SAINT-SAENS: Complete Symphonies [CD de audio] Orchestre ORTF, Saint-Saëns and Jean Martinon

One of the most naturally gifted of all composers, the young Camille Saint-Saëns completed the first of his five symphonies when he was just 15 years old.The result the delightful Symphony in A Major, composed in 1850 is a work so polished and accomplished that it is hard to imagine that greater maturity would have allowed Saint- Saëns to improve it.The Symphony in E flat, published as his Symphony No.1 and Op.2, followed three years later, a remarkable work in which it is plain to see that the composer had made huge strides. Both Berlioz and Gounod, who attended the premiere, were bowled over by the assured technique, colourful orchestration, memorable tunes and sense of poise. The Symphony in F a charming Schumannesque work, which won Saint-Saëns the first prize in a competition and the Symphony No.2 a wonderfully wrought composition, full of surprises followed in 1856 and 1859 respectively. However, the most popular of the five is undoubtedly the Symphony No.3, commonly known as the