November | The French Connection
- Nov 12, 2025
- 4 min read
The period after Hector Berlioz was known as the driest, most barren epoch in France. All the great symphonic composers, it seemed, were German or from German-speaking lands. Think of Schumann, Liszt, Wagner, and Brahms. At the same time, the French had Beriot, Servais, Franchomme, and Thomas. When was the last time you heard a concert featuring any of these composers? And then, a miracle. Contemporary critics assure us that Camille Saint-Saëns was a greater child prodigy than either Mozart or Mendelssohn. Clearly, he had perfect pitch, and he made his official debut at the age of ten in the famous Salle Pleyel in Paris, playing two concerti, Mozart's Piano Concerto in B♭ (K450), considered by many to be his most difficult, and Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto. Berlioz, after hearing the phenomenally poised and polished young Saint-Saëns, famously quipped, “The only thing that young man lacks is inexperience.”
Saint-Saëns quickly became the leading figure in the Romantic period of French music, and his reputation spread quickly throughout the musical world. In 1893, Charles Villiers Stanford invited what he considered three of the greatest living composers to Cambridge University where they all performed in a single concert and received honorary doctorates. They were Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Alexander Bruch, and Camille Saint-Saëns.
Saint-Saëns’ Organ Symphony was commissioned by the English Philharmonic Society and had its premiere in London in May 1886 with the composer conducting. In the opening half of the concert, he was the soloist in Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto, with Sir Arthur Sullivan conducting. Saint-Saëns had spent much of his life as a travelling piano soloist and also many years as the organist at La Madeleine, the official church of the French Empire. Liszt heard him playing there and declared him the greatest organist in the world.
Saint-Saëns wrote this symphony almost as a type of compendium of his own career, with virtuoso piano passages, brilliant orchestral writing characteristic of the Romantic period, and the sound of a great organ, suitable for a cathedral or large concert hall. There is a structural unity of the melodic elements in this work which was unprecedented in French music. Saint-Saëns once remarked that he gave this symphony “everything I was able to give. What I have accomplished here, I will never achieve again.” Charles Gounod, the famous composer of Faust, Romeo and Juliet, etc., attended the Paris premiere. He understood immediately that this was a milestone in the structural development of French music, plus the greatest French symphony in many decades and declared, “Voici le Beethoven français!” (Here is the French Beethoven!)
Structural attributes aside, the organ's entrance in the second section is particularly striking, adding a profound, spiritual dimension that elevates the drama in this work. The symphony is filled with contrasts — from brooding introspection to blazing triumph. The famous finale, with its soaring C major theme powered by full organ and brass, is one of the most exhilarating moments in all of Romantic music. Justin Cormier, the wonderful Music Director and multi-instrumentalist will present the brand new organ and together we will “raise the roof” at Silverdale Lutheran Church!
Camille Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor has been called “one of the most enduring and brilliantly engineered concertos in the cello repertory.” The cello pyrotechnics begin immediately. After only one quick orchestral chord, the cello leaps in, making a dramatic, almost operatic entrance. The glamor never fades, and the cello maintains its star-status as diva du jour throughout the piece. The themes are by turns heroic, wistful, melancholic, but all are lovely. In many works, the cello tone can often be swallowed up and overshadowed by the orchestra. Saint-Saëns’ brilliant orchestration assures that this will not happen. Virtually every subsequent composer studied this concerto to learn his methods. Our brilliant soloist this month is Dorian Latchague, who has performed many times in this orchestra and now returns as a conquering hero.
Born in 1893, Lili Boulanger was a brilliant composer, singer and instrumentalist. Influenced by Claude Debussy and a student of Gabriel Fauré, she is remembered most for her innovative compositional style. Her musical pedigree was remarkable. Her mother was a Russian princess who met Lili’s father while studying voice at the Paris Conservatoire. Ernest Boulanger was a highly regarded composer and conductor. Notably, Lili’s older sister, Nadia, was a renowned music teacher who taught some of the most influential composers and conductors of the 20th century.
In 1913, at age nineteen, Lili was the first woman to win first prize in the Prix de Rome, a French scholarship for arts students. The prize enabled her to study in Rome for up to five years. Unfortunately, due to ill health, she was only able to take advantage of the scholarship for fewer than two.
Although she died at age 24, Lili was a prolific composer. Psaume XXIV was written in 1916; the work is for choir, brass, organ, timpani, and harp. The organ and brass introduce a powerful motif, and the choir proclaims the opening text, “The Earth belongs to the Lord, and all that is in it.”
Soon the mood changes; the melody becomes more fluid and thoughtful. A solo voice declares that “he (the man who is pure of heart) will receive the blessing of the Lord and the justice of God, his savior.” The choir’s response is chant-like and ethereal; “This is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face in Jacob,” followed by the declamatory “O gates, lift up your heads and the King of Glory will enter!” The piece then builds with anticipation toward its final phrase with the strength and deft skill of a masterful composer.
