Can a Sung Composer have Unsung works such as Saint Saens first two symphonies?

[JimL]

Actually Dvorak's 5th and 6th Symphonies are starting to pop up on programs with increasing frequency.

[Alan Howe]

I tend not to think of them as unsung. My school orchestra played D6 in the 1970s - mind you, the horn section did feature Adrian Leaper and Michael Thompson...

[Gauk]

They are not as neglected as 1-4. Numbers 2 and 3 are possibly my favorites of the whole set!

[alberto]

In many years of concerts  I have attended performances of Dvorak's Sixth four times (the conductors were Ahronovich, Boettchcher, Tate and Hrusa-the last just last December). Two live performances of Dvorak Fifth (Tate and Muti conductors).
I too would rate them sung works (the Sixth more, and not on account of my experience, in itself not very significant).
Saint-Saens; I attended two performances of the Second (but one was in France were the work is semi-sung, while the first remains-it seems to me- an absolute rarity).

[sdtom]

I'm working on a review of all three works on the CD his first and second symphony plus the Phaeton work. My website contains an extremely wide variety of material and I have a couple of CD's ahead of this one. "Battle Music," a new and expanded version of their 1989 release, is the current project at hand. These kind of compilation CD's provide quite a bit of interest.
Tom

[eschiss1]

I'm guessing- will have to check- that the CD contains the works Saint-Saëns acknowledged as his 1st 2 symphonies, though they're his 2nd and 4th (unless I'm missing others - going by the IMSLP list which is not necessarily definitive...) - in chronological order? (Symphony in A major, 1850 ; Symphony no.1 in E-flat, 1853 ; Symphony in F major, 1856 ; Symphony no.2 in A minor, 1859 ; Symphony no.3 in C minor, 1886) Just curious...

[TerraEpon]

Those are the only complete ones, but he had at least three other fragments which are listed in the Ratner thematic catalogue.

[kolaboy]

My first experience with Dvorak's 3rd was an MHS recording that spilt the 2nd movement over two sides of an album. Hampered my enjoyment. A bit...
The cd revolution was great, but I'll never part with my lps, warts and all.

[sdtom]

Continuing the series of Saint-Saens' works is his Symphony in A major - a work he did at the age of 15. Taking the age factor into account it was quite a good Mozart Symphony  . I believe that there is going to be one more.
Tom

[eschiss1]

"I believe that there..."
You lost me? CD in the Malmo series, or something or something or something something something? Saint-Saëns has probably written all the symphonies he's gonna. Likewise, Mozart...

[eschiss1]

Ah. Since Naxos released on April 7 a disc (in what I assume is that same series) with Saint-Saëns' 3rd symphony and Symphony in A major (1850, with the E-flat op.2 coming in 1853, I see, yep) you're right after all. (And in both cases a symphonic poem- Phaeton; Le rouet d'Omphale. The review in MusicWeb dates the symphony in A as late as ca.1859 oddly.)

Neither disc so far has the F major Urbs Roma symphony of 1856. Hrm.

[TerraEpon]

Perhaps they are recording those fragments  I mentioned above. Would be a nice treat.

More likely, they will just couple it with La Jeunesse d'Hercule and possibly Marche Heroique (and maybe even Danse Macabre)...

[sdtom]

I was listening last night to Le rouet d'Omphale, Op. 31 when the second theme became very familiar to me. I realized that this was the music for the radio program The Shadow which was quite popular in the 40's at least in the US. To my knowledge Saint-Saens was never given credit.

As far as I know there will be additional volumes to this set.
Tom

[semloh]

For me, this is a pointless question because quite obviously there are (justifiably or not) rarely played works by famous composers.
And in any case, although we have not been strict about it, the forum is "Unsung Composers" not "Unsung Compositions".
Am I right, or am I just having a grumpy day?

[Mark Thomas]

You are right, Colin, but I can't speak to your level of grumpiness.