logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2020
46m 57s

Saint-Saens Symphony No. 3, "Organ"

JOSHUA WEILERSTEIN
About this episode

Saint-Saens considered his 3rd symphony his greatest work: "I have given all that I had to give. What I have done I shall never do again." Later in his life, Saint-Saens would be known as an arch-conservative, but at the time he was writing the Organ symphony, Saint-Saens was enamored with the formal and structural innovations of the music of Liszt. Today we'll explore the dualism between the piece's Romantic aspirations and Classical grounding, plus of course, the role of the organ in this Organ Symphony.

Up next
Sep 3
Grieg: Peer Gynt
Grieg's Peer Gynt suites are among the best-known and best-loved works of classical music in the world. They are practically embedded into popular culture, being used in a dizzying number of cartoons, advertisements, and films. In the classical music world, as with Beethoven's 5t ... Show More
1h 7m
Aug 20
Mozart Clarinet Concerto
When it comes to a piece like the Mozart Clarinet Concerto, a few words or phrases regularly come up: the concerto is described as "mellow" or Mozart's "swan song," but most often it is described as "perfect." Such a perfect piece as Mozart's Clarinet Concerto must have been huge ... Show More
51m 41s
Aug 6
Bohuslav Martinu Symphony No. 1
It took a lot to make the composer and critic Virgil Thomson happy. He was famous for savaging new works he didn't like, and the truth is, he didn't like very many new works at all. One exception was Bohuslav Martinů's very first symphony, written in 1942. Thomson said this: "The ... Show More
1h 1m
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2010
Schumann: Fantasy in C Major Op. 17 III Lento Sostenuto
This is a recording of the third movement/section of Schumann's masterpiece, Fantasy in C. This movement is one of my all-time favorite works in the piano literature. Edited by his wife, Clara, this work was originally dedicated to Franz Liszt, although later editions did not inc ... Show More
11m 31s
Mar 2011
Clementi: Sonatina Op. 36 No. 3
This is the 3rd Sonatina in Clementi's Op. 36. I admit that I am not too pleased with how I played this piece and it is definitely one of those that I may have to re-record in the future. But for now, I hope that somebody out there benefits from this release. Enjoy! 
5m 53s
Oct 2015
Symphony No. 3: Dedicated To ‘The Memory Of A Great Man’
With the "Eroica," Ludwig van Beethoven expanded the idea of what a symphony could be. The man who helped inspire the symphony? Napoleon Bonaparte. 
17m 57s
Dec 2007
Liszt: (Evening Harmonies) Transcendental Etude No. 11
This recording is a live performance given at a solo recital in January of 2003. The recording was made on a nine-foot concert grand piano in a small recital hall. This Etude was the first of Liszt's transcendental Etudes that I studied. I fell in love with the harmonies and chor ... Show More
9m 49s
Nov 2018
Sergei Rachmaninoff, Chapter 8: A Stunning Finale
When the urge to compose finally struck again, Rachmaninoff took a little theme by Nicolo Paganini and turned it into a tour de force for the piano and orchestra, called Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. In this final episode of the Great Composers series on Rachmaninoff, we also ... Show More
33m 34s
Aug 2009
Mozart: Sonata in F Major K. 300k (332) - III Allegro
This is the third and final movement to Mozart's Sonata in F Major (K 300k). This has been a fun sonata to record and got me hooked on learning a few other Mozart sonatas that I will hopefully be recording and releasing in the coming months. I hope you enjoy my recording of Mozar ... Show More
7m 20s
Sep 2009
Liszt: (Hymn of the Child on Awakening) Hymne de l'enfant a son reveil
This work is the sixth piece from Liszt's "Harmonies poetiques et religieuses" (Poetic and Religious Harmonies). This work has some very beautiful harmonies and chord progressions. The majority of this work is in the key of A-flat, which is a very loving and dreamlike key for Lis ... Show More
6m 21s
Jul 2023
Music Of Chopin
Works include: Waltzes #3 &6, The Revolutionary Etude, Prelude #17, Scherzo #1, Nocturne #13 and Mazurka # 26. Pianists include: Alfred Cortot, Arthur Rubinstein, Sviatoslav Richter, Claudio Arrau, Dinu Lipatti and Wilhelm Backhaus. 
42m 51s
Oct 2008
Franck: Andantino
This is a fairly simple work that hides within it Franck's organ technique. Cesar Franck wrote many pieces for the organ and although this is written for piano, the voices within the piece seem reminiscent of an organ work. This is my first recording after a long "break" from mus ... Show More
1m 51s
Nov 2015
Symphony No. 8: A Musical Look Back
A fun, almost comical, moment before Beethoven stepped away from the symphony for a decade and wrote his ultimate triumph. 
15m 56s