Symphony in A major (Saint-Saëns)

The Symphony in A major is a work for orchestra by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns.

History

Saint-Saëns wrote the symphony in 1850 at the age of 15; it is therefore one of his early works. With it, Saint-Saëns turned to absolute music, which, however, was not highly regarded in France at the time.[1]

The work contains obvious influences from the composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven.

Today, the work is rarely performed. Of his five symphonies, only the Third ('Organ') Symphony is performed relatively often.

Instrumentation

The symphony is scored for a modest sized orchestra, comprising:

Movements

The symphony is, broadly, in four movements:

  1. Poco adagio – Allegro vivace (A major)
  2. Larghetto (D major)
  3. Scherzo vivace (A major)
  4. Finale: Allegro molto – Presto (A major)

A typical performance lasts for approximately 25 minutes.

References

  1. ^ Philippe Mougeot: Saint-Saëns: The Five Symphonies

Sources

  • Philippe Mougeot: Saint-Saëns: The Five Symphonies, booklet accompanying Jean Martinon (conductor): Saint-Saëns: Les 5 Symphonies, EMI Classics, 2003: CZS 7 62643 2, Programme notes in French, English translation by Barry Millington
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