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Post by queenofthehours on Oct 23, 2016 13:16:22 GMT
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (born Paris 1835 – died Algiers 1921)
Yes, this week I have chosen for you a single artist and that artist happens to be a classical composer. A risky choice perhaps but as ELO connoisseurs I believe we are more classically-minded than most pop listeners. We already love what Jeff and Roy have been doing with classical ideas and instruments so I think Saint-Saens's music would fit right in with the world of ELO.
For a start Saint-Saens has a marvellous beard, which we know to be the key to writing top tunes. Monsieur Charles-Camille is also the sort of classical composer Jeff should feel affinity with, with his emphasis on cellos and violins, his sense of humour and his appealingly catchy melodies.
Saint-Saens gave his first public concert at the age of five. He was one of the first pianists to experiment with recordings, and was the earliest-born pianist to ever make a recording of his work. Saint-Saëns also became the first famous name to provide a score to a film, 'The Assassination of the Duke of Guise'.
Don't listen to everything if you don't feel like it, any one of these works represent the composer just as well as all of them.
1. Third ("Organ") Symphony
To begin with here is Saint-Saens's Third Symphony, the "Organ", which is perhaps his best known piece. I have only included here the Finale as that's the part that is most famous since it was used in a certain film about a pig. Many "serious" composers might be irritated by the liberty the movie took with the piece but I think Charles-Camille would have enjoyed the animal connections as he had a great sense of humour when it came to the animal/music crossover as you well see later...
2. Danse Macabre
Another of Saint-Saens's pieces that has become more famous over the years. There is a version with song-words to it but I prefer the regular orchestra version. I reckon Mik could play this very well .
3. Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso
More strings and violins here. Also a bit of a 'Livin' Thing' vibe going on - Saint-Saens shows that Jeff isn't the only composer able to get violin playing ladies on stage to perform his music. Both Jeff and Charles-Camille seem to have caught onto a similar sounding idea with the violin riffs. I've seen Janine Jansen, who is playing this, live and I have to say that she's one of the best.
4. Samson et Dalila - Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix
Roughly translating as 'Softly Awakes My Heart', this aria from Saint-Saens opera Samson and Delilah is one of my favourites. It's short and works well as a song by itself. This version is sung by Olga Borodina, the best person in my opinion to have sang it.
5. Samson et Dalila - Bacchanale
Another piece from Samson and Delilah, in fact this is maybe one of my very favourite Saint-Saens pieces. What Thomas Beecham might call a "lollipop". For our South American members, here is the South American conductor Gustavo Dudamel. One of my favourite conductors, he makes the job look like great fun.
6. Le carnaval des animaux
And now for the jewel in Saint-Saens's crown - The Carnival of the Animals, composed in 1886, was originally written as a joke and Saint-Saëns became worried that it might damage his reputation. Bashful in a Jeff Lynne/'Beatles Forever'-style way, he banned complete performances and only allowed one movement, The Swan, to be published while he was alive.
Here, cello fans, is The Swan if you don't fancy listening to the whole piece. I'd love to hear Hughie play this! -
From the beginning, Saint-Saëns regarded The Carnival of the Animals as a piece of fun. On 9 February 1886 he wrote to his publishers that he was composing a work for the coming Shrove Tuesday, and confessing that he knew he should be working on his Third Symphony, but that this work was "such fun" ("... mais c'est si amusant!"). Obviously Jeff must have been channelling Charles-Camille when he thought of writing 'Jungle' and 'The Whale' . Other than The Swan, The Aquarium, Fossils and the Finale are the most well known parts.
Here are the animals -
0:00 - Introduction et marche royale du lion (Introduction and Royal March of the Lion) 2:19 - Poules et coqs (Hens and Roosters) 3:02 - Hémiones (animaux véloces) (Wild Asses: Swift Animals) 3:36 - Tortues (Tortoises) 7:02 - L'éléphant (The Elephant) 8:26 - Kangourous (Kangaroos) 9:24 - Aquarium 12:05 - Personnages à longues oreilles (Personages with Long Ears) 12:46 - Le coucou au fond des bois (The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Woods) 15:23 - Volière (Aviary) 16:43 - Pianistes (Pianists) 18:19 - Fossiles (Fossils) 19:43 - Le cygne (The Swan) 23:47 - Final (Finale)
Facts - Tortoises features Offenbach's Can-Can played slowly by the strings. This is one of the composer's musical jokes - a very fast dance danced at a tortoise's pace!
