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BBC Radio 3 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced Third Programme.

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Composer of the Week

Music: Classical

An informative guide to composers' lives and their music.

An informative and accessible guide to composers' lives and their music.

Composer of the Week: Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921): Storming the Operatic Battlements

Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921)

Storming the Operatic Battlements

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)

BBC Radio 3 - Composer of the Week, Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921), Storming the Operatic Battlements

Donald Macleod investigates Saint-Saens's resolve to be accepted as an operatic composer.

Donald Macleod investigates Saint-Saens's determination to fulfil his ultimate ambition to be recognised as an operatic composer.

Donald Macleod investigates Saint-Saëns' determination to fulfil his ultimate ambition to be recognised as an operatic composer.  There were plenty of obstacles along the way.  His first venture into serious opera failed when the production was shelved due to the bankruptcy of the theatre director. The next had a happier outcome as Liszt agreed to premiere it at his opera house in Weimar, but Saint-Saëns had to wait 15 years before it received its first performance in Paris.  Of the 13 operas Saint-Saëns composed just one has stood the test of time, though many of them would prove to be hugely successful in his lifetime and contribute to his reputation as a globally successful composer.

La Princesse Jaune: Overture	
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, conductor

O Cruel Souvenir (Henry VIII)
Veronique Gens, soprano
Les Talens Lyriques
Christophe Rousset, conductor

Samson et Dalila: Act II (excerpt)		
Placido Domingo, tenor (Samson)
Waltraud Meier, soprano (Dalila)
Orchestra of the Opéra Bastille
Myung-Whun Chung, conductor

Bacchanale (Samson et Dalila)
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Neeme Järvi, conductor

Proserpine: Act II (excerpt)	
Frédèric Antoun, tenor (Sabatino)
Marie-Adeline Henry, soprano (Angiola)
Jean Teitgen, bass (Renzo)
Andrew Foster-Williams, baritone (Squarocca)
Flemish Radio Choir
Munich Radio Orchestra
Ulf Schirmer, conductor

Produced by Deborah Preston for BBC Wales

Composer of the Week: Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)

Live music and the arts: broadcasts more live music than any other radio network. Classical music is its core. Genres include world and new music, jazz, speech and drama.

Donald Macleod surveys the life and work of French composer Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns.

Donald Macleod surveys the life and work of French composer Charles-Camille Saint-Saens.

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Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)

Storming the Operatic Battlements

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