Paul Paray: Saint-Saëns — Symphony No. 3 “Organ” & Schmitt — La tragédie de Salomé

Paul Paray conducts the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in two major works of the French orchestral repertoire: Camille Saint-Saëns’s Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78 “Organ”, with Marcel Dupré at the organ, and Florent Schmitt’s La tragédie de Salomé, Op. 50. The recordings date from 1957 and 1958 and document a central period in Paray’s collaboration with the Detroit orchestra.

Recordings

Saint-Saëns’s Symphony No. 3 was recorded on 10 December 1957 at the Henry and Edsel Ford Auditorium, Detroit; Schmitt’s La tragédie de Salomé on 23 March 1958 at Old Orchestra Hall, Detroit. Marcel Dupré is the organist in the Saint-Saëns symphony.

Recording technique

Both sessions were recorded in stereo on 3-track half-inch magnetic tape, with a Schoeps M201 in the centre and two Neumann KM-56 microphones at left and right.

Reissue history

For the later reissue of Symphony No. 3 included in Paul Paray: The Mercury Masters Vol. 1, the analogue-to-digital transfer was made from the first-generation 3-track master tapes; restoration used the Plangent Process, with 3-to-2 mix and mastering by Thomas Fine.

Tracklist

Camille Saint-Saëns — Symphony No. 3 “Organ”
01 — I. Adagio - Allegro moderato — 10:10
02 — II. Poco adagio — 09:18
03 — III. Allegro moderato - Presto — 06:26
04 — IV. Maestoso – Più allegro – Molto allegro — 08:11

Florent Schmitt — La tragédie de Salomé
05 — La tragédie de Salomé — 26:50

Credits

Conductor: Paul Paray
Orchestra: Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Organ: Marcel Dupré (Saint-Saëns)
Composers: Camille Saint-Saëns; Florent Schmitt
Edition: Capsa Symphōnĭa
Catalogue: CS659

Available format

File PCM 44.1kHz • 16bit — CD Resolution
Download format: WAV.

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