Over a remarkably long and illustrious career, Camille Saint-Saëns thrilled audiences around the world as a pianist and organist, shaped the course of musical life in France, and enriched a multitude of genres with some 600 works, all bearing witness to the mastery of his craft. Setting his best-known compositions in their dazzlingly diverse context, this edition invites exploration and discovery. It spans more than a century of recording history, encompassing a host of great instrumentalists, singers, conductors, and orchestras.
Performers include instrumentalists Alexandre Tharaud, Olivier Latry, Renaud and Gautier Capuçon, Itzhak Perlman, Jacqueline du Pré, and Mstislav Rostropovich. Singers include Maria Callas, Natalie Dessay, Christa Ludwig, Philippe Jaroussky, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, and The King’s Singers. Nearly eight CDs are devoted to historical recordings, with Saint-Saëns – one of the first composers to be captured on disc – appearing as pianist via piano rolls and acoustic recordings.