- The Elephant also features a music joke - Berlioz's "Dance of the Sylphs" is used here, originally written for high, lighter-toned instruments, the joke is that Saint-Saëns moves this to the lowest and heaviest-sounding instrument in the orchestra, the double bass for a more elephant and less sylph-like sound.
I hope you have enjoyed at least one of Saint-Saens pieces. I think out of any classical composers he is the most ELO-like as he isn't stingy with melodies and isn't opposed to having fun with his music.
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Post by jrmugz on Oct 23, 2016 17:09:16 GMT
Sounds totally awesome, I've been playing classical more lately, just had some Chopin on in the car.
Look for my review later this week!
Jim
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Post by jrmugz on Oct 28, 2016 21:08:34 GMT
REALLY liking the music as I'm playing it to my work, qoth. Will see if I can send some thoughts this weekend.
Great composer, surprised I hadn't really heard of him before. Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (born Paris 1835 – died Algiers 1921)
Cello sounding great on "The Swan"; so what's your favorite of the pieces you put there?
Jim
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Post by Platypus on Oct 28, 2016 22:36:27 GMT
Ooh, how did I miss this? I love Saint-Saëns, the C Minor Organ Symphony is my all time favorite piece of music (the Louis Fremaux/Christopher Robinson recording).
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Post by jrmugz on Oct 30, 2016 13:53:50 GMT
I like the English translation of the words for "Samson et Dalila - Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix", here for reference.
My Heart Opens to Your Voice
My heart opens to your voice Like the flowers open To the kisses of the dawn! But, oh my beloved, To better dry my tears, Let your voice speak again! Tell me that you are returning To Delilah forever! Repeat to my tenderness The promises of old times, Those promises that I loved! Ah! respond to my tenderness! Fill me with ecstasy! Like one sees the blades Of wheat that wave In the light wind, So trembles my heart, Ready to be consoled, By your voice that is so dear to me! The arrow is less rapid In bringing death, Than is your lover To fly into your arms! Ah! respond to my tenderness! Fill me with ecstasy!
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Post by jrmugz on Oct 30, 2016 14:07:17 GMT
OK qoth, here is my review: 01. "Third ('Organ') Symphony" - What a wonderful majestic piece. I can see where Sir Paul used a tad of it for his "light of" wanderlust chorus. Thoroughly enjoyable. 02. "Dance Macabre" - Really has an adventure kind of feel to it. Like how the video shows each instrument being played when it has the floor. 03. "Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso" - Great performer. Saw Lindsey Stirling with my daughter last week, and I'll bet Janine Jensen had an influence on her. 04. "Samson et Dalila - Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix" - Very well done, love the English translation of the words. 05. "Samson et Dalila - Bacchanale" - Definitely very fun piece, like you say! 06. "Le carnaval des animaux" - Thoroughly entertaining, love how the video shows the animal for each part. 07. "The Swan" - Love the piece and the cello, as mentioned on an earlier post. Star Rating: 4.8 out of 5 Prime Cuts: "Third ('Organ') Symphony", "The Swan", and both Samson and Delilah pieces Bottom Line: Amazing composer, amazing works. Thanks for introducing me to Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns, qoth. So now I've been somehwat baptized into him, Gershwin, Chopin, and Beethoven. Certainly several more great composers I need to get baptized into, for sure. I thoroughly enjoyed playing these, and really appreciated you selecting this stuff outside of probably most of our boxes, and really enjoyed reading your notes and thoughts as well! I know you're marked down for another spot or so before the end of the year, so looking forward to that one as well! Jim
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Post by unomusette on Oct 30, 2016 22:06:31 GMT
I would never have heard of this composer had it not been for Muse including a bit of Mon Coeur s'ouvre a Ton Voix in one of their songs - it's fab and I love howling along to it. I even added a "proper" version of it on Spotify which makes my playlist look much more cultured. Hoping to get around to hearing the other works you've listed queenofthehours, but based on the little I do know I'm pretty sure I'm going to love them too
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Post by queenofthehours on Oct 31, 2016 20:45:50 GMT
REALLY liking the music as I'm playing it to my work, qoth. Will see if I can send some thoughts this weekend. Great composer, surprised I hadn't really heard of him before. Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (born Paris 1835 – died Algiers 1921) Cello sounding great on "The Swan"; so what's your favorite of the pieces you put there? Jim My favourite of the pieces? It's too hard to choose. I love them all. Like ELO, S-S wrote so much likable music that my favourite is the one I am listening to!
