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Donald Macleod looks at the playful side of Saint-Saens鈥檚 character, which reveals itself in some of his most popular and enduring music.

Donald Macleod looks at the playful side of Saint-Sa毛ns鈥 character which he kept under wraps in public, yet amongst friends and in private correspondence he sparkled with wit. The face Saint-Sa毛ns presented to his audiences was rather grim and gave no hint of the mischievous sense of humour which lay beneath yet is dazzlingly revealed in some of his best-loved music most notably his famous zoological suite in which he happily sends up both himself and his fellow-composers.

La Cigale et la Fourmi
Fran莽ois le Roux, baritone
Graham Johnson, piano

Wedding Cake Waltz
Stephen Hough, piano
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Sakari Oramo, conductor

La Coccinelle
Suzette et Suzon
Tournoiement 鈥楽onge d鈥檕pium鈥
Fran莽ois le Roux, baritone
Graham Johnson, piano

Six Studies for the Left Hand, Op 135 (Nos 4, 5 & 6)
Piers Lane, piano

Le Carnaval des Animaux
Louis Lortie, piano
H茅l猫ne Mercier, piano
Truls M酶rk, cello
Alasdair Malloy, glass harmonica
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Neeme J盲rvi, conductor

Produced by Deborah Preston for 大象传媒 Wales

59 minutes

Music Played

  • Camille Saint鈥怱a毛ns

    La cigale et la fourmi

    Performer: Graham Johnson. Singer: Fran莽ois Le Roux.
    • Hyperion: CDA66856.
    • Hyperion.
    • 17.
  • Camille Saint鈥怱a毛ns

    Valse-Caprice in A flat major, Op 76

    Performer: Sir Stephen Hough. Orchestra: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Sakari Oramo.
    • Hyperion : CDA67331 2.
    • Hyperion.
    • 10.
  • Camille Saint鈥怱a毛ns

    La coccinelle

    Performer: Graham Johnson. Singer: Fran莽ois Le Roux.
    • Hyperion: CDA66856.
    • Hyperion.
    • 7.
  • Camille Saint鈥怱a毛ns

    Suzette et Suzon

    Performer: Graham Johnson. Singer: Fran莽ois Le Roux.
    • Hyperion: CDA66856.
    • Hyperion.
    • 23.
  • Camille Saint鈥怱a毛ns

    Tournoiement (Melodies Persanes, Op 26)

    Performer: Graham Johnson. Singer: Fran莽ois Le Roux.
    • Hyperion: CDA66856.
    • Hyperion.
    • 15.
  • Camille Saint鈥怱a毛ns

    6 Studies for piano left hand, Op 135

    Performer: Piers Lane.
    • Hyperion CDA67037.
    • Hyperion.
    • 19.
  • Camille Saint鈥怱a毛ns

    Le Carnaval des Animaux

    Performer: Louis Lortie. Performer: H茅l猫ne Mercier. Performer: Truls M酶rk. Performer: Alasdair Malloy. Orchestra: Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Neeme J盲rvi.
    • Chandos CHSA5162.
    • Chandos.
    • 6.

Broadcast

  • Wed 5 Dec 2018 12:00

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