Everyone knows Saint-Saëns' Organ Symphony (no.3), if only thanks to a pop song which we will leave aside for now. Saint-Saëns composed even more organ repertoire, not to mention his improvisations. Saint-Saëns dedicated the Trois Préludes Et Fugues op.99 from 1894 to important colleagues (Widor, Guilmant and Gigout respectively). However, it is above all the spirit of Bach that prevails here.
How could it be otherwise with this genre and this instrument? It is different with the opening work, the Cyprès Et Lauriers from 1919. Saint-Saëns lived long enough to see his world change completely. If not because of the World War, then it was because of the experiments of Schönberg and Stravinsky. The diptych Cyprès Et Lauriers was a tribute to the victims and heroes of the war. For many of his contemporaries, Saint-Saëns was then someone from long ago. And yes, the heroism we hear here is very French and very 19th century. Yet we also hear a signature that is beyond Bach, with occasional touches of Berlioz and a sweet reminder of Liszt. (HJ)more