If I'm pushed I'll go with 'The Swan' as it's a perfect little gem on it's own. Like Jeff extracting 'MBS' from the Concerto for a Rainy Day, S-S expertly picked out this from his much longer Carnival of the Animals.
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Post by jrmugz on Nov 1, 2016 20:10:02 GMT
Hey Platypus , your turn for of the week, buddy. Jim
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Post by queenofthehours on Nov 1, 2016 21:30:07 GMT
01. "Third ('Organ') Symphony" - What a wonderful majestic piece. I can see where Sir Paul used a tad of it for his "light of" wanderlust chorus. Thoroughly enjoyable. Glad you pointed that out, I never knew that yet I can hear it! 05. "Samson et Dalila - Bacchanale" - Definitely very fun piece, like you say! This piece seems to be very popular with ice skaters to dance to. I'm glad you enjoyed Saint-Saens .
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Post by Helmut83 on Nov 4, 2016 6:19:12 GMT
I'm not a fan of classical music (my musical palate is not developed enough yet) but I've been playing this stuff the last few days while I did manual tasks in my room (like covering all possible sources of entrance for spiders) and found a lot of it surprisingly pleasant and relaxing. The pieces I liked the most are "Le carnaval des animaux" which goes from majestic to funny, then mysterious, then back to majestic and so; and the "Danse macabre" because it has several peaks of energy and followed a central theme more than other pieces. When I saw the video of "Le carnaval des animaux" was showing a photo or drawing of what each part of the piece was named after, I got most excited as I saw that down the list there was an item named "Wild asses", but then I watched and they showed none of that!
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Post by jrmugz on Nov 4, 2016 10:37:59 GMT
... I got most excited as I saw that down the list there was an item named "Wild asses", but then I watched and they showed none of that! All you had to do was look in the mirror for one. ba-doom-kssshhh!!! Ha ha, gotcha. Just messin', of course. Jim
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Post by queenofthehours on Nov 7, 2016 19:15:08 GMT
I'm not a fan of classical music (my musical palate is not developed enough yet) but I've been playing this stuff the last few days while I did manual tasks in my room (like covering all possible sources of entrance for spiders) and found a lot of it surprisingly pleasant and relaxing. The pieces I liked the most are "Le carnaval des animaux" which goes from majestic to funny, then mysterious, then back to majestic and so; and the "Danse macabre" because it has several peaks of energy and followed a central theme more than other pieces. When I saw the video of "Le carnaval des animaux" was showing a photo or drawing of what each part of the piece was named after, I got most excited as I saw that down the list there was an item named "Wild asses", but then I watched and they showed none of that! I was lucky enough to have been a classical fan for years before finding Jeff, my way into ELO was via the strings I think, or at least via the prog route which is kind of classical.
It's a shame that Saint-Saens did write a piece for spiders! I imagine he could have.
I should have guessed you'd like the animal-themed music best . Yes, 'Danse Macabre' is, I think, a tone poem? Where the theme comes out in the music in a more organised way. I heard once that tone poems were impressionistic before the painters started to be impressionists.
You should take no notice of youtube videos that accompany music if they are not by the artist themselves, nine times out of ten if it's a fan-made video there will be something wrong with it. Here is a wild ass alone for you -
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Post by unomusette on Nov 13, 2016 22:40:14 GMT
I was surprised how much of this was familiar to me, as Helmut83 says I think you need to open your mind to this style of music to appreciate it properly, but a lot of it is already in your head because it's been used so much in film, TV etc. Anyone who would compose a whole suite of music about animals for fun is alright by me, thanks for giving us the chance to indulge, queenofthehours
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