Charles Camille Saint-Saëns
Born: 9th October 1835, Paris
Died: 16th December 1921, Algiers
Nationality: French
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (UK: , US: , French: [ʃaʁl kamij sɛ̃sɑ̃(s)] 9 October 1835 – 16 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Second Piano Concerto (1868), the First Cello Concerto (1872), Danse macabre (1874), the opera Samson and Delilah (1877), the Third Violin Concerto (1880), the Third ("Organ") Symphony (1886) and The Carnival of the Animals (1886).
Saint-Saëns was a musical prodigy; he made his concert debut at the age of ten. After studying at the Paris Conservatoire he followed a conventional career as a church organist, first at Saint-Merri, Paris and, from 1858, La Madeleine, the official church of the French Empire. After leaving the post twenty years later, he was a successful freelance pianist and composer, in demand in Europe and the Americas.
Read more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camille_Saint-Saëns
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Further Reading: Saint-Saëns
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French orchestral favourites from John Wilson and Sinfonia of London
1st May 2026
A beautifully chosen and vividly performed collection of popular French pieces including Dukas's L'Apprenti sorcier, Saint-Saëns’s Danse macabre, suites from Bizet's Carmen, and Wilson's own orchestral transcription of Debussy's Clair de lune.
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Pascal Rogé at 75
7th Apr 2026
The French pianist celebrates his 75th birthday this week, with a new album of Fauré and a career-spanning box set, both on Decca – the label to which he first signed at the age of eighteen. We look back on the career of a master of musical architecture who communicates affection without affectation.
Popular Genres: Saint-Saëns
Orchestral
Chamber
Instrumental
Opera
Concertos
Popular Works: Saint-Saëns
- Africa - Fantasie for piano & orchestra Op. 89 (23)
- Allegro Appassionato in B minor Op. 43 (64)
- Bassoon Sonata in G major, Op. 168 (36)
- Benediction Nuptiale in F major, Op. 9 (24)
- Cello Concerto No. 1, Op. 33 (189)
- Cello Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 119 (28)
- Cello Sonata No. 1 in C minor Op. 32 (36)
- Clarinet Sonata in E flat major, Op. 167 (55)
- Danse macabre, Op. 40 (280)
- Etude en forme de valse (No. 6 from Six Études, Op. 52) (27)
- Fantaisie for violin & harp, Op. 124 (33)
- Fantaisie No. 1 for organ in E flat major (27)
- Havanaise, Op. 83 (121)
- Introduction & Rondo capriccioso, Op. 28 (246)
- La Muse et le Poète, Op. 132 (25)
- Le carnaval des animaux (164)
- Le carnaval des animaux: Le Cygne (369)
- Le Rouet d'Omphale, Op. 31 (68)
- Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix (from Samson et Dalila) (81)
- Oboe Sonata in D major Op. 166 (31)
- Oratorio de Noël (Christmas Oratorio), Op. 12 (26)
- Phaéton, Op. 39 (28)
- Piano Concerto No. 1 in D major Op. 17 (33)
- Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22 (111)
- Piano Concerto No. 3 in E-flat major Op. 29 (29)
- Piano Concerto No. 4 in C minor, Op. 44 (60)
- Piano Concerto No. 5 in F major, Op. 103 'Egyptian' (57)
- Preludes and Fugues (3), Op. 99 (25)
- Prière for cello & piano, Op. 158 (24)
- Printemps qui commence (from Samson et Dalila) (23)
- Romance in D flat major, Op. 37 (47)
- Romance, Op. 36 (52)
- Samson et Dalila (24)
- Samson et Dalila, Op. 47: Bacchanale (50)
- Suite algérienne, Op. 60 (34)
- Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78 'Organ Symphony' (170)
- Tarantelle in A minor, Op. 6 (25)
- Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor, Op. 61 (77)
- Violin Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 75 (55)
- Wedding Cake - Valse-Caprice, Op. 76 (30)
Recent Best Sellers: Saint-Saëns
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New. Mémoire
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CD: $17.50Download from $10.00 -
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2020
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Gramophone Magazine, Critics' Choice 2020
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The Times Records of the Year, 2020
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Presto Recording of the Week, 1st May 2026
SACD: Original price $20.00 Reduced $16.60Download from $10.00 -
New Releases: Saint-Saëns
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New. The Pyramids Recital
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CD: Original price $17.50 Reduced $15.75Download from $10.00 -
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CD: $17.50Download from $10.00 -
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New. Saint-Saens & Lalo: Cello Concertos
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Daniel Adni (piano)
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Coming soon. Hope in Shadow
Sheku Kanneh-Mason, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Edward Gardner
2 Vinyl Records: Original price $46.75 Reduced $43.47 -
Coming soon. Abysses. French Arias for Contralto
Aude Extrémo (contralto), Concerto Budapest Symphony Orchestra, György Vashegyi
CD: $20.25Download from $9.25
