Saint-Saens: Symphony No.3 in C minor. Organ Symphony.

I Adagio Allegro moderato Poco adagio

II Allegro moderato Presto Maestoso Allegro
Commisioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society and premiered in 1886
the Organ Symphony is one of SaintSaens! grandest and most pop"lar
#or$s% &pon completing it he said' (I ga)e e)erything to it I #as able to
gi)e% *hat I ha)e here accomplished+ I #ill ne)er achie)e again%( *hile
SaintSaens li)ed for another 1, years and contin"ed to compose
proli-cally this #as his last attempt at symphonic form+ and he seems to
ha)e #ritten the #or$ almost as a retrospecti)e of his o#n career+
incorporating )irt"oso piano passages+ brilliant orchestral #riting+ and the
"se of the organ%
Altho"gh this symphony seems to follo# the normal fo"rmo)ement
str"ct"re .and many recordings brea$ it in this #ay/ it is act"ally #ritten to
a no)el t#o mo)ement plan% 0he composer did note in his o#n analysis of
the symphony+ ho#e)er+ that #hile it #as cast in t#o mo)ements+ (the
traditional fo"r mo)ement str"ct"re is maintained(% 0his compression
ma$es the symphony seem 1"ite compact in spite of the )astness of the
orchestra+ and the scarcity of e2act repetition in the piece is one of its
most stri$ing feat"res% Combined #ith SaintSaens! moti)ic #or$ing+ #ith
m"ch of the melodic material being deri)ed from pre)io"s ideas+ the piece
becomes almost 3is4tian in its combination of e2cess and economy of
means%
After a slo# introd"ction+ the -rst mo)ement leads to a t"rb"lent+ b"t
restrained theme% 0his is follo#ed by a gentle second s"b5ect in the
ma5or+ the brief calm #ithin the storm% 0he t"rb"lent emotions seem to be
ret"rning before the gentle theme is re)oiced as a tri"mphant fanfare+
dispersing the shado#s% 0he de)elopment #hich follo#s is gentle b"t
"ncertain and e)ent"ally collapses into a thrilling b"t macabre ret"rn of
the opening allegro theme+ recalling SaintSaens early depictions of death
in the Danse Macabre, Op.40% After a -nal "tterance of the gentle pastoral
theme the m"sic seems to disintegrate+ #ith small fragments of material
being thro#n aro"nd in the #ind and echoes of the slo# opening
emerging+ e)ent"ally leading to the Poco adagio. 0his is one of Saint
Saens! most bea"tif"l melodies and gi)es "s a symphonic insight into
SaintSaens! rep"tation as an opera composer+ tho"gh most of his thirteen
operas no# lie forgotten%
0he second mo)ement opens #ith an energetic scher4o+ #hich gi)es #ay
to a Presto+ f"ll of )irt"osic piano solos% Str"ct"rally this mo)ement har$s
bac$ to the traditional scher4o and trio form "sed in symphonies since
6eetho)en+ b"t in many other #ays it is )astly di7erent% 0he energy of the
trios+ the incorporation of the piano and the slo# bridging passage into the
Maestoso all disting"ish it as a highly no)el )ent"re in symphonic form%
0he Maestoso is introd"ced by a f"ll C ma5or chord in the organ% Piano
fo"rhands is heard at the beginning #ith the strings+ no# playing a
bea"tif"l singing melody #ith organ accompaniment% 0his melody is in fact
a reinterpreted )ersion of the t"rb"lent Allegro of the -rst mo)ement%
8rom "ncertain dar$ness #e ha)e mo)ed into tri"mphant light+ and all in
the $ey of C% SaintSaens! debt to 6eetho)en!s 8ifth Symphony is clear%
0his #ell$no#n last mo)ement is of considerable )ariety+ incl"ding a
f"g"e and a short pastoral interl"de% 9)ent"ally the symphony
acc"m"lates eno"gh ma5or #eight to o)ercome its minor beginnings and
dra#s to a tri"mphant close%