A November 29 release of the third and final volume of the Utah Symphony’s Saint-Saëns recording series will be released digitally and on disc by Hyperion Records, marking the completion of the Saint-Saëns Recording series by the symphony.
Conducted by Music Director Thierry Fischer, the collection will include the first commercial recording of the complete Saint-Saëns symphonies by an American orchestra—each volume is notable for looking beyond the composer’s symphonic output to include additional orchestral highlights.
“It has been deeply fulfilling to trace with the orchestra the symphonic development of such a pivotal French Romantic as Saint-Saëns—from the seldom-heard symphonies on this album, both written when he was a teenager, to a beloved masterpiece like the “Organ” Symphony,” said Fischer.
Fischer and the Utah Symphony recorded all three volumes of the cycle live in concert at Salt Lake City’s Abravanel Hall during their 2017-2018 season.
“Indeed, one of our goals has been to paint a picture of Saint-Saëns as more than just the composer of a few favorites. Our journey through his lesser-known works has been especially satisfying since they are not mere historical curiosities, but have a charm all their own, thanks to the composer’s rare genius from a very young age,” Fischer said.
“There is always something to admire in the music of Saint-Saëns, and we hope listeners come away with a richer appreciation for his art!”
The new album will feature Symphony No. 1 in E-flat Major; Symphony in A major (which was written when the composer was only 15 years old); and The Carnival of the Animals.
Saint-Saëns composed his first symphonic work, the Symphony in A major, around 1850. In the recording liner notes, Roger Nichols writes that this piece is “astonishing for a fifteen-year-old in its technical savoir faire” and stylistically follows in the footsteps of Beethoven and Mendelssohn, among others.
Three years after composing the A-major symphony, Saint-Saëns composed another in E-flat major, designating it his Symphony No. 1. He wrote this symphony for much larger orchestral forces, and it reflects the influence of his friend and mentor Gounod. The most famous work on the album is The Carnival of the Animals, written in 1886.
Notably, the three volumes of this cycle mark Fischer’s fourth, fifth, and sixth recordings with the Utah Symphony.
Pre-orders for the third volume are available from hyperion-records.co.uk.