2nd Symphony (Saint-Saëns)

Saint-Saëns in 1858

The 2nd Symphony in A minor , op. 55 , is a work by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns .

Instrumentation and sentence names

instrumentation

2 flutes

Piccolo

2 oboes

2 clarinets

2 bassoons

2 horns

2 trumpets

Timpani

Strings

Sentence names

1. Movement: Adagio marcato - Allegro appassionato
2. Movement: Adagio
3. Movement: Scherzo: Presto
4. Movement: Prestissimo

General

Saint-Saëns wrote the symphony in 1859. It is the fourth of his five symphonies. It is no longer played regularly - like Saint-Saën's 3rd Symphony , which was composed 27 years later. In different movements, the style is closely related to Joseph Haydn , Johannes Brahms and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy , and compared to the “Urbs Roma” symphony and the 1st symphony, the work is less rambling but more concentrated. In terms of style, it partly refers to the 3rd symphony.

The work is dedicated to the conductor Jules Pasdeloup .

In addition to the version for orchestra, the work was arranged for piano , for example by Claude Debussy (2 pianos) and André Messager (piano 4-hdg.).

literature

• Philippe Mongeot: Saint Saëns: The five symphonies. Supplement to Jean Martinon (conductor): Saint-Saëns: Les 5 Symphonies. EMI , 2003.

Web links

• Sheet music and scores in the International Music Score Library Project

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Philippe Mongeot: Saint Saens: The five symphonies
2. ↑ Chapter General Information in the International Music Score Library Project