Poster Church of Saint-Merri, where Saint-Saens was organist.
The church of Saint-Merri, Paris, where Saint-Saens was organist, 1853-57
Photo by DAVID ILIFF. License: CC-BY-SA 3.0
Performance Today®

Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony

Camille Saint-Saens completed his last symphony in 1886... a rare composition for full orchestra and organ. On Tuesday's Performance Today, hear Saint-Saen's Symphony No. 3, the 'Organ Symphony', performed by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, with Thierry Escaich on the organ.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Johann Sebastian Bach: Violin Partita No. 2: Sarabande
Hilary Hahn, violin
J.S. Bach: Partitas Nos. 2 and 3; Sonata No. 3
Sony 62793

Peter Tchaikovsky: Souvenir d'un lie cher, Op. 42
Kyoko Takezawa, violin; Wu Qian, piano
Music@Menlo, The Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton, Atherton, CA

Francis Poulenc: Sonata for Clarinet and Bassoon, FP 32
Todd Palmer, clarinet; Peter Kolkay, bassoon
2016 Spoleto Bank of America Chamber Music Series, Dock Street Theater, Charleston, SC

Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major: Movements 2 & 3
Hilary Hahn, violin; Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; Louis Langree, conductor
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Taft Theatre, Cincinnati, OH

Hour 2

John Dowland: Come Again, Sweet Love
Canadian Brass
Canadian Brass Takes Flight
Steinway & Sons 30008

Jeremiah Clarke: The Prince of Denmark's March
Canadian Brass
The Bells of St. Genevieve and other Baroque delights
RCA 61002

Piano Trio No. 2 in B minor, Op. 76
Scott Yoo, violin; Bion Tsang, cello; John Novacek, piano
Festival Mozaic, Congregation Beth David, San Luis Obispo, CA
Joaquin Turina:

Luther Henderson: Dixie Bach
Canadian Brass
University of Georgia, Hodgson Concert Hall, Athens, GA

Camille Saint-Saens: Symphony No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 78, "Organ": Movements 2-4
Thierry Escaich, organ; Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; Louis Langree, conductor
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Springer Auditorium, Music Hall, Cincinnati, OH

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About Performance Today®

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American Public Media’s Performance Today® is America’s most popular classical music radio program and a winner of the 2014 Gabriel Award for artistic achievement. The show is broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country, including at 1 p.m. central weekdays on Minnesota Public Radio. More information about our stations can be found at APM Distribution.

Performance Today® features live concert recordings that can’t be heard anywhere else, highlights from new album releases, and in-studio performances and interviews. Performance Today® is based at the APM studios in St. Paul, Minnesota, but is frequently on the road, with special programs broadcast from festivals and public radio stations around the country. Also, each Wednesday, composer Bruce Adolphe joins host Fred Child for a classical musical game and listener favorite: the Piano Puzzler.

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