Sunday Night Special … Camille Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3 (Organ Symphony)
The name comes from the night of the week when for some of us, the frustrations of insomnia hit the hardest… and because my preferred antidote is getting lost in some music. Of course this series is for everyone… but it is perhaps intended a little more for those of you whose sleep has been troubled. The idea of the special is to play just one piece, uninterrupted and in its entirety… with a few minutes of background explained at the end of the episode. This month… Camille Saint-Saën’s 3rd Symphony. Known as the Organ Symphony for reasons that will become pretty obvious. In this performance Daniel Barenboim conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the organist is Gaston Litaize. [Episode Image: Portrait of Saint-Saëns by Benjamin Constant. Background: Illustration of St John’s Hall, London; where the premiere took place. The Hall was demolished in 1905.]