Triumph and Tragedy

Donald Macleod finds Saint‑Saëns at a moment when public success and private upheaval collide. Today, he explores the composer’s enforced stay in London during the Commune, the friendships and opportunities that follow his return to Paris, and the swift courtship and marriage that bring new pressures into his life. As Saint‑Saëns begins to look towards the theatre, Donald charts how these shifts lead to works that reveal a growing confidence and a deepening sense of artistic possibility, even as loss and change continue to shape his personal world.

A Voice by the Cedar Tree
Tyler Duncan, baritone
Erika Switzer, piano

Saint‑Saëns: Romance in C major, Op. 48
Dong‑Suk Kang, violin
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra
Antoni Wit, conductor

Saint‑Saëns: Romance, Op. 36
Francis Orval, horn
Orchestra of Radio Luxembourg
Louis de Froment, conductor

Saint‑Saëns: Le Déluge – Prelude
New Philharmonia Orchestra
Pierre Dervaux, conductor
Ulf Hoelscher, violin

Samson et Dalila – “Mon cœur s’ouvre à ta voix”
Agnes Baltsa, mezzo‑soprano (Dalila)
José Carreras, tenor (Samson)
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Sir Colin Davis, conductor

Requiem, Op. 54 – I. Requiem & Kyrie; II. Dies Irae
Tinuke Olafimihan, soprano
Catherine Wyn‑Rogers, mezzo‑soprano
Anthony Roden, tenor
Simon Kirkbride, bass
East London Chorus, Harlow Chorus, Hertfordshire Chorus
London Philharmonic Orchestra
James O’Donnell, organ
Geoffrey Simon, conductor

Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales and West.