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Review by JJ November 17, 2011 (2 of 2 found this review helpful)
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Even today, for many music lovers the French composer Camille Saint- Saëns is principally associated with two works, the Symphony N°3 with Organ, and the opera Samson and Delila. How strange, when one knows that the great Camille was the author of twelve other operas, most notably “Henry VIII,” “Étienne Marcel,” "Les Barbares,” and “Ascanio.” The present recording proposes to have us discover the ballet music of the lyrical works cited above, with the world première of the opera “Ascanio,” for as Hugh Macdonald in his notes rightly states: “To put together a selection of music for orchestra one finds in hardly-known operas is to confront a treasure chest of lively and expressive music which reflects the tastes and fashions of the French belle époque.” Leading the Victoria Orchestra, Guillaume Tourniaire’s inspired direction (when will we see a great modern version on SACD of “Samson and Dalila”?) is like fireworks of color and atmosphere that are childlike, sparkling, dramatic and solemn all at the same time. And despite an orchestra that could be warmer, even zestier, this SACD is a happy surprise for those who wish to discover new musical directions.
Jean-Jacques Millo
Translation Lawrence Schulman
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